Filmmaker and actor Woody Allen recently shared with podcaster Bill Maher that he anticipates ‘dying in the next few years’.
Allen, known for his portrayal of neurotic characters in films such as “Love and Death,” “Annie Hall,” and “Manhattan,” saw his reputation take a hit in the early 1990s. This followed accusations from his former partner, Mia Farrow, who claimed he sexually abused their adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow. However, an investigation by the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of Yale-New Haven Hospital found no evidence to support this accusation.
During a conversation with Maher on his Club Random podcast, Allen reflected on his own mortality as they discussed the eventual end of the universe.
“I will come apart long before the universe,” he stated. “I mean, I’m at the end of… in December I’ll be 90, and I plan on dying in the next few years.”
Maher, the host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher since 2003, suggested that advancements in artificial intelligence might one day offer a way to avert death.
“Would you live forever if AI would let you?” he inquired. The Hollywood star responded, “What would they do, insert a little mechanism in my head?”
Maher continued, “I don’t have the blueprint but AI is doing amazing things. It would just reverse the deterioration of cell damage which is what kills us. It’s not unreasonable that they could come up with something where you would literally be immortal.”
Maintaining a realistic perspective, Allen noted that at nearly 90, technology is not yet available to achieve such breakthroughs.
Maher complimented Allen on how he remains ‘completely recognizable’ in his late 80s, to which Allen replied, “Well yeah but that can change overnight. Suddenly you hit that number and then I come in here with osteoporosis and shaking…”
During their chat, Allen, known for directing “Bullets over Broadway,” also credited his genes for his ongoing health.
“I’ve been very lucky,” he expressed. “My parents had longevity and so I’ve been blessed so far without – but you know, I’ve spoken to people who I’m saying ‘It’s remarkable, you’re 95 years old and you look so great, you’re so vigorous’ and everything is great, and the next thing they’re dead.”
Earlier, in a 2023 interview with Variety, Allen described cancel culture as ‘silly’.
“I feel if you’re going to be canceled, this is the culture to be canceled by. I just find that all so silly. I don’t think about it. I don’t know what it means to be canceled,” he said, also addressing the historical abuse allegations against him.
“My reaction has always been the same. The situation has been investigated by two people, two major bodies, not people, but two major investigative bodies. And both, after long detailed investigations, concluded there was no merit to these charges, that, you know, is exactly as I wrote in my book, Apropos of Nothing. There was nothing to it.”