Today in Hollywood Harassment: Michael Douglas' Preemptive Denial, James Franco Cancelled, Greta Gerwig's Regrets

James Franco, who won Sunday night, was accused by two women of sexual harassment, while "Lady Bird" writer/director Greta Gerwig was challenged about her past work with Woody Allen.

Michael Douglas watched as his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and father, Kirk Douglas, presented an award while preparing his own pre-emptive response to an allegation that hasn't even surfaced yet. Meanwhile, Ronan Farrow, who helped launch the current sea change in Hollywood with his New Yorker expose about Harvey Weinstein back in October, talked about the personal reasons he feels so passionately about issues of sexual abuse.

Here are the latest developments:

Even before the allegation has come out, Michael Douglas decided to strike first, vehemently denying that he masturbated in front of a former employee three decades ago.

After The Hollywood Reporter and Variety purportedly reached out to him regarding possible allegation stories, Douglas decided to take control of the narrative through Deadline.

The actor detailed a conversation he says he had with a reporter from THR. Of the allegation, he told the reporter, "I don't know where to begin. This is a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever." What frustrated him was when the reporter said they were going to run with the story because the woman was indicating she might take it elsewhere. "I don't think that's justification, just because you might get scooped, to run a story like this," he said.

He confessed her other claims probably held merit, including him using coarse language in front of her (though not directed at her), and in conversations with friends that she might have overheard, but there was no truth to her most salacious claim. "I can only imagine this has come up to hurt someone, or to benefit someone in a book deal so they can write a chapter on me?" Douglas speculated. "I find this whole thing really irresponsible and it hurts people who are supportive of this movement and who believe in it."

During an appearance on "The Late Show" after his Golden Globes win for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for "The Disaster Artist," James Franco found himself having to respond to two separate allegations of sexual misconduct amid criticism that he wore a "TimesUp pin at the ceremony. On that same day, Variety reported the New York Times had cancelled a public event that would have seen him and his brother/co-star Dave Franco discussing "The Disaster Artist."

The Times said the event was cancelled "given the controversy surrounding recent allegations." Those allegations came from two women alleging sexual misconduct by Franco after his Golden Globes win. Ally Sheedy ("The Breakfast Club") alluded to misconduct in a since-deleted tweet: "James Franco just won. Please never ask me why I left the film/TV business." She also tweeted, "Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much." Another actress, Violet Paley, was far more explicit, tweeting graphic details of an alleged attempted sexual assault in his car.

Franco denied the allegations on "Late Show" Tuesday night, telling Stephen Colbert, "The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn't have a voice for so long. So I don't want to shut them down in any way."

In 2012, Greta Gerwig worked with Woody Allen on the film "To Rome With Love." As her star has risen throughout 2017 thanks to her work as writer/director of "Lady Bird," Gerwig has been asked about that decision, in light of the #TimesUp movement.

Finally, on Tuesday, she felt ready to express her feelings. "It is something that I take very seriously and have been thinking deeply about, and it has taken me time to gather my thoughts and say what I mean to say," Gerwig told The New York Times. "I can only speak for myself and what I've come to is this: If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film. I have not worked for him again, and I will not work for him again."

She went on to say, "Dylan Farrow's two different pieces made me realize that I increased another woman's pain, and I was heartbroken by that realization. I grew up on his movies, and they have informed me as an artist, and I cannot change that fact now, but I can make different decisions moving forward."

Dylan Farrow accused her father of molesting her when she was seven years old. Allen denies the allegations.

Speaking of the allegations against Allen, the filmmaker's son, Ronan Farrow, believes his own family history of alleged sexual abuse may have helped spur his crusade against Harvey Weinstein. "The family background made me someone who understood the abuse of power from an early age," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

The issue came to light in a new way for Ronan after the response he saw from an earlier THR piece about Dylan's allegations. "The intensity of the backlash I got gave me some understanding of what many survivors were up against," he said.

As he got deeper into the Weinstein story, Ronan detailed instances of being followed and harassed by people now believed to have been working under the disgraced mogul (Ronan broke this story about Weinstein's network of spies as well). After NBC News dropped the story, and other people were telling him to back off, Ronan said it only proved he needed to forge ahead, saying, "Harvey Weinstein reveals how the most powerful men in this country have tendrils into every kind of institution."

While Ronan is proud of the work that has been done so far after The New Yorker picked up his story, he believes it is only just beginning. "In every industry there are still powerful men facing credible allegations of wrongdoing who continue to evade accountability," he said, alluding to his father as one of them. "As empowering a moment as this moment is, there's still a long way to go."