Woody Allen has finally broken his silence on the death of Annie Hall co-star and ex Diane Keaton, following her death at age 79 on Oct. 11.
The Hollywood icon, celebrated for her performances in The Godfather, Annie Hall, and Father of the Bride, passed away on Saturday in California. A relative revealed she was surrounded by her loved ones, but no additional details regarding her death were given.
Now, the 89-year-old director and actor has penned a heartfelt essay about his frequent collaborator and ex on The Free Press, writing, “It’s grammatically incorrect to say ‘most unique,’ but all rules of grammar, and I guess anything else, are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton.
“Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered.”
Allen recalled meeting Keaton when they began working together on 1969’s Play It Again, Sam, noting that they were both “shy.” They eventually shared lunch during rehearsal.
He continued, “That was our first moment of personal contact. The upshot is that she was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: Could I be in love so quickly?”
Keaton became Allen’s trusted confidant, with him valuing her opinion of his work above all others.
“I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it,” he wrote. “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.”
Allen added that “only God and Freud might be able to figure out” why the pair’s romance didn’t survive, but referred to Keaton as “a beautiful yokel,” praising not only her directing and acting abilities, but also her California roots.
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“A few days ago, the world was a place that included Diane Keaton,” Allen continued. “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.”
Keaton and Allen frequently worked together, with their most memorable collaboration being 1977’s Annie Hall. Allen starred as Alvy Singer and Keaton starred as the titular character, a role Allen wrote specifically with her in mind.
The movie won four Oscars, including best actress for Keaton.
They starred together on 1972’s Play It Again, Sam, and worked together on Allen’s 1973 film Sleeper. They also worked together on 1975’s Love and Death, 1978’s Interiors, 1979’s Manhattan, 1987’s Radio Days, and 1993’s Manhattan Murder Mystery.
The pair maintained a close bond despite not working out as a couple. Keaton referred to Allen as one of her “many loves” in a 2017 interview with People, reflecting on the brief romance.
“He is so hilarious and I just adored him, I really did,” she said at the time, adding that she had dinner with Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, whenever she was in New York.
“I pick up the check, that’s how generous I am,” she teased.
News broke on October 11 that Keaton died at age 79 in California. A spokesperson for her family told People that loved ones, which include her two adult children, are requesting privacy, and no further details were given.
Keaton was transported from her Los Angeles-area residence by ambulance on Saturday and was subsequently pronounced dead, with the 911 audio disclosing there was a “person down.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
