American film director Woody Allen continues to plead his innocence of sexual abuse claims made against him by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Photo / Getty Images
American film director Woody Allen continues to plead his innocence of sexual abuse claims made against him by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Photo / Getty Images
A rare interview with Woody Allen, recorded in July last year, aired yesterday in the US and the subject of sexual abuse was top of the discussion agenda.
The abuse, alleged by Allen's ex-partner, Mia Farrow, and his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, involved an incident of sexual misconduct, by Allen towards Dylan, which she was only 7 years old. Dylan and Mia Farrow first made the allegations almost three decades ago.
The interview with CBS News correspondent Lee Cowan for CBS Sunday Morning, was held over from July, until now, as it was felt to be a rebuttal of the accusations made by Mia and Dylan in the currently airing four-part documentary Allen v Farrow.
Allen, now 85, has strenuously denied the allegations ever since they surfaced. Allen attributes the accusations as retaliation by Farrow for the way he ended their 12-year-relationship.
Woody Allen (L) is seen here with Dylan Farrow, in early 1992, along with her mother, Mia Farrow who can be seen also holding hands here with their son Satchel. Photo / Getty Images
"It's so preposterous, and yet the smear has remained and they still prefer to cling to if not the notion that I molested Dylan, then the possibility that I molested her," Allen tells Cowan. "Nothing that I ever did with Dylan in my life could be misconstrued as that."
In the interview Allen also downplays the seriousness of his relationship with Mia, despite adopting Dylan together and having a biological son together, Satchel. Allen also formally adopted Moses, whom Mia adopted from Korea in 1980.
Allen says of his relationship with Mia Farrow: "I never lived with Mia, I never slept at Mia's house in all of the years I went out with her. We had a relationship, but it was never going to be a marital relationship."
Soon-Yi Previn, Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, became romatically involved with Woody Allen in 1991, they were married in 1997 and are still together. Photo / Getty Images
Allen left Farrow for her own adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn in 1991, when Previn was 21. Allen and Previn were married in 1997 and are still together.
When asked if he feels there is anything untoward in the way he and Soon-Yi got together, Allen replies: "No, there was never a moment that it wasn't the most natural thing in the world," Allen says of Soon-Yi. "No, it didn't give me pause. The relationship with Soon-Yi was very natural."
Mia Farrow has publicly said she "regrets" inviting Allen into her family.
Speaking on the first episode of HBO docuseries Allen v Farrow, Mia said: "That's the great regret of my life, that I wasn't perceptive enough. It's my fault.
"I brought this guy into my family. There's nothing I can do to take that away.
"I get why people can't believe it because who on Earth could believe that of Woody Allen? I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. Everybody admired Woody so much, loved him, and I did too."
Mia already had seven children before meeting the Annie Hall director - who has always denied the allegations and never been charged - but initially kept her life as a mother separate from their relationship because the filmmaker, now 85, said he didn't want to be a father.
But in time, Allen "gradually" warmed to her children and in particular her adopted son Moses and eventually agreed to have a child, but after the Rosemary's Baby star failed to get pregnant, she brought up the possibility of adoption.
"He said, 'I might be more kindly predisposed if it was a little blonde girl.' I thought if he cares about that I should try to find a little girl like that and maybe he'll love her. I eventually ended up with a little blonde girl and that was baby Dylan."
After adopting Dylan, Mia then fell pregnant with her son Satchel Ronan, and after his birth, Dylan claimed her father began showing "intense affection", which led to her hiding from him.
Farrow said: "He didn't want to see the other kids, he wanted to see her. She started running away from him. She started locking herself in bathrooms."
Mia claims that when she confronted the Vicky Cristina Barcelona filmmaker about his treatment of their daughter, he got angry and she began to think she was "crazy".
She said: "I was crying and I apologised. And sometimes he would say, 'I honestly think you need help'. And I began thinking, 'I must be crazy. He can't be a paedophile.' I wanted to believe that he was not capable of what I feared."
Speaking to Cowan about his adopted daughter Dylan, Allen says he does not blame her, but rather feels she has been led, by Mia Farrow, to believe the abuse took place.
"She was a good kid," Allen tells Cowan. "I believe she thinks it. I don't believe she's making it up. She's not lying. I believes she believes that."
Kate Winslet (L) has publicly stated that she regrets working with Allen (2nd right) on the 2017 film, Wonder Wheel with Jim Belushi (2nd left) and Juno Temple (R). Photo / Getty Images
Over the past few years, as the abuse allegations continue to circle around Allen, numerous high-profile actors have publicly stated that they will never work with the director again. In a recent interview Kate Winslet expressed her regret for ever having worked with Allen.
Winslet, who starred in Allen's film Wonder Wheel, told Vanity Fair late last year: "It's like, what the f*** was I doing working with Woody Allen?"
When asked by Cowan how he feels about the number of actors who have spoken out against him, Allen replies: "I think they're foolish. They're well-meaning, but they're foolish. All they're doing is persecuting a perfectly innocent person, and they're enabling this lie."
Where to get help
• If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on: 0800 044 334 or text 4334.
• Alternatively contact your local police station.
• If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.
