Blake Lively Responds to Woody Allen Rape Joke at Cannes: "It Was Really Confusing

Blake Lively is coming to Woody Allen's defense following a jab at the director during their film's opening night at the Cannes Film Festival. French comedian Laurent Lafitte, who served as master of ceremonies at Wednesday's Café Society screening, "drew gasps" from the audience when he said, "It's very nice that you've been shooting so many movies in Europe, even if you are not being convicted for rape in the U.S." At a reporters luncheon for the film on Thursday, Blake told Variety that she was not laughing.

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I don't think any jokes about rape, homophobia, or Hitler is not a joke. I think that was a hard thing to swallow in 30 seconds. Film festivals are such a beautiful, respectful festivals of film and artists and to have that, it felt like it wouldn't have happened if it was in the 1940s. I can't imagine Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby going out and doing that. It was more disappointing for the artists in the room that someone was going up there making jokes about something that wasn't funny.

What on earth was happening? It was really confusing.

Variety notes that the joke was also likely in reference to Roman Polanski, who has been a fugitive since having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Woody has since responded to the comedian's remarks, telling Variety that he is "completely in favor of comedians making any jokes they want." 

The rape joke arrived hours after Woody's son Ronan Farrow published an essay in The Hollywood Reporter about how the media has largely ignored his sister Dylan's sexual assault accusations against the director. Both Blake and Woody said at Thursday's luncheon that they have not read the piece.