EVEN after 23 years of marriage to South Korean-born Soon-yi Previn, Woody Allen would rather die than visit his significant otherâs homeland.
âSoon-yi is dying to go to Seoul. Sheâs been on at me for years but I donât really want to go,â Allen says, shrugging his shoulders. âIâve spent years fobbing her off, saying, âLetâs go to Paris, letâs go to Barcelona.â Sheâs now at the point of saying, âEnough Paris! Enough Barcelona! Youâre going to be 80 years old in December; youâll be dead soon and Iâd like to go to Seoul!â He deadpans. âSo, Iâm stalling as long as I can; maybe if Iâm lucky Iâll be dead.â
Mortality is a recurring theme in the work of this iconic director-writer-actor, from as far back as Love and Death (1975) to his current upcoming movie, Irrational Man, a dark comedy in which an alcoholic philosophy professor (Joaquin Phoenix) plans the perfect murder. Surprisingly though, Allen seems unfazed at the prospect of turning 80.
âI have always been obsessed with mortality, since I was five years old. Thereâs not a big change between age 5 and 85, to me. I was always at deathâs door every second. I mean, I was always petrified. I am not planning anything big because I donât like to do that,â he explains. âThereâs a sadness when people get together and drink and celebrate and thereâs a great exchange of insincerities all over the place,â he says. âItâs just not for me. Iâll be very happy to go with my family to a restaurant and have a quiet dinner. Itâs the same thing New Yearâs Eve. Iâd prefer to sleep through it and not get involved.â
His family is happily intact, though if there was ever a marriage destined to fail it was the Allen-Previn union. Born out of controversy (Soon-yi was the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, Allenâs then-girlfriend of 10-plus years and the leading lady in 13 of his films), the relationship came to light when Farrow found nude photos of Soon-yi in Allenâs apartment.
At age 44, Soon-yi is 35 years younger yet, against the odds, the couple is still going strong and raising their two adopted daughters: Bechet, born in 1999 in China, and Manzie, born in 2000, in Texas.
He smiles. âSoon-yi is fine, sheâs great. She took the kids to see An American in Paris this afternoon on Broadway.â
Irrational Man addresses fate and the random decisions we make in life that can often be the most impactful. âA random moment for me that was very meaningful was when I once threw a New Yearâs Party. I got a nice thank you present after the party from Mia Farrow,â he recounts. âShe sent me a book and said, âIt was a lovely party; here is a book you might like.â Randomly, I called to say thanks for the book. I happened to say, âShould we have lunch next week?ââ He pauses. âAnd from that, grew a worldwide industry.â (The demise of the Allen-Farrow relationship was one of the most acrimonious in Hollywood history and kept many attorneys employed.)
With the United States already in the middle of the 2016 presidential race, what does Allen make of his former employee, Donald Trump, throwing his hat into the ring?
He chuckles. âDonald Trump was in my movie Celebrity. Actually, he was very good. I think itâs amusing, and I think Donald Trump adds a lot of spice. I am sure everybody will at least watch the debates if he is in it. Otherwise, itâll be a group of carbon copy, vapid attitudes and everybody saying the same thing. Trump would liven it up.
âBut I donât think he really wants the job. I think heâs flamboyant and he lends a theatrical element.
âPerhaps the eccentricity and arrogance of Trump might make for a good character in one of Allenâs future movies?
âI could make individual jokes about it but it wouldnât stimulate me enough to write a whole script because the issue is that only right now itâs very hot. Every television program would make hilarious Donald Trump jokes; the mere mention of his name will get a laugh and it would be very commercial. But cut to five years or even two years, it will be old news, unless he gets elected president. But from what it looks like, it will be fun for everybody except the Republicans,â he laughs, âbut then it wil l go away and be old news and my movie will look like yesterdayâs newspaper.â
Allen has the stamina of a man half his age and remains one of Hollywoodâs most prolific directors. Whatâs his secret? âIâve been lucky. I have had good health and Iâve remained active, athletic and energetic. Itâs genetic, plus thereâs the fact that I donât lead a sedentary life. I exercise and I eat well. I donât smoke and I donât have any terrible health-ruining habits, and I enjoy working.â
âIf tomorrow I get a stroke and I canât remember my name, then itâs over. But if my health holds out and if I turn out to be as healthy as my father, actually both my parents lived to be 100, I see no reason why I couldnât continue to make films. Iâve got a million ideas and I like to write,â he says. âI donât know what else I would do. I really donât.â
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