Oscar winner Casey Affleck opens up about the sexual-harassment allegations that have followed him

pulse

March 1, 2017 4:16 PM

Now an Oscar winner for "Manchester by the Sea," Casey Affleck says people don't know the full details of the sexual-harassment lawsuits against him.

Casey Affleck, winner of Best Actor for "Manchester by the Sea" poses in the press room during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California.

Casey Affleck addressed the years-old sexual-harassment allegations against him, which resurfaced in the months ahead of Sunday's Oscar ceremony, where Affleck won the best-actor Oscar for his work in "Manchester by the Sea."

sexually harassed them.

"I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent," Affleck said, "and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.

"There’s really nothing I can do about it, 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," Affleck added.

The allegations against Affleck took on a new life after critics wondered why Oscar hopeful Nate Parker, who wrote and directed 2016's "Birth of a Nation," was being vilified for a 1999 rape charge (Parker was and Affleck seemed to be getting a pass from media and activists.

In an interview with Variety last October, Affleck addressed the sexual-harassment suits.

"People say whatever they want," he said of the accusations. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how you respond... I guess people think if you're well-known, it's perfectly fine to say anything you want. I don't know why that is. But it shouldn't be, because everybody has families and lives."

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