Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck has pulled out of this year’s Academy Awards, his publicist has confirmed.
By tradition, Affleck – who won best actor for Manchester By The Sea in 2017 – would have been expected to present the best actress award this year.
The actor, brother of Hollywood star Ben Affleck, was sued by two female crew members for alleged sexual harassment in 2010.
An Oscars spokeswoman confirmed that Affleck would not attend, saying: “We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.”
Affleck’s accusers, producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka, say they were harassed during the making of the mockumentary film I’m Still Here, which Affleck directed.
Ms White claimed that Affleck had refused to pay her salary because she would not spend the night in a hotel room with him, and said she endured, “a nearly daily barrage of sexual comments, innuendo and unwelcome advances by crew members, within the presence and with the active encouragement of Affleck”.
Ms Gorka alleged that Affleck, who was married at the time, had crawled into bed with her as she slept.
The actor’s lawyers argued that the allegations were part of a scheme to extort money from Affleck.
The claims against Affleck have drawn renewed attention in the months since sexual abuse allegations were levelled against US movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The Weinstein allegations sparked the rise of the #MeToo hashtag, which inspired a global movement of women and men to share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment.
Source: BBC
