Celebrity makes me cringe, says Woody Allen
( 2001-09-28 11:20 ) (7 )

Woody Allen, whose private life became as famous as his films, says celebrity really makes him cringe.

Woody Allen, whose private life became as famous as his films, says celebrity really makes him cringe.

And to fans who adore his quirky and offbeat New York comedies, the film director offers a heartfelt plea. His films, he insists, were really were not autobiographical -- honest.

One of the world's most famous but reclusive film directors made a rare public appearance in London to publicise his movie "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" about an insurance investigator who is turned by hypnotism into a jewel thief.

And in an hour-long interview at Britain's National Film Theatre he opened out to the audience about the perils of fame.

Allen found himself the centre of international attention after his bitter break-up with longtime partner Mia Farrow.

Allen and Farrow ended their decade-long relationship in 1992 after she found nude photographs of Soon-Yi Previn, her Korean-born adopted daughter. Farrow then accused Allen of molesting another daughter they had adopted together.

Allen was cleared of the charges but lost a child custody battle in the process. But he has risen from the ashes of the scandal and married Soon-Yi in Venice in 1997.

The whole affair thrust him under the spotlight and his face was splashed across newspapers around the world.

The diminutive New Yorker is clearly much happier with anonymity.

Opening up to Thursday night's audience in an interview organised by the Guardian newspaper, he said of celebrity: "I cringe. I have a very tough time with it. It is not something that comes naturally to me. I have gotten better at it but it's not my strong suit."

And he insists with some passion that he was not reliving his life on screen.

"I have been telling people for years that there is not a huge similarity between me on screen and in real life. But for some reason they just don't want to know that.

"The characters I play in the movies are hugely exaggerated," he said. "The films are really not autobiographical. I promise you I am not like that all."

But then Allen got one of the biggest laughs of the evening when giving plot details of his new movie called "Hollywood Ending." He said: "It is about a neurotic film director who lives in New York. You see my limited range."

Despite winning a cupboard-full of Oscars and acquiring cult status for his movies, Allen never looks back once they are made.

"I never, ever see a film of mine once I release it to the public. It's like a chef with a meal he prepares -- I don't want to eat it. It is better that I put it out and make it history -- limit the damage."

Confessing that he was an eternal pessimist, he shrugged his shoulders and asked the audience: "Have I depressed you enough?"

And then, ever the insecure neurotic, he apologised profusely before leaving the stage and letting the audience enjoy a screening of "Curse of the Jade Scorpion." He told them: "Don't be too harsh on me. I gave it my best shot."