Casey Affleck has confirmed that he won’t be attending the Oscars in March to present the award for Best Actress amid continuing concern about sexual harassment allegations.
Affleck’s publicist said Thursday that the actor would not attend the March 4 ceremony where, traditionally, he would have been expected to present the award for best actress as the reigning best actor winner.
Affleck won the Best Actor Oscar last year for his performance in Manchester By the Sea.
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A film academy spokesperson said they “appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.”
Affleck faced sexual harassment allegations by two female crew members in 2010 in two public civil suits during the production of the mockumentary I’m Still Here. The suits were settled for undisclosed sums and Affleck has said that the terms of the settlement prevent him from discussing the matter.
While the lawsuits were covered in the press at the time, the allegations gained additional attention ahead of the release of Manchester by the Sea. Actress Brie Larson famously did not clap when presenting Affleck with the award at the 2017 ceremony.
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Many people took to Twitter to remind others of Larson’s decision to not clap for Affleck at last year’s ceremony.
Others celebrated the news that he won’t be in attendance this year.
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In an interview with the Boston Globe after winning the Oscar last year, Affleck said: “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’s absence from this year’s Oscars ceremony follows the emergence of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which began after many sexual assault allegations were levelled against Harvey Weinstein in October.
Since then, the spotlight turned back to Affleck and many high-profile figures including Kevin Spacey and James Franco, who have been accused of misconduct.
—With files from the Associated Press
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