Casey Affleck Complains About ‘Unacceptable And Abhorrent’ Treatment After Oscars Best Actor Win

Many have weighed in on Casey Affleck’s best actor win at the 2017 Oscars, calling it an outrage. The “Manchester By the Sea” star has been quiet about the controversy and the alleged sexual assaults that started it. He’s finally speaking out and it seems he’s heard the criticism.

Affleck opened up to the Boston Globe about his situation. He could not discuss either of the two sexual-harassment lawsuits filed against him. Affleck, 41, did, however, tell the publication he felt the “mistreatment” was unfair.

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

There are several reasons for the outrage over Affleck’s Oscar win. Some movie lovers felt there were more deserving candidates in the best actor category. An overwhelming number of fans on social media felt Denzel Washington, nominated for his role in “Fences,” should have won.

That aside, many pointed out that Affleck’s win sends a negative message about sexual assault. Twitter timelines filled up with tweets about the allegations against the actor following Sunday’s show. Others pointed out how wrong it was for Affleck to get an award while his accusers suffered in silence.

The overriding sentiment was that men can commit sex crimes and their careers remain unscathed. Women who accuse men, though, have to fear getting fired, called liars and more. To further drive home this point, some Twitter users recalled the boycott of Nate Parker’s work after a sex scandal broke.

Affleck was first accused of sexual harassment in 2010 while filming “I’m Still Here.” Amanda White, a producer on the film, and Magdalena Gorka recounted the abuses they suffered while working with him. Affleck allegedly forced crew members to expose themselves, called women on the set names, talked openly about his sexual escapades and more.

White and Gorka each said Affleck took his harassment a step further on different occasions. White claims Affleck tried to convince her to share a hotel room with him, grabbing her when she refused. Gorka claimed he once snuck into her bed wearing underwear and a T-shirt and touched her in an inappropriate manner.