Woody Allen addresses child molestation accusations in new autobiography, describes how Mia Farrow found out he was dating her daughter

Woody Allen has defended himself against child molestation charges, in his new autobiography.

Veteran actor-filmmaker Woody Allen has attacked his former partner, Mia Farrow, accusing her of trying to destroy his career with sex abuse allegations in a new book that was threatened by the scandal.

Director Woody Allen arrives for a screening of the film Wonder Wheel in New York. (REUTERS)

The filmmaker's memoir titled Apropos Of Nothing, was released on Monday, March 23, by Arcade Publishing, weeks after officials at publishing group Hachette opted to drop the book following protests and a walk-out by employees supporting Farrow's daughter, Dylan Farrow, who said that she was molested by Allen, reports aceshowbiz.com.

The director repeats his innocence in the book, writing: "I never laid a finger on Dylan, never did anything to her that could be even misconstrued as abusing her; it was a total fabrication from start to finish."

He then attacked Farrow, saying the accusations arose from her "Ahab-like quest" for revenge, referencing the obsessed whaling ship captain in Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick. Allen also recalled a visit to Farrow's Connecticut home in August 1992, when he reportedly molested Dylan, and acknowledged he briefly placed his head on his then-seven-year-old daughter's lap.

This combination photo shows director Woody Allen at a special screening of "Wonder Wheel" in New York on Nov. 14, 2017, left, and a cover image for "Apropos of Nothing," Allen's autobiography.

"I certainly didn't do anything improper to her. I was in a room full of people watching TV mid-afternoon." Allen was the subject of two separate investigations into the allegations in the 1990s but he was never charged.

The moviemaker also opened up about his romance with his current wife, Soon-Yi Previn - Farrow's adopted daughter - in the new memoir, saying: "we couldn't keep our hands off each other" when they first fell in love.

He then explained why he and Mia were no longer together when he began dating her daughter, who is 35-years-younger than Allen, and recalls the day Farrow learned of the affair after discovering erotic photographs of her daughter. "Of course I understand her shock, her dismay, her rage, everything. It was the correct reaction," he said.

"Sometimes, when the going got rough and I was maligned everywhere, I was asked if I had known the outcome, do I ever wish I never took up with Soon-Yi? I always answered I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

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