Woody Allen: 'Press won't help my movies'

Woody Allen only does interviews to promote his movies because he has to.

The iconic director and actor has countless films to his names, from drama Match Point to rom-com Midnight in Paris. Not all of them have fared well under the scrutiny of critics over the years, and Woody, 80, is adamant that doing media makes no difference to the film's success.

“I never thought there was any point doing press. I don’t think anybody ever reads an interview and says: ‘Hey, I want to see that movie!’” he told Britain’s The Guardian newspaper.

“Well, the publicity people think it’s important. So I do it to be nice. But I don’t think – and I tell them this – that it matters. And they say: ‘Just keep it quiet and do it.’ I don’t want to be someone who takes the money but refuses to help.”

His latest release is Cafe Society, set in 1930s Hollywood and follows a love triangle between Bobby (Jesse Eisenberg), Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) and Veronica (Blake Lively). Focusing on romantic relationships, and full of his usual wit and humour, Woody wanted to give the audience who pay out to watch his latest offering a “human experience”.

But he doesn’t agree with all the views shared in the feature, such as one scene which sees Kristen reading, “You have to pity people who need a big house to feel important,” as she looks up at a gated mansion.

“I’m not one of those people who has knee-jerk antipathy to wealth,” Woody shrugged. “I like to look at rich people. I enjoy taking a tour of a very wealthy estate.”

He has no plans to get richer though, despite admitting to spending money on lottery tickets each week. If he did win there’d be no luxury purchases, as he and wife Soon-Yi Previn would carry on living as normal.

Cafe Society hits U.K. cinemas on 5 September (16).