Woody Allen defended marrying Mia Farrow's adopted daughter years later

A lot has happened in Hollywood throughout the decades, but the story of Woody Allen and his current wife would have broken the internet way before Kim Kardashian poured a glass of champagne.

The filmmaker and actor who has been working on the silver screen for 60 years is a big name in Tinsel Town. The movie star who worked both in front and behind the camera was regarded as one of the world’s most successful filmmakers. However, his personal life breached the spotlight and gained attention to a level most celebrity couples hope to avoid. The star, who married three times, ended up falling for his girlfriend’s adopted daughter years later, and it seemed to cause a rift on the Hollywood gossip train which everyone still wants a ticket. Woody Allen himself has spoken out about his wife, who he has been with ever since, and they share two adopted children. His wife, Soon-Yi also came out to defend him in a rare interview a few years ago when allegations, which he denied, surfaced.

Woody and Mia Farrow

Woody Allen had a complicated relationship with actress Mia Farrow. The pair were together for 12 years, and she starred in many of his movies throughout that time they were together.

They began dating in 1980, and the actress had six children at the time, some biological and others adopted with her ex-husband Andre Previn. Throughout their relationship, they did not marry or live together but did make 13 films together.

It was in 1978, before she met Woody, Mia adopted Soon-Yi with her previous partner.

Mia would also continue adopting children, by herself, as well as welcoming a biological child into the world with Woody – Satchel in 1987 (now known as Ronan) while they dated. The Great Gatsby star also adopted two other children and in 1991, Woody Allen co-adopted them too, Dylan and Moses.

In total, she had 14 children, and sadly three have died, Thaddeus, Lark and Tam.

Photos give away the affair

Fast-forward to 1992, when Woody and Mia were still together, she discovered a stack of photos of her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn on his mantlepiece at his apartment.

Soon-Yi, aged 21 and a college sophomore, was seeing Allen who was in his 50s at the time.

But Woody Allen said he and his future wife didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings when they started falling for each other.

He told CBS later: “The last thing in the world that anybody wanted was to hurt anybody’s feelings.

“What we wanted to do was to eventually make it known that we had a relationship.”

The pair would end up marrying in 1997 in Venice and later adopted two children, Bechet and Manzie.

When Woody Allen was asked if he considered his relationship with his girlfriend’s adopted daughter – who is now his wife – was inappropriate, he said “no”.

The celebrity explained: “There was never a moment that it wasn’t the most natural thing in the world … it didn’t give me pause, because the relationship with Soon-Yi was very gradual. It wasn’t like I went out with her one night and kissed her.

“I would say of the many women I’ve dated in my life, many women, they were all what the appropriate police would call appropriate – age appropriate,” he added. “Diane Keaton, Mia Farrow, Louise Lasser, my first wife; until Soon-Yi, which is unusual for me.”

Woody Allen’s wife gives rare interview in his defense

In August 1992, Mia Farrow’s other adopted daughter Dylan, claimed Allen abused her. Police investigated and no formal charges were ever made against the filmmaker.

A custody battle ensued and Farrow won, later going on to adopt six children on her own between 1992 and 1995.

The same allegations resurfaced in 2018 when the MeToo movement gained traction. Allen has still never been charged in relation to the claims.

But Woody Allen’s wife Soon-Yi did speak out in a rare interview with New York Magazine. She had previously avoided the spotlight but wanted to defend her husband.

The then 47-year-old said what happened “to Woody is so upsetting, so unjust”, and hit back at her adopted mother Mia Farrow who repeated the allegations. Soon-Yi then spoke about how her and Allen’s relationship began as well, saying she knew when Mia found out about their affair after receiving a ‘chilling’ phone call.

“I remember the phone call when she found the photos,” Woody Allen’s wife told the magazine.

“I picked up the phone and Mia said, ‘Soon-Yi.’ That’s all she needed to say, in that chilling tone of voice. I knew my life was over and that she knew, just by the way she said my name.”

Filmmaker also denied the allegations

Talking to CBS Sunday Morning in 2021, Woody was asked about the allegations from Dylan and admitted he thinks she “believes” it’s true, still denying the claims.

He said: “She was a good kid and I believe she thinks it.

“I do not believe that she’s making it up, I don’t believe she’s lying. I believe she believes that.”

He said there was “no logic” to the allegation on the “face of it”.

Then last year, after his 50th film, Coup de Chance, aired at Venice Film Festival, he sat down with Variety and discussed cancel culture.

The 88-year-old said: “I feel if you’re going to be canceled, this is the culture to be canceled by. I just find that all so silly.”

He continued: “I don’t think about it. I don’t know what it means to be canceled”.

And when asked again his feelings over the accusations, he responded: “My reaction has always been the same. The situation has been investigated by two people, two major bodies, not people, but two major investigative bodies. And both, after long detailed investigations, concluded there was no merit to these charges, that, you know, is exactly as I wrote in my book, “Apropos of Nothing.”

“There was nothing to it.”

Aldo Pusey

Update: 2024-02-08

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