Woody Allen Says He Would've Liked to Work with Jerry Lewis Before His Death: 'Immense Talent'
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Carlos Alvarez/Getty; Paramount Pictures/Getty Woody Allen (L); Jerry Lewis
Alec Baldwin is reconnecting with Woody Allen.
The two men sat down Tuesday morning for an Instagram Live session, where Baldwin, 64, asked the controversial filmmaker whom he would've liked to work with in his career that he never got a chance to.
"I would've liked to have directed Jerry Lewis, because Jerry Lewis was an immense talent who always squandered it on silliness, and I think if you could control him and focus him in the right comedy, he could deliver for you in a really, really spectacular way," said Allen, 86.
"But all this stuff was silly and he had control of the pictures and they were foolish pictures for the most part, but there's always moments of greatness," he added. "The picture will be terrible, you can't sit through it, but there'll be a moment of greatness in it."
Of making movies in an era of streaming popularity, Allen also said, "A lot of the thrill is gone. Now you do a movie and you get a couple of weeks in a movie house, and then it goes to streaming or pay per view. It's not the same. It's not as enjoyable to me."
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Four years after his death, Lewis was accused of sexual assault and harassment by several of his female former costars. (Former reps for Lewis, who died in 2017 at age 91, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.)
The allegations are explored in a short February documentary from Vanity Fair titled "The Dark Side of a Hollywood Icon," where actresses Karen Sharpe and Hope Holiday, among others, recall alleged incidents involving the late comedian.
The documentary's accompanying feature from Vanity Fair included interviews with several more women, including Anna Maria Alberghetti, Lainie Kazan, Jill St. John and Connie Stevens — the last of whom said she was "the only actress at [Lewis'] funeral."
"I had heard that he was pretty rough on females," she told the outlet. "He wasn't on me."
Baldwin's interview with Allen comes eight years after Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow detailed molestation allegations against him in a New York Times op-ed, claiming he sexually assaulted her when she was 7 years old.
RELATED VIDEO: Woody Allen Responds to Dylan Farrow Interview Where She Claims "He's Been Lying for So Long"
Though Allen has maintained his innocence over the years, Dylan's accusations resurfaced amid the #MeToo movement.
A recent HBO docuseries titled Allen v. Farrow recounted the sexual-abuse allegations, featuring interviews with Dylan, who is now 36, and more involved. (The Vanity Fair Lewis documentary was also created in conjunction with Allen v. Farrow directors Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick.)
Allen has long denied the allegations, which first surfaced during his explosive 1992 split from Mia Farrow. Allen was not charged, though a Connecticut prosecutor said there was probable cause for a criminal case.
Baldwin announced his plan to interview Allen on Sunday, saying in his Instagram video, "I'm gonna be doing an Instagram Live with Woody Allen, who I love. I love you, Woody."
He captioned the post in part, "I have ZERO INTEREST in anyone's judgments and sanctimonious posts here. I am OBVIOUSLY someone who has my own set of beliefs and COULD NOT CARE LESS about anyone else's speculation."
Mark Sagliocco/Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage Alex Baldwin (L); Woody Allen
In January 2018, Baldwin called criticism of Allen over longstanding sexual abuse allegations "unfair and sad." The actor also referred to the long list of former collaborators who have since denounced the director and pledged to never work with him again.
"Woody Allen was investigated forensically by two states (NY and CT) and no charges were filed. The renunciation of him and his work, no doubt, has some purpose," Baldwin tweeted at the time. "But it's unfair and sad to me. I worked w WA 3 times and it was one of the privileges of my career."
Baldwin also spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his decision to stand by directors Allen and James Toback, despite the allegations against them.
"My inclination to want to defend my friends — who either A) I thought were innocent, which is Woody or B) I had no knowledge of what they did and I still have no knowledge of what they did, which is Toback — is a normal inclination," he explained.
Baldwin added, "It's a normal inclination to want to rally by your friends up until the point that they are convicted of something. If they're convicted of a crime, well then you're sad, and that's tragic, but they've got to go through that process."
