Woody Allen says the world is ‘drearier’ without Diane Keaton in emotional essay
They remained close friends after dating briefly in the 60s.
Woody Allen has penned an essay tribute to Diane Keaton, remembering her fondly as Hollywood mourns her death.
It was announced on Saturday by a family spokesperson that the Annie Hall actor had died, aged 79.
While no further details of the Oscar winner’s death have been officially released, an insider has since revealed it was ‘unexpected’.
Allen, who was a frequent collaborator of Keaton’s, dated her after they first crossed paths in the 1960s. They remained friends after splitting.
Now, the controversial 89-year-old filmmaker has said the world is a ‘drearier’ place without her.
‘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,’ he said in an article for The Free Press.
The controversial filmmaker, 89, has said the world is a ‘drearier’ place without Keaton (Picture: Kike Rincon/Europa Press via Getty Images)‘Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered.’
Allen, who first met Keaton in 1969 when she auditioned for his production of Play It Again, Sam, added: ‘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 re-edit and come away with something she felt better about.’
Allen also wrote: ‘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.’
Keaton appeared in eight of Allen’s movies, for which she received numerous awards, including an Oscar, a Bafta, and two Golden Globes. She was also nominated for a Tony and two Emmys.
The pair dated briefly in the 1960s but remained close friends after splitting (Picture: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)Their projects together included Annie Hall, Manhattan, Sleeper, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Love and Death, and Radio Days.
As for their romantic relationship, this was brief.
However, Keaton continued to come to Allen’s defence in recent years after he was accused of molesting his adopted daughter when she was a child. He denied the allegations.
‘Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,’ Keaton tweeted in 2018.
She also previously described him as ‘so hilarious’ and someone she ‘just adored’.
Keaton also famously dated Al Pacino, now 85, having starred alongside each other in The Godfather trilogy as the couple Kay Adams-Corleone and Michael Corleone.
Keaton went on to date Al Pacino, whom she starred alongside in The Godfather trilogy (Picture: Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock) Pacino and Keaton began dating in 1974 before splitting in 1990 (Picture: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)They began dating in 1974 before splitting in 1990 after Pacino allegedly refused to marry the actor after she gave him an ultimatum.
In the aftermath of Keaton’s death, a source close to Pacino has claimed the star regretted not tying the knot with Keaton.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, an insider said: ‘I know he will forever regret he didn’t make his move when he had the chance.
‘For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, “If it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.” But sadly, now it is.’
The source continued: ‘Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane, who he’s always called “an amazing woman”.’
They also opened up about why Keaton and Pacino didn’t speak, despite living near each other in Beverly Hills, adding: ‘I once asked him why, and he told me, “There’s no need to talk with each other. We said everything that needed to be said at the time”.’
A source has claimed Pacino will ‘forever regret’ not walking down the aisle with the Annie Hall star (Picture: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images) It was announced on Saturday that Keaton had died, aged 79 (Picture: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)Following their breakup, Keaton went on to date Warren Beatty after the two starred alongside each other in Reds.
The actor never married, but in 1996 she adopted her daughter, Dexter, and in 2001 her son, Duke.
Pacino, meanwhile, has also never married, enjoying high-profile relationships with the likes of Lucila Polak, Beverly D’Angelo, and most recently, Noor Alfallah.
In his memoir, Pacino admitted that he and Keaton always had ‘a connection.’
‘I have always liked women, but from the time I was very young, I have been shy around them. I don’t woo them. I don’t pursue them. Women either respond to you or they don’t, and if they don’t make the first move toward me, I am a bit reluctant to try again,’ he wrote.
‘But with Diane this time, things were different. We always had a connection. She understood my read on things, and it felt comforting to have someone who got me. So I went after her.
In his memoir, Pacino previously said that he had always had a connection with Keaton (Picture: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)‘We hung out together, and after a couple of months we decided to get together. We found a tempo and a temperature that was right.’
He continued: ‘Being with Diane had a lot to do with my sense of peace and comfort. I had found that kind of comfort that makes you feel and think with the world.
‘I enjoyed the ability to continue this experimental journey, free from the pressures of having to fulfil anyone’s expectations but my own, if I wanted to. But I wouldn’t have a choice in the matter for much longer.’
In 2017, Keaton admitted she thought it was ‘a blessing for them both’ that she and Pacino never tied the knot.
Speaking to The Times, she said: ‘I didn’t even want him to propose. I just thought maybe he would marry me, eventually. I thought, “Don’t even propose — let’s just do it.”
‘But that never happened, and that is a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him.’
She continued: ‘We’re very eccentric, he needed a woman that was going to take care of him, I needed a man who would take care of me … It was just very important that we left each other alone, said goodbye. But it wasn’t my choice.’
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