Soon-Yi Previn, Woody Allen’s wife and Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, has broken her silence on the sexual assault charges levelled against Allen by Farrow. Previn said that Farrow has taken advantage of #MeToo movement and paraded Dylan (whom Allen was accused of molesting) as a victim, as a result of which ‘a whole new generation was hearing about it when they shouldn’t.’
Previn, of Korean descent, was adopted by Farrow when she was married to musician and composer Andre Previn. According to child psychiatrist Paulina Kernberg, the relationship between Previn and Allen, who was Farrow’s partner for 12 years, “broke every taboo.” “People think that I was Soon-Yi’s father, that I raped and married my underaged, retarded daughter,” said Allen in a story published in Vulture.
“I’m not a retarded little underage flower who was raped, molested, and spoiled by some evil stepfather — not by a long shot,” said Previn, around whom the story is centered.
In August 1992, Allen was accused of sexually abusing a seven-year-old Dylan Farrow – an accusation she contended as recently as January. Allen argued that Dylan was coached by Farrow. The court ruled against Allen and denied him the custody of his children. In 1997, Allen went ahead and married Previn.
In the story, Previn, who had a learning disability, talked about the troubled childhood she faced at the hands of Farrow. “She would tip me upside down, holding me by my feet, to get the blood to drain to my head. Because she thought — or she read it, God knows where she came up with the notion — that blood going to my head would make me smarter or something,” she said.
She also admits that there were things to admire in Farrow. “Anything she set her mind to she was good at. Anything that she shows an interest in she excels at. She’s an amazing photographer and draws and knits well. She was very, very creative,” she said.
Talking about how her relationship with Allen started, she said, “I wasn’t the one who went after Woody — where would I get the nerve? He pursued me. That’s why the relationship has worked: I felt valued. It’s quite flattering for me. He’s usually a meek person, and he took a big leap.”
Allen’s another adopted child Mosses, also wrote a lengthy letter recently clearing out the issue saying his father was not guilty of any crime and that Dylan was cooking it all up.
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After the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, Allen had extended support to the #MeToo movement and said that it is unfair that his name has been added along with the other Hollywood figures who were pulled up for sexual abuse. He also added that he has worked with all kind of actors – the big ones, the famous ones, the ones just starting off and has never misbehaved with any of them. Dylan Farrow had responded by saying, “All Woody Allen’s latest antics demonstrate is a desperation to salvage a now faltering career. Everything he says now is nothing more than calculated PR strategy in an attempt to undermine the credible allegations against him.”
Many leading actors, including Colin Firth, Rachel Brosnahan, Timothée Chalamet, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Michael Caine, Susan Sarandon have issued statement refusing to work with Allen in the future.
Image Courtesy: UK Express