Here are some new photos of Ronan Farrow and his mom Mia at last night’s benefit for The Blue Card (a Holocaust survivor non-profit). Ronan looks slender! He’s already losing weight ahead of his new MCNBC hosting gig (which I guess starts next year). I saw him on Morning Joe this morning talking about Obamacare and healthcare.gov too. He’s very photogenic, but I’m actually having some second thoughts about his MSNBC gig – he needs more “presence” on camera, because Joe Scarborough was walking all over him this morning. Anyway, when Ronan was on the red carpet last night, he spoke to Vulture about his paternity drama and whether he would ever want to know for sure if he is Frank Sinatra’s son:
Tonight at the 79th anniversary benefit and auction for The Blue Card, a Holocaust survivor non-profit, Ronan Farrow showed up to the American Museum of Natural History to find a hungry scrum of reporters wondering about his paternity – the rumor reignited when his mother recently told Vanity Fair that he was “possibly” the son of Frank Sinatra, rather than of Woody Allen as it has long been thought.
“You know, I wasn’t there, so I don’t have a lot more to offer than you,” he said, with a winning grin and a flash of those steely blue eyes, after gently declining a joint photo-op with his mother. “Of course, it is a distraction … But I take it in stride. Look, we all have, you know, our family histories to bear … so …” He was then whisked away from the onslaught of questions by a publicist.
Despite the recent news that Ronan Farrow inked a book deal with Penguin to write about his time working in global affairs and secured a job as an MSNBC anchor, the whispers at the party focused on his lineage: Was he the son of baritone crooner or the auteur of agita?
After he beat an escape, we followed a long hallway to an elaborate banquet room (white swooping drapes, pink glow-lighting, a dozen waiters lined up on a wall with wine at the ready), where Ronan was negotiating a leafy salad so he could mingle and accept the Richard C. Holbrooke Award for Social Justice with his mother during the actual dinner. Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue” was playing in the background.
Following some small talk, we asked him point blank: Why not just do a DNA test and put an end to the paternity speculation?
“You know, that story has been out there for years,” he said. “It was somewhat surprising to see it break in such a huge way of late. I’m fairly … I mean, I appreciate how hilarious it is. I mean, it’s a ridiculous situation. That said, I’m pretty unfazed by it in substance, because it’s been out there both publicly and privately for so long. You know, I have a relationship that I’m very happy with, you know, with all parties involved. For me, the imperative is ‘all right, we’ve talked about it, I get a kick out of it, everyone gets a kick out of it. Let’s move onto the substance,’ — which is one reason I’m so excited to be rolling out this show.”
That’s what he wants to focus on — how MSNBC has plucked him to shake things up on the network.
“And it’s very much about bringing in something that doesn’t resemble any of the existing models,” he said. “Because … to be completely frank …” — as he paused we mentally filled in “Sinatra” — “I think the existing models, you know, could use a breath of fresh air.”
He wants to create an informed viewership in his generation that knows how to respond to the issues at hand.
“I think that it is easy to malign us as a distracted generation,” he said. “But we’re also a more engaged generation. And we can talk about ‘slacktivism.’ We can talk about people jumping on trends. But it all emanates from a place of wanting to be more actively involved — wanting to not just sit by and listen to the story but actually wanting a guide, a tool set for how to be engaged. This show is geared around tackling exactly that challenge.”
But back to the real point of our conversation: Does he have an inkling of whether Frank Sinatra or Woody Allen is more likely his father?
“Look, I grew up in a family with ten adopted siblings, so you know, if anything, I consider it an insult to them to obsess too much over the question of genetic provenance,” he said, returning to his salad.
When we asked his mother about the paternity issue, she was inconclusive.
“What I feel is here and now we’re here to support the survivors of the Holocaust and make sure their days are comfortable and safe and to work toward prevention of the next Holocaust as fruitless as that may sound,” she said. “And I really don’t want to go off topic. I’m here for that and only that tonight.”
“But …” we said.
“There is no ‘but’ … ”
Then we asked her: Should Ronan just do a DNA test?
“I am sticking with my topic tonight,” she said. “You know, we’re happy as a family, and if I had any information or new stuff, I wouldn’t be sharing it with you, would I? It would be a family matter. But no, I don’t think anything of the kind. I’m here for this one reason.”
We asked if there’s a greater chance that Sinatra or Allen is the father.
“You know what, I’ve got to hand it to you for being dogged,” she said.
“I try,” we said.
“You did try,” she said. “Bless you.”
Do they deserve bonus points for being coy and using the gossip to promote their causes? Or are you annoyed? I mean, Ronan’s paternity drama isn’t any of my business, it’s just that his mom put it out there in an on-the-record interview with Vanity Fair. I think the questions are to be expected. I do admire Ronan’s point of view (although for a genius, he sure uses a lot of “I mean” and “you know” fillers), which seems to be along the lines of “this drama has nothing to do with what I really want my life to be about.” Which is fine. Then tell your mom not to talk about it to Vanity Fair!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
