Actor Casey Affleck will not present the award for Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony amid the emergence of his history of alleged sexual misconduct.
According to Variety, a representative for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Thursday that Affleck had withdrawn as a presenter. An Affleck representative said the actor would not attend the awards ceremonies, which will be air on ABC on March 4.
Indeed, Affleck was accused in 2010 of sexually harassing and physically assaulting producer Amanda White and cinematographer Magdalena Górka while directing the Joaquin Phoenix-starring mockumentary I’m Still Here.
As Breitbart News reported:
The women eventually sued. White, who quit the film, accused Casey Affleck of physically assaulting her after she refused to share a hotel room with him. Górka, who also reportedly quit working on the film before shooting wrapped, alleged that she woke up in her room late one night to find a drunken Casey Affleck in her bed, dressed in nothing but underwear and a T-shirt. There were also accusations that Casey Affleck had allegedly referred to women on set as “cows,” and had encouraged a male film crew member to flash his genitals in White’s face.
Affleck denied any wrongdoing. The two civil cases were settled out of court after Affleck reached an undisclosed settlement with his accusers.
Oscar tradition has it that Affleck — who won Best Actor for Manchester By The Sea in 2017 — would, in turn, present the best actress award this year, presumably to either Meryl Streep, Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Frances McDormand, or Saoirse Ronan.
Affleck faced backlash over his alleged transgressions in the months leading up to last year’s Oscars ceremony.
The news is just the latest fallout after a flood of Hollywood heavyweights, including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, and Russell Simons were accused of years of alleged sexual misconduct. An outpouring of harassment victim accounts spawned the #MeToo movement, which paved the way for the “Time’s Up” initiative to stamp out sexual harassment in Hollywood and workplaces across the country.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
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