Sean Ono Lennon has come to the defense of his actor companion, Vincent Gallo, amidst the allegations he’s facing. Several women have recently accused the actor of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior.
Lennon took it to his X account, to relay the information reported by Rolling Stone. In his post, he emphasized that his friend is, in fact, a compassionate and perceptive individual, refuting the negative claims:
“Vincent Gallo is one of my best friends so I have to say something here. I know him to be brilliant, kind, insightful, and in the case of film making specifically, a truly professional and serious artist. Even if you read the description of these complaints, to me it is clear he was being up front about what method acting entails, and giving everyone clear parameters that are well within the framework of what is traditionally required of actors playing difficult roles and acting out challenging scenes.”
“To condemn him for saying they should ‘believe’ what the scene is trying to convey, seems like nonsense. I say this because I know the man over twenty years, and can stand by his character and commitment to making art. You may not agree with his political views, but that should have nothing to do with your opinion of his professionalism in the sphere of film making.”
He went on to say that the actor would stick to his professionalism in filmmaking and he is always focused on his work:
“Ultimately I was not there so I can not with certainty make any claims about what took place. However, based on my knowledge of the man I can confidently say that he is not someone who would ever behave unprofessionally when it comes to film making. He may be passionate, but he is always focused on the goal of making great art. He may be challenging and demanding, but always for the sake of the art, and for the betterment of the project he is working on.”
What Caused The Allegations?
The actor has been put under investigation after allegations from multiple women who claim that he made inappropriate remarks to them during the casting for the movie ‘The Policeman.’ According to those women, Gallo made some disturbing and inappropriate comments during the casting process for the film in November 2023.
According to the woman named Emily, Gallo told her:
“If I say to suck my d*ck or I will kill you, I want you, you the person, not you the character, not you the actor, but you, to truly believe you will die if you don’t do as I say. And just like you would in real life, if this were happening to you, I want you to do all of the actions necessary to do that. You won’t actually suck my d*ck, but you do not have the power, I have all the power. You have no control, I am in complete control.”
Emily told Rolling Stone that it seemed like Gallo controlled the situation. She raised concerns about whether anyone would effectively address potentially inappropriate behavior from Gallo.
Another actor, referred to as ‘Jane,’ also said it appeared others involved in the film were ‘under Gallo’s spell.’ Gallo allegedly discussed his ‘torture porn fantasies’ with the actress during the audition. Jane told Rolling Stone:
“He then proceeded to tell me that the filming environment he wanted to create was one that was fully improvised.”
A Sag-Afra representative confirmed to Rolling Stone that the investigation is ongoing, but declined to answer specific questions. The representative said:
“We extensively engaged with production regarding the complaints and while shooting has wrapped, we continue to monitor and investigate.”
Under Lennon’s statement, some claimed that it might be a false accusation since Rolling Stone is not a ‘credible’ news source. Additionally, there are comments where some stood with Lennon, and others stood with the named women. The comment section now seems to be divided in half.
See the statement below.
Vincent Gallo is one of my best friends so I have to say something here. I know him to be brilliant, kind, insightful, and in the case of film making specifically, a truly professional and serious artist. Even if you read the description of these complaints, to me it is clear he… https://t.co/td4ZlTnXFz
— Seán Ono Lennon (@seanonolennon) January 12, 2024
