Woody Allen Opens Up About Career And Dylan Farrow Abuse Controversy In 2020 ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ Interview On Paramount+

Paramount+ has released an unearthed interview today, March 28, from July 2020 of Woody Allen on CBS Sunday Morning speaking about his career and controversy. The show’s host takes a very inconclusive approach when introducing the segment, which began with an interview with the famed/defamed movie producer conducted by Lee Cowan followed by Gayle King‘s 2018 CBS This Morning interview with Dylan Farrow, where she spoke about the allegations of sexual abuse.

The special also includes “a report from Erin Moriarty attempting to assess the disconnect between a respected artist’s body of work and that same artist’s controversial personal life,” according to the streaming platform.

Allen has released a new film almost every year since the late 60s, Cowan explains. “If I could do it over, knowing what I know now, I would make better films,” said Allen. “I’d make deeper films. More important films. More substantial, more human, meaningful films. And you know, I do regret that.”

The 4-time Oscar winner says he doesn’t keep his awards on display. “I don’t display anything. There’s no photos of my movies. I don’t save any Playbills of my plays. I don’t even have videotapes of my movies.”

The movie mogul was the recent subject of HBO‘s docuseries Allen v. Farrow, which detailed the alleged sexual abuse that Allen was accused of by Dylan. Cowan was interviewing Allen about his new memoir, Apropros of Nothing, which also dives into the scandal that has been following him for almost 30 years.

“In 1992, actress Mia Farrow learned that Allen was having an affair with her 21-year-old adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn (who he later married). After being together for over a decade, Allen and Farrow split. It was ugly and it was public,” narrated Cowan.

Allen had sued for custody of the children, during the court battles of which Dylan (who was 7 years old at the time) told a doctor that she was sexually molested by Allen at Mia’s country home in Connecticut.

“There was no logic to it on the face of it,” says Allen in the recent interview. “Why would a guy who’s 57 years old and was never accused of anything in my life, I’m suddenly going to drive up in the middle of a contentious custody fight? At Mia’s country home yet.”

“A 7 year-old-girl he said,” seemingly horrified. “On the surface of it, I didn’t think it required any investigation even.”

There was an investigation by child abuse specialists, however, that cleared Allen but he has still been haunted by the allegations and while Allen continues to deny the accusations, Mia and Dylan have persisted, in painful detail. Moses Farrow had initially come out against Allen but has recently came to his defense, stating that what he remembers from that day is very different from what Dylan has detailed.

“She was a good kid and I think she believes it,” says Allen of Dylan. “I don’t think she’s lying or that she’s making it up, I believe that she believes that.”

Allen told CBS Sunday Morning that he has wanted to reach out to Dylan and speak to her but has not talked to her since the allegations.

To protect himself from the criticism of the real world over the past three decades, both of his movies and the abuse allegations, Allen has retreated into his films.

You can watch the full interview here if you have Paramount+ or subscribe today and take advantage of the platform’s 30-day free trial.

Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor

Stream Woody Allen's CBS Sunday Morning Interview On Paramount+