Casey Affleck Addresses 2010 Sexual Harassment Allegations After Best Actor Win

Casey Affleck, who won Best Actor for 'Manchester by the Sea,' addressed the 2010 sexual harassment allegations in a new interview.

Casey Affleck
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Casey Affleck

Casey Affleck, who just bagged the Best Actor distinction at this year's Academy Awards, addressed the controversy surrounding I'm Still Here-era sexual harassment allegations in a recent interview. Speaking with the Boston Globe's Mark Shanahan on Tuesday, the Manchester by the Sea star reportedly "sighed heavily" before explaining that both sides in the suit were prohibited from commenting. Those condemning him, Affleck said, don't know what happened.

"I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else," Affleck told the Globe. As for what he's doing in light of the allegations resurfacing, Affleck intends to live by example. "There's really nothing I can do about it," Affleck said. "Other than live my life the way I know I live it and to speak to what my own values are and how I try to live by them all the time."

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In a piece comparing the treatment of Affleck and Birth of a Nation's Nate Parker in January, the Los Angeles Times' Tre'vell Anderson explains that Affleck was accused of "sexual misconduct and harassment" by two women who worked on his 2010 mockumentary I'm Still Here. Producer Amanda White and cinematographer Magdalena Gorka later filed civil suits worth more than $2 million, alleging that their contracts had not been honored "in retaliation" for—among other things—the complaints themselves.

Affleck denied the allegations, with his attorney specifically calling White's claims a "fabricated" response to failed extortion attempts regarding a production deal. The suits were later settled out of court on undisclosed terms. In a joint statement to the Times from representatives of involved parties, the suits were described as being "resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties." 

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