Casey Affleck has pulled out of his presenter role at this year’s Academy Awards, where he was due to hand over the Best Actress statuette, over historical harassment allegations against him.
Affleck, who directed and played a role in the 2010 mockumentary I’m Still Here, was sued by two women involved in the production.
Producer Amanda White and cinematographer Magdalena Gorka sued Affleck for a reported $4.5 million, claiming he verbally and physically abused them on set.
Gorka alleged that the performer crawled into her bed as she slept one night, while White claimed that he refused to pay her salary as she would not spend the night in a hotel room with him.
The civil suits settled for undisclosed sums, and Casey Affleck has said that the details of the respective settlements prevent him from talking about them.
The allegations against Affleck became part of the conversation again in 2017 when he picked up his Best Actor award for Manchester By The Sea.
Brie Larson, who presented him with his award, stood with her arms at her sides while the audience clapped for the actor, and later told Vanity Fair:
“I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself. I’ve said all that I need to say about that topic.”
By Oscar convention, Affleck would have presented this year’s Best Actress award, but his involvement was questioned in light of the #MeToo movement around sexual assault and harassment.
A representative of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said they appreciated Casey Affleck’s decision to pull out to “keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.”
It is not yet known who will replace him at the March 4 event.
