Actor Casey Affleck claimed he didn’t respond to sexual assault allegations against him because he didn’t want to distract from the #MeToo movement.
The director made an appearance on Dax Shepherd’s podcast “Armchair Expert” and opened up about what it was like to be accused, according to a report published Tuesday by Fox News.
“Who would not be supportive of the #MeToo movement? That’s an idea that’s even out there? That there are some people saying, ‘We do not believe in equality. We think the workplace should be a dangerous place for certain people and not for others.’ That’s preposterous,” Affleck told Shepherd. (RELATED: Casey Affleck Drops Out Of Presenting At Oscars Following Sexual Harassment Claims)
Affleck was accused of making unwanted advances on a producer while working on the film “I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix.” The director was then accused of sexually touching a cinematographer on the same project while she was sleeping. He denied the allegations, but settled lawsuits which each woman for an undisclosed amount.
He admitted he remains frustrated with his reputation following the allegations.
“The way I’m thought of, sometimes, by certain people recently has just been so antithetical to who I really am, that it’s just been frustrating,” Affleck said. “And not being able to talk about it has been hard because I really wanted to support it 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.”