Casey Affleck: ‘It Scares Me’ to Talk About #MeToo Movement
By Mackenzie Nichols
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Casey Affleck addressed his decision to stay quiet after sexual harassment allegations made against him resurfaced in 2018, saying the #MeToo movement is “very hard to talk about and it scares me.”
On Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert,” Affleck discussed charges made by two female crew members on set of his 2010 mockumentary “I’m Still Here” starring Joaquin Phoenix.
“I really wanted to support all but I felt like the best thing to do was to just be quiet so that I didn’t seem to be in opposition to something that I really wanted to champion,” Affleck told Shepard. “It’s a tough spot to be in, especially if you really do appreciate and want to be a support of the side that seems angriest, and the anger is being directed at you.”
Affleck said the movement took a toll on his mental state. He was supposed to present the best actress trophy at the 2018 Oscars, but opted to bow out after his sexual harassment allegations, which resulted in two settled lawsuits, were brought back to light.
“The way that I’m thought of sometimes by certain people recently has been so antithetical to who I really am that it’s been frustrating,” Affleck continued. “And not being able to talk about it has been hard because I really wanted to support all of that, but I felt like the best thing to do was to just be quiet so I didn’t seem to be in opposition to something that I really wanted to champion.”
He clarified that the values of the #MeToo movement should be undoubtedly supported.
“Who would not be supportive of the #MeToo movement? That’s an idea that’s even out there?” Affleck said. “That there are some people saying we do not believe in equality and we think the workplace should be a dangerous place for certain people and not for others. That’s preposterous.”
In an interview with Associated Press last August, Affleck admitted that he deeply regretted the unprofessional environment that took place on the set of “I’m Still Here.” Two women who worked on the film, director of photography Magdalena Gorka and producer Amanda White, came forward at the time, detailing Affleck’s inappropriate on-set sexual behavior including verbal abuse, offensive text messages and unwanted sexual advances.
Affleck was on Shepard’s podcast to promote his upcoming film “Light of my Life,” which he directed and stars in. The movie, which debuts in theaters and on demand Aug. 9, follow a father (portrayed by Affleck) who must protect his daughter from a post-apocalyptic world devoid of women. Although the film seems to be a response to his two settled lawsuits, he insisted at the movie’s premiere at Berlin Film Festival that there was no connection.
