Mia Farrow & Woody Allen | Soon-Yi Previn

Soon-Yi Previn used to roam the streets of Seoul, her hometown, hungry and destitute, relying on leftovers from trash cans for survival. In 1976, she was abandoned and temporarily relocated to an institution for abandoned children. After several attempts, there were no signs of any family members; subsequently, she saw a transfer to St. Paul’s Orphanage. It was only after this when her biological age revealed itself through a bone scan.

In 1978, Mia Farrow and her former husband André Previn adopted Soon-Yi and brought her to the United States. In correspondence with Nancy Sinatra, Farrow expressed joy that Soon-Yi was learning how to speak English, read, write, play the piano, and was interested in ballet. These were the first signs of comfort Soon-Yi expressed after arriving in the US. Later on, she would graduate from Drew University and earn her Master’s degree from Columbia University.