Woody Allen’s wife, Soon-Yi Previn, just defended him—and Dylan Farrow has responded
For years, Dylan Farrow has asserted that her adoptive father, Woody Allen, sexually abused her as a young child. Despite Allen’s countless attempts to discredit her and her mother, Mia Farrow, Dylan has not backed down, even opening up about her experience on CBS This Morning in January. And now, Dylan has responded to recent claims made by Allen’s wife and Mia Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.
In an interview with New York Magazine published on September 16th, Previn, who was adopted by Farrow as a young child, defended her marriage to Allen and claimed that Farrow was “never kind to me, never civil.” Previn claimed to remember her first encounter with Farrow when she was a six-year-old, saying that her adoptive mother “didn’t ring true or sincere.” These allegations against Farrow mirror the claims made by Dylan’s brother, Moses, but Farrow’s supporters, including her other children, Dylan and Ronan, have consistently asserted that Farrow was a loving mother.
Throughout the interview, Previn asserted that she never thought of Allen as her father, despite others’ views that their relationship was akin to incest.
"I already had a father," she said. "He was André Previn, and Mia never married Woody, nor did they ever live together. He was my mother’s boyfriend, plain and simple."
Previn also said that Farrow’s claims that Allen sexually abused Dylan were lies. In January 1992, Farrow reportedly discovered nude pictures that Allen had taken of Previn (then 21), and Previn says Farrow then fabricated the story about Allen and her daughter, Dylan, out of spite.
It’s worth noting that the author of the profile, Daphne Merkin, acknowledged that she’s “been friends with Allen for over four decades.” Allen himself is quoted throughout the profile, and was often in the room with Previn while she was being interviewed.
No more objective piece of journalism about Soon-Yi than one written by a longtime friend of Woody Allen, in Woody Allen’s house, with Woody Allen in the room while they talked https://t.co/5wDJXUUZVR
— Whitney McIntosh (@WhitneyM02) September 17, 2018
In a statement to New York Magazine,Dylan called Previn’s claims about what happened “offensive.”
"This only serves to revictimize me," Dylan's statement read. "Thanks to my mother, I grew up in a wonderful home."
In a longer statement posted to Twitter, she wrote that the article included “bizarre fabrications about my mother.”
My statement on New York Magazine: pic.twitter.com/xml6pdaZqb
— Dylan Farrow (@RealDylanFarrow) September 17, 2018
Several of Dylan and Soon-Yi’s siblings—Sascha Previn, Matthew Previn, Fletcher Previn, Daisy Previn, Isaiah Farrow, Ronan Farrow, and Quincy Farrow—issued a statement supporting Farrow and Dylan.
"None of us ever witnessed anything other than compassionate treatment in our home, which is why the courts granted sole custody to our mother of all her children," the statement read in part.
I'm grateful to my siblings for standing by me and my mother. Statement from Matthew Previn, Sascha Previn, Fletcher Previn, Daisy Previn, Ronan Farrow, Isaiah Farrow, and Quincy Farrow: pic.twitter.com/aBjWFUJjdH
— Dylan Farrow (@RealDylanFarrow) September 17, 2018
Ronan also issued his own response to the profile, saying that he was “angry that New York Magazine would participate in this kind of hit job, written by a longtime admirer and friend of Woody Allen’s.” false
An interview relayed through a close family friend on an issue this fraught and complicated certainly feels problematic, and we continue to stand by Dylan Farrow—and all victims—who are brave enough to speak their truth.