Most of us are still assessing what Casey Affleck’s Oscar win means in the larger sense. Just taken at face value, I think Casey’s win means that more people watched and liked Manchester by the Sea as opposed to watching and liking Fences. Fences had great, dialogue-heavy performances, but let’s be real: it was not a good movie. A good play, perhaps. But not a good movie. While I didn’t think Casey should have won an Oscar (full-stop) and he shouldn’t have won for his dead-inside performance in Manchester, I had also gotten used to the idea that he was probably going to win over Denzel, which is why I kind of shrugged with his win.
One of the best pieces written about Casey’s Oscar win, in my opinion, was this excellent Elle article connecting Casey’s win with Mel Gibson’s resurgence, that awful Last Tango in Paris story and the presidency of Donald Trump. As we covered in the months leading up the Oscars, Casey was accused of sexual harassment by two women while working on I’m Still Here, the documentary about Joaquin Phoenix being a dumbass. Casey barely had to say anything in his own defense throughout his Oscar campaign because media outlets made an effort to never question him about the civil suits he settled out of court with both of his accusers. Well, following his Oscar win, Casey has deigned to speak about it with more directness than he did pre-Oscars. He spoke to his hometown newspaper, the Boston Globe, saying about the sexual harassment accusations:
Asked about those sentiments Tuesday, Affleck paused and sighed heavily. He said both sides in the case are prohibited from commenting on the matter, and none of the people who are condemning him online know what happened. But, he added, “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.”
“There’s really nothing I can do about it,” Affleck added wearily. “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.”
It’s actually a well-crafted statement and he should have said this before the Oscars. Even if the two accusers were lying – and let me be clear, I don’t think they were lying – why not come out and say this months ago? Why not say, “maybe I haven’t always treated my coworkers with the respect they deserve but I believe strongly in learning from my mistakes and doing better”? He probably didn’t say any of this before the Oscars because he knew it would lead to more questions.
Speaking of more questions, Casey used his platform at the Independent Spirit Awards to call Donald Trump’s policies “abhorrent” and “un-American.” Which is interesting because Casey’s production company donated $5000 to Trump’s transition fund, Trump for America. Page Six spoke to Casey about this and this is what he said:
Affleck told Page Six that he is “appalled that a donation may have been made in my company’s name by someone I work with. I had no knowledge of it, was never asked and never would have authorized it.” He added, “I will get to the bottom of it. The policies of the Trump administration, and the values they represent, are antithetical to everything I believe in.”
Affleck’s producing partner John Powers Middleton has reportedly been a GOP backer and gave funds to a Trump super PAC.
So after sexually harassing a bunch of women he worked with, the only people Casey Affleck employs now are Trump supporting dudes, basically.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I don’t buy that he didn’t know about his company’s donation – his coproducer and friend is a well known Trump supporter. Ugh just thinking about Casey winning triggers me.
His privilege allows him to stay friends who support Mango Mussolini, because the orange tyrant’s policies will not affect Affleck. He’s probably one of those guys who says “we all need to be respectful of each other’s politics”.
+10000
He makes my skin crawl. I love Michelle Williams and wanted to see this movie, but won’t.
I can’t stand him, never could. And this was even before the accusations.
Everything he says comes out forced… Just my opinion…
His existence is depressing and exhausting.
Why wouldn’t he support trump?
Birds of a feather….
Can we send him to Johnny Depp’s island? Johnny, Casey, who else can we put there?
I love this idea. Mel should go there too. As for everything above re Casey – ugh.
I’m starting a super cool cruise company. First trip transatlantic journey will be taken by the good ship Cinatit, it will be vury classy and I will have expensive insurance, so you know its totally safe.
Mel’s gonna captain, Robin Thicke and Chris Brown for entertainment, Polanski and Allen and Richardson for smart artsy talk, and for hot ladies I’ve asked Dani Mathers and Emma Roberts.
Cosby can bartend.
Oh excellent addition. I’m thinking Depp can provide wine critiques and tasting, Allen parenting classes, and maybe KellyAnne can give us tips on professionalism.
Woody Allen, Polanski, David O.Russel
Sean penn
Is the cruise named Cancellation of the Americas?! ..cause…
He was prohibited from discussing the accusations. It isn’t difficult to understand why he wouldn’t make a statement saying that he may not have treated co-workers well in the past – there is no indication that he ever mistreated co-workers. At this point we will never know what did or didn’t happen.
“There is no indication that he ever mistreated co-workers.”
You mean accept the testimony and statements from female co-workers alleging that mistreated them. And laid down next to them in bed and sexually assaulted them. And allowed other men to pile on and harass them in the workplace in a male dominant environment. Except that.
Look, I’m a lawyer, I get that there are limits to what you say but no one needed him to address specifics. The very least he could have done was to acknowledge that he made errors in his past that he is working to correct and to become a better person. He didn’t even do THAT.
@Kathleen, I’m glad you’re not my lawyer. You act like all sworn statements can be taken at face value. I’m not saying that either party lied, I’m simply saying that I don’t know what happened because I wasn’t there and it didn’t go to trial. Why should be acknowledge questionable behavior in the past when there is no proof of questionable behavior? This is swampy logic for a lawyer.
These allegations survived the initial phases of litigation. It’s not like it was immediately dismissed by a judge or shut down by a summary judgment motion.
It didn’t go to trial because *he* chose to settle before it got there. He wisely included a major confidentiality/non-disclosure provision in the settlement agreement. He valued paying to make these allegations go away as quietly as possible and ensuring no one ever talked about it over having his day in court and presenting his case and letting a judge or jury of his peers determine who had the greater weight of evidence.
He wasn’t prohibited from defending himself (legally or otherwise) when the lawsuits were filed. He must have known that after putting witnesses under oath and asking them about the (alleged) mistreatment, it was unlikely that he would win (because he was GUILTY). So he settled and paid his victims millions. He has no one to blame but himself for his tarnished name. Mind-boggling how any of his stans convince themselves otherwise. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.
@An, none of us know what happened since this didn’t go to trial.
By that logic, we don’t know that what Affleck is saying is true either. Why are you so quick to assume that 2 women, who gave extremely detailed accounts, in an environment that was filled with drugs and partying, are the ones lying?
@Bridget Exactly. He paid them off so it wouldn’t HAVE to go to trial. Seriously, what is so hard to understand about that? And are we not to believe victims of any crime anymore simply because we weren’t there when it was committed? My god.
I never said any of the parties, including Affleck, are or are not lying. What I have said is that none of us know what happened.
We do know what happened. The women told us. We don’t have Casey’s version because he paid them off and tried to sweep it all under the rug. You obviously believe that the women are lying.
@An, if it were only that simple.
As a lawyer, I can say that there are many reason why a case is settled, even when the defendant has – factually and truthfully speaking – not committed the alleged wrong. The point being that the fact that the case was settled does not establish the truth of the allegations.
Both parties in workplace sexual harassment lawsuits are encouraged to settlement by the agency/court from the second the case is filed. These cases take years to reach any kind of resolution. Upon filing, the complainant is given paperwork explaining the availability of mediation. The notice of charges to the respondent include mediation paperwork. At. Every. Single. Step. In. The. Process. Both. Parties. Are. Encouraged. To. Settle.
Seriously, what exactly do you people think happens when these cases are finally resolved? Both parties usually go right back to work, together.
“There’s really nothing I can do about it,”
O RLY? There’s a lot you could do about it, dude. But you just want it to go away.
It’s so depressing that these kinds of men are literally never required to take personal responsibility for their actions. I believe those women were telling the truth. I believe them. I also want to believe that people can make egregious errors in their life, own up to those errors, and maybe just maybe, become better people. I want to believe that. But you cannot truly become a better person if you refuse to own up to what you’ve done. And it’s not fair that white men in power consistently and repeatedly are never forced to answer for their sins—especially the sins that they perpetuate against women. It’s depressing and upsetting all around.
I agree. This supposed docu-like low-budget movie was run unprofessionally, like a frat house, and it appears a lot of drinking and drugging was going on, and lines crossed. It is disappointing he and his buddies on set had the mentality of 20-year-old punks at that stage of his life, but he could have admitted to very unprofessional behavior, at the very least. But nada.
The stories out of the one were atrocious, though you never really knew if they were fake or real, because these idiots really did think they were fooling people (which, NO ONE thought it was real).
Yuck. Just a reminder Hollywood that even though he won the Oscar you don’t have to cast him in big roles. Even leaving aside the accusations, in a few weeks no one will care that he won it. No one. Remember Adrien Brody’s illustrious career as a leading man? Jamie Foxx? Etc? Exactly. Oscar no longer equals box office heat. No one will care. Or cast him if you want but I won’t be watching. 😒
I hate to say this but Casey has been one of those actors that other actors love to lionise for a long time. He is intense and very unconventional on set and you know how they love that. For that reason he is not going to be hurting for indies and prestigious studio parts. The only reason he wasnt already popping up on blockbusters is because he wac too hipster to take them. What I am saying is Caseys career isnt going anywhere. Its a shame but also a fact.
I’m somewhat hopeful he can be kept out of blockbusters. So far Star Wars has had pretty great taste in leading men (on and off screen), Marvel already employs enough generic white men and seems pretty careful anyway, hell even DC hasn’t messed up yet (at least on casting). Only WB casting Depp in their would be Fantastic Beasts franchise has been my major side eye (and honestly ruined that movie for me, which was mediocre anyway. I can’t see bothering with the sequels). Supposedly he was cast before this all came to light though so maybe there is hope.
Oh he will still work in prestige indies, I have no doubt. 🙄
Jaime Foxx has done some good stuff since then (Django Unchained?!?) but he’s also put a lot of time and effort into music.
An Oscar is a boost, but it’s never a guarantee. A Casey Affleck isn’t going to be your next Marvel guy. Win or lose, he was always going to move on to the next dreary and depressing role. He’ll just ask for more money for it now.
All PR. He’s learned from watching his brother maneuver. Look at how he hid his girlfriend until after the awards were over.
respect in the workplace is a must…
except when i do the disrespecting.
right, Casey?
you got your statue? now go far far far away.
Ugh, this guy. Go away.
The part that I have the hardest time with was the way that he was protected. This wasn’t a case of the public not finding the accusations newsworthy, but the fact that publicists were able to request that pieces be taken down, and the newsmedia being complicit in it. Simply on the strength of big brother Ben and BFF Matty D’s fame, Casey got a lot of leverage.
Yep. The media has protected the Afflecks for years until the nanny’s instagram made it impossible to do so. Wikipedia even removed the section about Ben’s Finding Your Roots lie because according to them, mentioning it was “excessive” and it was taken out (someone complained and it’s now back in — kindof). It’s disgusting.
True. I did not see this film, a friend of mine did and said it was excellent. But truth be told the only reason it probably got all the award buzz was because of the A list connections – Damon etc. and yes Casey was clearly protected and pushed forward by BFF Matt Damon and brother Ben. If he was just an actor without those connections and publically displayed support by Ben and Matt, he would not have gotten the recognition or Award.
On another note – interesting Ben did not walk the oscars or VF red carpets, and was not visible in any of the after party photos that I have seen. Keeping a low profile Ben?
He was at Amazon’s after party with Casey and his agent (pic on instagram). He may have been at other parties. He just didn’t pose for pro photographers. He may not have had time to walk the red carpet. There’s a video on fb of him on a plane flying into LAX from Salt Lake City on Sunday afternoon.
It was always going to get awards buzz no matter who was in it – Manchester was a Kenneth Lonergan movie. You Can Count On Me was what put a then-unknown Mark Ruffalo on the map. There’s a good chance that it was going to be an Oscar nominated role for any actor, though I think that Affleck’s connections really helped grease the wheels for the win.
That’s interesting. Clearly they all didn’t go away together for school vacation week since Ben was spotted in SC and then SLC that week. And who had the kids that weekend – Jen was in DC and Ben in SLC. Nannies I guess.
Hmm very interesting indeed. What is in Salt Lake City? Rehab?:). Also doesn’t Ben fly private domestically?
I’m pretty sure – SURE – I can kick Casey’s *** and since I’ll be in Boston this fall, I’m going to be looking for him.
Not really! 😉
I just watched that movie a week or so ago.
He did a good job of it. He’s not a bad actor but he looks all haggard to start.
He’s just a bad person and so is his brother and although their buddy Matt used to be my one of my pretend boyfriends, he isn’t any longer.
His loss!
Birds of a feather.
The movie made me want to kill myself and I thought M. Williams would play a larger role and her, “MY KIDS ARE IN THERE!!!”, wasn’t very believable but whatever.
I’ll be in Boston this fall.
Afflecks!!
The clips I saw of Michelle were terrible.
Yeah, I’m normally a huge Michelle Williams fan but I was completely unmoved by her performance (including her “big scene”). I thought Casey’s performance was good but not great, one-note, and as far as Lonergan films go, I thought this was one of his weakest (and I’m a Lonergan fan). There just wasn’t much depth to any of the characters, including Casey’s. I never got the sense that he went through any growth during the movie and I frankly didn’t know what the point of the film was.
How is Ben Affleck a bad person? By association? That’s just ridiculous. Ben has issues, but bad? Give me a break. And neither is Damon. Full stop.
Has issues? He strong-armed a black man into hiding his own slave-owning ancestors and then lied about it. As for Damon, no one will forget him trying to lecture a black woman about racism. Both are arrogant, conniving POS.
TRASH.
I believe he is a liberal and didn’t know about the donation.
But I’m not surprised his partner did. I believe there are a lot of people in the movie-making business side of things that probably voted for Trump because they thought it benefitted them and/or their company.
Maybe Casey knew about the donation, maybe not. But he definitely knows that his business partner is a trust fund, buy-his-way-into-Hollywood, 100% Trump Supporter. Google this guy. I’m sure being buddies with him is fun, his trust fund paying for private planes, 5 star hotels, etc. Casey looks the other way re his politics.
While I saw Manchester and did not like it at all and thought it was extremely overrated , I thought Casey Affleck gave the most real, life like performance of the male nominees. People should stop convicting him on these charges as we do not know what happened. I support women but every allegation women level is not necessarily true. Now if there are other things that come to light or other accusers then there’s something to discuss. Saying the Afflecks are bad people is not fair .What if this was your brother or father? ! As for Ben, seems to be a troubled soul.
How many accusers do there need to be before you personally will take anything seriously? Crosby-level numbers? What we know is what these women gave in sworn affidavits. Casey did not bother to defend himself and wrote checks for millions to make it all disappear. Those are not the actions of an innocent man.
@Kaycee, what I know, as an attorney who handles workplace sexual harassment cases, is that judges do not want to hear these cases; that they take years to process; that people are not always truthful in affidavits; that bothering to defend oneself can cost far more than it does to settle even when one wins; and that many, many, many companies settle these cases even when their employees did nothing wrong because it is far more cost effective to settle than it is to prove innocence.
Or he settled because he’s guilty and knew that the evidence would show that.
There are two accusers. How many do you require?
@Kaycee, there are no “guilty” verdicts in civil sexual harassment cases.
Not to defend him, but he’s been on the record as very anti-Trump, and there are many people I work with that I was shocked to learn did support Trump. I do believe that he was disgusted.
Yeah, I think he’s probably a pretty despicable human being, but I doubt he was aware money was being given to Trump in his company’s name. He’s way too self-righteous in his liberalism.
He reminds me of Matt Damon. They’re the furthest thing from “woke” but they think of themselves as virtuous liberals. One of them harasses women and the other thinks diversity behind the camera isn’t important, but they’re still convinced they have some kind of moral high ground.
Seeing that men can be sexual predators and become president and win an Oscar are… I’m speechless. And this has been the way of it. Now with social media being so big, woman can come together and realize how absolutely abhorrent this is. We will not stop talking about this. Ever again.
I hope he’s learned from his mistakes but I don’t know. It depends. Sounds like he surrounds himself with d!ck heads if his production partner is a Trumper.
Who’s his date? Surprised someone would date him considering his history
She looks very young. She should join a support group with Mel Gibson’s current potential victim.
She’s 33 apparently. He’s 41.
Her name is Floriana Lima, and she’s a regular this season on Supergirl. Her character is in a relationship with Supergirl’s sister. I was pretty shocked to hear who she was dating in real life.
I was hoping that wasn’t her. She’s excellent on Supergirl. Sad that she’s dating this monster.
“Why not say, “maybe I haven’t always treated my coworkers with the respect they deserve but I believe strongly in learning from my mistakes and doing better”? ”
He can’t say, and didn’t say that, because it would be admitting he did something wrong. In his statement he’s clearly denying that he did something and suggesting he always treats people with respect. I don’t believe him but sadly, unless he does something like that again and it comes out, it will always be a “he said/she said” thing, especially when the accusers are forbidden to speak.
As for the donation being made, I sincerely doubt he didn’t know, but I also think at the time he didn’t care. It wasn’t in his best interest to get in a bad position with the people that could get him that Oscar. It’s not like his partner is a closeted Republican, he’s donated to them before, so he honestly didn’t bother to check where he stood on this goverment? His “I had no idea” response makes it even more clear to me that he’ll always play dumb about everything.
The point is we don’t know the facts . People settle out of court based on lawyers advice it doesn’t mean they are always guilty .
It just reeks of white male privilege. Many people state that it’s a false equivalency to compare Trump to Affleck because as President , Trump is holding the highest office in the land and therefore must be held to a higher moral standard. Affleck, on the other hand, is just an actor and therefore it doesn’t really matter and what happens in his personal life shouldn’t negatively impact his personal life. But I think that’s bull. My takeaway is that it just solidifies and supports that no matter what you do as a white male, you will never be truly held accountable and your privilege will always protect you, no matter what.
I am kind of Afflecked out with reading about this issue but a couple of points. Are people seriously expecting Oscar voters to factor a moral judgement into their voting? How do they do that? Decide on the basis of what’s on CB? Do they employ researchers to delve into actors’ private lives? Do they require every working actor to fill in a form detailing any transgressions? Hold a morality audit? It’s frankly nonsense. They simply cannot and should not take non-acting factors into account. Do you expect other awarding bodies to assess morality too? Up to and including Nobel Prize winners? Secondly, the women that made the accusations settled. End of. That’s why it’s called settled. Lightpurple who knows far more about these issues than I do has explained on other threads why this can happen, and why it is not to be taken as an admission of guilt. To draw that inference is not sustainable. The women settled. And before someone accuses me of being some sort of endorser of harassers, let me get a bit personal here. I was at the receiving end of workforce bullying for three years. It wasn’t sexual but it was vile and it impacted on my health. I filed a formal complaint. However, for reasons I won’t go into, I settled. I left and have never regretted that. In the hypothetical case of my harasser being nominated for an award, would I expect their alleged treatment of me to be factored into the award decision? Absolutely not. It is not relevant to the award, and it is not proven. I settled. I could have pursued it but didn’t. End of. Still less would I expect thousands of people who didn’t know me, my harasser or the circumstances of the case to go online and pontificate. I don’t want to live in an environment of workplace harassment, which is still far too common. But I also don’t want an environment where the Internet acts as judge jury and executioner.
Thank you, Annetommy. And I am sorry you went through all that. I hope you are in a much better situation now.
Excellent comment, Annetommy, and thanks also to Lightpurple.
Thank you both, my life is a lot better now, I made the right choice (not something I could always say about my life!)
That’s just bizarre that he had no idea his producing partner was a Trump supporter. AND the guy can’t just donate in his own name – he has to use the company name? All around bizarre.
on the allegations, my gut creeper recogniser believes they happened but my head always sticks to innocent unless proven etc
On a more superficial level – Casey that whole messy hair/beard ‘I don’t really care about all this award stuff’ look doesn’t really gel with how desperately you campaigned for this Oscar.