Alec Baldwin has defended his decision to stick by his showbiz pal Woody Allen after he was accused of sexual abuse by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin

The 59-year-old actor previously said it was "unfair and sad" that the filmmaker was facing accusations of historical sexual harassment from his adopted daughter - whom he raised with his ex-partner Mia Farrow - and seemingly branded Dylan as a liar for her claims.

And now, Alec has defended his comments, saying it was a "natural instinct" to defend Woody, as well as also sticking up for his other showbiz pal and director James Toback, who also faced accusations of harassment.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Alec said: "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.

"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."

Earlier this year, Alec likened Dylan to Mayella Ewell from the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird', who wrongly accused a black man of raping her, and has claimed she is just using "emotion" to trick people into believing her sob story to "destroy" Allen's career.

In a series of tweets posted on his and wife Hilaria's foundation's profile, Baldwin said: "Of the most effective things Dylan Farrow has in her arsenal is the 'persistence of emotion ... Like Mayella in ["To Kill a Mockingbird"], her tears/exhortations [are] meant [to] shame u [into] belief in her story. But I need more than that before I destroy [someone], regardless of their fame. I need a lot more. [sic]"

Baldwin then suggested that if Dylan is telling the truth, why would her sibling Moses Farrow, 39, have rubbished the claims and defended his father, asking: "Which of Mia's kids got the honesty gene?"

Tagging Dylan, 32, he added: "To say that @RealDylanFarrow is telling the truth is to say that (brother) @MosesFarrow is lying. Which of Mia's kids got the honesty gene and which did not? ... If my defense of Woody Allen offends you, it's real simple. Unfollow. Condemn. Move on. (sic)"

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