Latest news with #SoonYiPrevin
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Woody Allen Compared Jeffrey Epstein to Dracula in Birthday Letter
Disgraced filmmaker Woody Allen likened the late Jeffrey Epstein to Dracula and recalled Epstein's New York City home filled 'often by several young women' in a letter the Manhattan director wrote to the late financier and convicted sex offender for his 63rd birthday in 2016. The letter, a photocopy of which was included in a recent New York Times story about Epstein's Upper East Side townhome, recounted dinner parties that Allen and wife Soon-Yi Previn attended as neighbors. Allen said the home reminded him of 'Castle Dracula where [Bela] Lugosi has three young female vampires who service the place. Add to this that Jeffrey lives in a vast house alone, one can picture him sleeping in damp earth.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Sean "Diddy" Combs' Attorney Says They've Asked Trump Administration About Pardon Trump Says "Gayle King's Career Is Over," Shares Report Claiming 'CBS Mornings' Is "Woke" 'South Park' Responds to Homeland Security Using Show Image: "Wait, So We ARE Relevant?" The parties Allen mentioned were also attended by 'politicians, scientists, teachers, magicians, comedians, intellectuals, journalists, an entymologist, a concert pianist,' the filmmaker added. Nearly six years after Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, the disgraced billionaire is back in the headlines amid mounting pressure for the Trump administration to release the so-called Epstein files. On July 17, the Wall Street Journal first revealed a birthday letter book compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein containing messages from Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, fashion designer Vera Wang and billionaire Leon Black, among others. Trump then filed a $10 billion lawsuit against News Corp for defamation and named former ally Rupert Murdoch in the complaint. The 2016 birthday letter from Allen made public by the Times will inevitably be seen against the background of Allen's sullied reputation after resurfaced allegations of sexual abuse from his adopted stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow. The four-part HBO Allen v. Farrow docuseries featured Mia Farrow speaking publicly for the first time in decades about Allen, her former partner and collaborator, and the sexual abuse allegations that have long been leveled at him by Dylan Farrow, who also appeared in the documentary. Allen has denied the accusations and was not charged by the Connecticut state's attorney following a 1993 investigation. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Woody Allen recalls Jeffrey Epstein dinner parties served by ‘young women'
Woody Allen frequently attended 'interesting' dinner parties hosted by Jeffrey Epstein, which he recalled being attended by an eclectic collection of VIP guests being 'well served' by young women. A typewritten letter obtained by the New York Times and reportedly penned by Allen in 2016, described 'many' of the 89-year-old filmmaker's visits to the seven-story Upper East Side townhouse that Epstein called home. The letter was reportedly part of a collection of missives written to celebrate the billionaire's 63rd birthday. 'Being neighbors,' Allen said he and and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, were often invited to dine with Epstein and 'always' accepted before the disgraced financier died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019. 'Lots of dishes, plenty of choices, numerous desserts, well served,' Allen wrote. 'I say well served — often it's by some professional houseman and just as often by several young women [reminding] one of Castle Dracula,' comparing the experience to the 'young female vampires' seen in a Bela Lugosi horror film. Allen's newly obtained letter comes just weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that a collection of cards written for Epstein's 50th birthday included a cryptic and suggestive letter from President Trump saying 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' The president has denied penning that note and quickly filed a lawsuit against the Journal seeking billions of dollars in damages. Calls for the Justice Department to further release details of its Epstein investigation have grown louder since Trump came into office in January after indicating he'd make those files public. Former Trump ally Elon Musk suggested in June the reason the investigation is being slowed is because the president — a longtime friend of Epstein — is mentioned in the Epstein files. Neither Trump nor Allen have been accused of any wrongdoing involving Epstein. Allen famously married Soon-Yi Previn in 1997, when she was 27 and he was 62. Previn was the adopted daughter of Allen's ex-girlfriend, Mia Farrow.
Daily Mail
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Woody Allen, 89, still holding hands with his much-younger wife Soon-Yi, 54, after 27 years of marriage in rare sighting
Woody Allen held hands with his third wife Soon-Yi Previn as the enjoyed a date night at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, CA on Saturday. At 89, the disgraced director is 35 years older than the special education expert, who was adopted from Korea by his longtime ex-partner Mia Farrow and her second ex-husband André Previn back in 1978. Woody (born Allan Konigsberg) and Soon-Yi (born Oh Soon-hee) have been married for 27 years, and they're proud parents of adopted daughters Bechet Allen and Manzie Tio Allen. 26-year-old Bechet works as an assistant to Gagosian Gallery curator Michael Cary, and 25-year-old Manzie works as an assistant to Emily in Paris showrunner Darren Star. Between 2014-2015, Allen and Previn reportedly used to enjoy monthly dinners with the late Jeffrey Epstein, whose name is still dominating headlines over the Trump administration's refusal to reveal his list of clients. 'Woody and Soon-Yi lived in the same neighborhood as Epstein and were frequently invited to dinner parties at his townhouse,' a spokeswoman for the couple told the Wall Street Journal in 2023. 'There were always other guests at those gatherings. Woody never had a business meeting with Epstein and not once spent time with him without Soon-Yi also being present.' Chelsea Handler happened to be a guest at one of those dinners with Woody, Soon-Yi, and the convicted pedophile at his Upper East Side townhouse where she famously asked the couple 'So how did you two meet?' 'There's no chance that I as myself am going to sit across from the table from him and his daughter wife and not tell him what I on behalf of women everywhere. I will not never be silent,' the 50-year-old comedian recalled on Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out podcast on July 14. 'I was there to make sure he knew and everyone at the table knew how I felt before I left. like, "Don't think I'm okay. I'm not okay with this."' Previn never considered Allen a father figure despite the 80-year-old Rosemary's Baby alum dating him for 12 years spanning 1980-1992 until Mia discovered nude Polaroids of her then 21-year-old daughter at his home. Seven months later, Farrow publicly accused the Bronx-born filmmaker of molesting her seven-year-old adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. Woody - who was never charged or prosecuted - quickly sued the Roommate thespian for full custody of their son Satchel (now Ronan) and her adopted children Dylan and Moses. In his 33-page decision in 1993, Justice Elliott Wilk rejected Allen's bid for custody of all three of their children and called his behavior toward Dylan 'grossly inappropriate' while also rejecting the sexual abuse allegations. And while 40-year-old Dylan stands by the allegations, her 47-year-old brother Moses publicly denied she was ever abused and alleged Mia had abused him in a 2018 WordPress post. The 50-year-old comedian told the Working It Out podcast on July 14: 'There's no chance that I as myself am going to sit across from the table from him and his daughter wife and not tell him what I on behalf of women everywhere. I will not never be silent' The four-time Oscar winner's last American movie - A Rainy Day in New York - coincided with the #MeToo movement in 2019 and cast members Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Hall, and Griffin Newman donated their salaries to support sexual assault organizations. Some of Woody's outspoken supporters have included Sean Penn, Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, Cherry Jones, Bill Maher, Jude Law, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Gina Gershon, Jim Belushi, Juno Temple, Michael Caine, and Jeff Goldblum. Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore, Evan Rachel Wood, David Krumholtz, Greta Gerwig, Mira Sorvino, Rachel Brosnahan, Jeff Daniels, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Hayley Atwell, Freida Pinto, Chloe Sevigny, and Marion Cotillard have said they won't work with Allen again. Woody's last film, the French-language Coup de Chance, was critically-acclaimed and earned $7.8M at the box office in 2023. Allen produced and narrated Spanish directing duo Xosé Zapata and Lorenzo Degl'Innocenti's Bobby Fischer-inspired animated short film Mr. Fischer's Chair, which will reportedly be released next month.
