Woody Allen Remembers Diane Keaton: ‘a Million Laughs To Be Around’

Woody Allen, who regularly collaborated with Diane Keaton throughout her career, honored the actress following her death in a tribute published on The Free Press. The disgraced filmmaker shared his memories of Keaton, who appeared in movies like Annie Hall, Sleeper, Manhattan, and Love and Death.

“Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered,” Allen wrote. “I first laid eyes on her lanky beauty at an audition and thought, If Huckleberry Finn was a gorgeous young woman, he’d be Keaton.”

Allen described working with Keaton over the years, but also being her longtime friend. He wrote that her opinion was one of the only ones he trusted. “As time went on I made movies for an audience of one, Diane Keaton,” Allen wrote. “I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it. If she liked it, I counted the film as an artistic success. If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about.”

He added, “She had huge talent for comedies and drama, but she could also dance and sing with feeling. She also wrote books and did photography, made collages, decorated homes, and directed films. Finally, she was a million laughs to be around.”

Allen and Keaton were one-time romantic partners and stayed friends in the years after. He wrote numerous roles specifically for her to play, including the titular character in 1977’s Annie Hall, for which she won Best Actress. Many speculated that the film was based on their prior relationship, although Keaton told The New York Times, “It’s not true, but there are elements of truth in it.”

He noted of her style, “Her fashion sense was a sight to behold, of course. Her sartorial concoctions rivaled the contraptions of Rube Goldberg. She put together clothing that defied logic but always worked. In later years, her look became more elegant.”

In the tribute, Allen described his romantic relationship with Keaton, including recalling meeting her family. “This was Keaton’s world, her people, her background,” he wrote. “It was amazing that this beautiful yokel went on to become an award-winning actress and sophisticated fashion icon. We had a few great personal years together and finally we both moved on, and why we parted only God and Freud might be able to figure out.”
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“She went on to date a number of exciting men, all of them more fascinating than I was,” Allen continued. “I went on to keep trying to make that great masterpiece that I am still struggling with when I last looked. I kidded Keaton that we’d wind up—she like Norma Desmond, me like Erich von Stroheim, once her director, now her chauffeur. But the world is constantly being redefined, and with Keaton’s passing it is redefined once again. A few days ago the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it’s a world that does not. Hence, it’s a drearier world. Still, there are her movies. And her great laugh still echoes in my head.”

Allen has dogged controversy since having an affair with his partner Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. During his custody battle with Farrow, she claimed Allen had “acted inappropriately” with her daughter, Dylan Farrow. Allen denied the accusations and married Previn, who he has been with for more than 20 years. The claims resurfaced during the #MeToo movement and Keaton took to social media to defend Allen.

“Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton wrote. “It might be of interest to take a look at the 60 Minute interview from 1992 and see what you think.”
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In 2017, Allen made a rare appearance to present Keaton with the AFI Life Achievement Award. “The minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me,” Allen said during the event. “Much of what I’ve accomplished in my life I owe, for sure, to her. Seeing life through her eyes. She really is astonishing. This is a woman who is great at everything she does.”