Stars Who Can't Stand Casey Affleck
Casey Affleck, born Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt in Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1975, began acting in 1988 at the age of 13. In 2017, the 41-year-old younger brother of Hollywood superstar Ben Affleck, reached a huge milestone in his career when he took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Manchester by the Sea. However, rather than it being a completely joyous occasion, the win actually sparked some serious backlash from movie fans and celebrities alike due to a years old controversy.
What did Casey Affleck do?
In 2010, Affleck was accused of sexual harassment by two female colleagues who worked with him on I'm Still Here. The mockumentary, which saw Affleck taking on the role of director, starred his brother-in-law, Joaquin Phoenix, in the title role and ended up being a complete flop that nearly bankrupted him.
Amanda White (who had worked with Affleck for a decade) came on as a producer and Magdalena Gorka was hired as the film's director of photography. Both women accused Affleck of making sexually explicit comments, including suggesting they sleep with male crew members. White, who filed a $2 million lawsuit against Affleck on July 23, 2010, claimed the actor ordered a male colleague to show her his penis, used her hotel room to sleep with a woman and tried to threaten her into sharing a room with him, reportedly grabbing her and sending abusive texts when she refused.
The lawsuits were eventually settled out of court for undisclosed amounts and Affleck and his lawyers have called the accusations fictitious. Even so, it's clear that some of Affleck's peers continue to take serious issue with the Oscar winner.
Brie Larson
Best Actress Oscar winner in 2016, Brie Larson, who took home top honors for her role in Room, was the one tasked with presenting Affleck with his Best Actor award at the 2017 ceremony. Larson, who is a passionate and outspoken advocate for sexual assault survivors, actually won her Academy Award for her powerful portrayal of a victim of sexual abuse. At the 2016 Oscars, she was even photographed hugging numerous sexual assault survivors who had joined Lady Gaga on stage earlier that night while she performed "Til It Happens to You."
Not surprisingly, she was not thrilled to see Affleck win and her reaction really said it all. Larson actually refused to clap and stood as still as a statue while the rest of the crowd cheered as Affleck made his way up on stage. Was her refusal to applaud Affleck a blatant protest? "I think that whatever it was that I did on stage kind of spoke for itself," she told Vanity Fair at the premiere of Kong: Skull Island just a few days later. "I've said all that I need to say about that topic."
Constance Wu
Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu has perhaps been the most vocal celebrity critic of Affleck and, as soon as he scored his Best Actor nomination for Manchester By the Sea, she took to Twitter to unleash a firestorm of criticism, calling into question his alleged actions and Hollywood's supposed acceptance of them.
"Men who sexually harass women 4 OSCAR! Bc good acting performance matters more than humanity, human integrity! Bc poor kid rly needs the help!" she tweeted (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Boys! BUY ur way out of trouble by settling out of court! Just do a good acting job, that's all that matters! bc Art isn't about humanity, right?"
Wu then added: "I've been counseled not to talk about this for career's sake. F my career then, I'm a woman & human first. That's what my craft is built on."
Stephen Colbert
When Casey Affleck sat down for an interview with Stephen Colbert to promote his 2016 crime thriller, Triple 9, things quickly got heated, not to mention super awkward. The tension was palpable as the two exchanged jabs, which began when the late night host called Affleck's casual outfit, which included khakis and a simple button-down shirt, into question.
"Thanks for dressing up," joked Colbert. After a brief exchange, Affleck responded heatedly, saying, "You're implying I'm being rude." Things escalated from there with the actor finally asking, "How long are we going to talk about this?" Not one to be outdone on his own show, Colbert fired back, "Until I get to my joke... It's not a joke, though. You really look like a street corner Jesus."
The on-air duel came to an end when the host concluded: "I think we should probably end up fighting at the end of the show, like bare knuckled boxing... it feels like this is where it's going. I'm wearing glasses so you could probably throw a punch at me."
B.J. Novak
An actor, comedian, screenwriter, author and director, Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak AKA B.J. Novak wears many hats. You may recognize him from his roles in The Office, Inglourious Basterds and The Founder and if you're familiar with his work, you'll be well aware of his sharp comedic wit. Something he unabashedly and unapologetically unleashed on Affleck via Twitter following the 2017 Oscars ceremony.
Once the show had wrapped up, while the world was still trying to grasp the Best Picture mix-up that saw La La Land accepting the Oscar that was actually meant to go to Moonlight, Novak tweeted a short and poignant message that used the flub to sum up exactly how he felt about Affleck's controversial win. "Can we check Best Actor again," he wrote, garnering close to 90,000 likes and over 43,000 retweets as of March 2017.
Chrissy Teigen
Supermodel and reality TV host Chrissy Teigen is a social media sensation who has built a personal brand and serious fan base on the fact that she always says and does exactly what she wants. Her shenanigans usually result in Teigen trending online, but following the 2017 Oscars, it was her subtle actions during Affleck's acceptance speech that had everyone talking.
As Affleck accepted his award, cameras spotted Teigen leaning her head on husband John Legend's shoulder, eyes closed, seemingly napping through the actor's speech. Although she hasn't addressed the speculations about her gesture's possible hidden meaning, she cheekily tweeted "just woke up what happened" shortly after the incident.
Heather Matarazzo
Just like Fresh Off the Boat's Constance Wu, Heather Matarazzo took to Twitter soon after Affleck's Oscar nomination was announced to share her two cents on the matter. The 34-year-old actress, who rose to fame with her quirky roles in Welcome To the Dollhouse and The Princess Diaries series, made her opinion perfectly known and held absolutely nothing back when she wrote, "If I settle something out of court, will I get an Oscar nomination as well? Or does that just go for people like Casey Affleck?" Ouch!