First, the Soon-Yi situation:
Every time I stumble upon this topic on the internet, it seems the people who are most outraged are also the most ignorant of the facts. Following are the top ten misconceptions, followed by my response in italics:
#1: Soon-Yi was Woody’s daughter. False.
I know this. I'm fairly certain everyone realizes this.
#2: Soon-Yi was Woody’s step-daughter. False.
Technically no, but as the daughter of his long term partner…a woman he shared both biological and adopted children with she IS his children's sister.
#3: Soon-Yi was Woody and Mia’s adopted daughter. False. Soon-Yi was the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and André Previn. Her full name was Soon-Yi Farrow Previn.
Yes, we know. However see my reply to #2
#4: Woody and Mia were married. False.
Irrelevant. To me. Honestly, doesn't matter, they were in a long term relationship that produced children. The legal status doesn't change the situation in my mind at all.
#5: Woody and Mia lived together. False. Woody lived in his apartment on Fifth Ave. Mia and her kids lived on Central Park West. In fact, Woody never once stayed over night at Mia’s apartment in 12 years.
Seems fishy and while he may have never stayed overnight at the apartment he did stay over night at the CT home (where the abuse reportedly happened.) I would assume that in 12 years there would be vacations or events or that Mia and/or the kids MAY have stayed at Woody's apartment. This just seems like a twisting of facts to fit Weide's defense of Allen.
#6: Woody and Mia had a common-law marriage. False. New York State does not recognize common law marriage. Even in states that do, a couple has to cohabitate for a certain number of years.
Don't care. Again. The legal status of "married" to me is totally and completely irrelevant. The world knew they were a couple, they were in a long term relationship that produced children. I don't care what their legal status.
#7: Soon-Yi viewed Woody as a father figure. False. Soon-Yi saw Woody as her mother’s boyfriend. Her father figure was her adoptive father, André Previn.
So she saw him as her mother's boyfriend…UMMMM hooking up with your mother's boyfriend = boundary crossing and inappropriate. Having an affair with your girlfriend's daughter also shows ZERO regard for boundaries and is totally inappropriate. Weak defense. In fact it just removes the "incest" factor while still painting Allen as a jerk because who has an affair with their girlfriend's daughter? The sister of his children??? Inappropriate.
#8: Soon-Yi was underage when she and Woody started having relations. False. She was either 19 or 21. (Her year of birth in Korea was undocumented, but believed to be either 1970 or ’72.)
So? The date they had sex is irrelevant. He knew her since childhood, he was decades older than her and he was still her mother's boyfriend and father to her siblings.
#9: Soon-Yi was borderline retarded. Ha! She’s smart as a whip, has a degree from Columbia University and speaks more languages than you.
I've never heard anything about this either way.
#10: Woody was grooming Soon-Yi from an early age to be his child bride. Oh, come on! According to court documents and Mia’s own memoir, until 1990 (when Soon-Yi was 18 or 20), Woody “had little to do with any of the Previn children, (but) had the least to do with Soon-Yi” so Mia encouraged him to spend more time with her. Woody started taking her to basketball games, and the rest is tabloid history. So he hardly “had his eye on her” from the time she was a child.
So? I'll go back to my mantra of hooking up with your girlfriend's daughter, the sister of your children is WRONG and inappropriate. Yes, let's blame Mia for wanting her boyfriend, a man she had young children with, to know her other children. For them to operate as one family. I'm pretty sure she didn't think he'd start an affair with her because YOU DON'T SLEEP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S DAUGHTER. Boundaries, Woody Allen has none.