Casey Affleck has decided to pull out of this year’s Academy Awards, his publicist has confirmed.
By tradition, Casey Affleck – who won best actor for Manchester By The Sea in 2017 – would have been expected to present the best actress award this year.
Ben Affleck’s brother was sued by two female crew members for alleged harassment in 2010.
The actor denies the allegations and the lawsuits were settled out of court.
An Oscars spokeswoman confirmed that Casey Affleck would not attend, saying: “We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.”
Casey Affleck’s accusers, producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka, say they were harassed during the making of the mockumentary I’m Still Here, which Affleck directed.
Amanda White claimed that Casey Affleck had refused to pay her salary because she would not spend the night in a hotel room with him.
Magdalena Gorka alleged that Casey Affleck, who was married at the time, had crawled into bed with her as she slept.
Casey Affleck’s lawyers argued that the allegations were part of a scheme to extort money from the actor.
The claims against Casey Affleck have drawn renewed attention in the months since abuse allegations were leveled against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The Weinstein allegations sparked the rise of the #MeToo hashtag, which inspired a global movement of women and men to share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment.
More than 300 actresses, writers and directors responded by launching Time’s Up – a project to help fight harassment in the film industry and other workplaces.
The initiative was announced via a full-page ad printed in the New York Times.
This year’s Oscars ceremony will take place on March 4 in Los Angeles.
Actor James Franco has been accused of inappropriate behavior by five women, including students from his acting school.
Four of James Franco’s former students and an actress who said the actor was her mentor told the LA Times they were victims of “an abuse of power”.
The latest accusations come after claims against James Franco on social media following his best actor win at this year’s Golden Globe awards.
James Franco, 39, said the earlier allegations made on Twitter were “not accurate”.
On January 7, James Franco attended the Globes ceremony wearing a Time’s Up pin on his lapel, signaling his support for an initiative aimed at combating harassment in the film industry and other workplaces.
That prompted accusations of inappropriate behavior against him on Twitter from actresses Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Violet Paley.
On January 11, Sarah Tither-Kaplan told LA Times that James Franco participated in an “abuse of power” on film sets designed to create a “culture of exploiting non-celebrity women”.
James Franco taught a number of acting classes at two film schools opened in 2014, both named Studio 4.
His attorney, Michael Plonsker, told the LA Times that the actor disputes the allegations.
Actress Ally Sheedy was among those to question James Franco’s appearance at the Globes, where he won an award for his role in The Disaster Artist, which details the making of notorious 2003 film The Room.
Ally Sheedy posted a series of cryptic tweets during the ceremony, one of which asked: “Why is James Franco allowed in?”
“James Franco just won,” another of her now deleted posts read.
“Please never ever ask me why I left the film/tv business.”
Rose McGowan, a prominent campaigner against inappropriate behavior in the entertainment industry, said on Twitter that Hollywood had been “selectively deaf” about James Franco.
This year’s ceremony saw several winners address Hollywood’s abuse scandal in their acceptance speeches.
Many attendees opted to wear black to express solidarity with victims of abuse and harassment.
Anti-harassment speeches and powerful statements of unity have dominated this year’s Golden Globe awards.
It was the first major Hollywood awards ceremony since the film industry was hit by harassment scandals, with stars wearing black to honor victims.
Oprah Winfrey summed up the mood, saying “a new day is on the horizon” as she collected an honorary award at the 75th edition of Golden Globes.
The big winner of the night was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which took home four awards.
It won the best film drama award, with its star Frances McDormand also picking up a trophy for best actress.
Frances McDormand stars as a grieving mother who challenges police over the fact her daughter’s killer has not been found.
Big Little Lies won the most awards in the TV categories, including honors for its stars Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard. It was also named best limited TV series.
Nicole Kidman won the first award of the night for her role as a victim of domestic violence.
She dedicated her win to her castmates, daughters and mother, saying: “Wow, the power of women.”
The Golden Globes are organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are seen as an indicator of which films are likely to do well at the Oscars, which take place on March 4.
The main focus on the night was on the current atmosphere in Hollywood and campaigns like Me Too and Time’s Up, which are focused on bringing about change for women not only in the entertainment industry but also around the world.
Many winners and presenters at the Beverly Hills ceremony addressed the ongoing scandal – with host Seth Meyers setting the tone with his opening monologue.
It was Oprah whose speech had the biggest reaction, with stars applauding and rising to their feet.
Speaking as she was awarded the honorary Cecil B. DeMille trophy – the first black woman to get the honor – Oprah Winfrey said: “Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.
“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up!”
The theme was echoed by Laura Dern, winner of a best supporting actress for Big Little Lies, who said: “Many of us were taught not to tattle.
“It was a culture of silencing, and that was normalized… May we teach our children that speaking out without the fear of retribution is our culture’s new North Star.”
Barbra Streisand used her presenting slot to express outrage that she remains the only woman to win the best director award at the ceremony – and that was back in 1984.
She said: “Folks, time’s up. We need more women directors and more women to be nominated for best director.”
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