Farrow accused of abuse

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Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen

Woody Allen's wife Soon-Yi Previn has accused Mia Farrow of abusing her while speaking about the sexual assault allegations against her husband for the first time.

The Blue Jasmine filmmaker has been accused of sexual assault by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow—allegations he has strenuously denied for years. Breaking her silence on the claims in a profile piece for New York magazine's website Vulture, Allen's wife has now turned the tables on her adoptive mother, Allen's former partner Mia, who has always backed up Dylan's allegations.

According to Soon-Yi, the Rosemary's Baby actress "wasn't maternal" towards her from their very first meeting, when she was adopted from an orphanage in Korea at the age of six.

In fact, the now 47-year-old claims Mia was abusive towards her when she lived with the film star and her composer husband Andre Previn.

"She tried to teach me the alphabet with those wooden blocks," Soon-Yi said. "If I didn't get them right, sometimes she'd throw them at me or down on the floor."

She also claims Mia slapped her across the face, spanked her with a hairbrush and called her "stupid" and "moronic". Another incident saw Mia allegedly throw a porcelain rabbit at her young daughter, with Soon-Yi adding: "I could see from the expression on her face that she felt she had gone too far. Because it could have really hurt me."

Later in the profile, Soon-Yi alleged that Mia used to hold her upside down during their lessons together 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."

Following the end of Mia's marriage to Previn, Soon-Yi was taken to London with her adoptive siblings, where the actress began her relationship with Allen. But it was when Soon-Yi was 21 that she herself began an affair with the Manhattan director, who was effectively her adoptive father at the time.

And while she insists she and Allen were both consenting adults at the time their romance began, Soon-Yi adds she regrets starting their relationship the way they did.

"(It was) a huge betrayal on both our parts, a terrible thing to do, a terrible shock to inflict on her (Mia)," she explained, recalling the moment Mia found out about her relationship with Allen when she discovered nude pictures.

Concluding her piece, Soon-Yi told the magazine that Mia has "taken advantage" of the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct, which began sweeping Hollywood following allegations made against Harvey Weinstein in late 2017.

"I was never interested in writing a Mommie Dearest, getting even with Mia—none of that," she said. "But what's happened to Woody is so upsetting, so unjust. (Mia) has taken advantage of the #MeToo movement and paraded Dylan as a victim. And a whole new generation is hearing about it when they shouldn't."

A family spokesperson has denied Soon-Yi's abuse allegations.