Casey Affleck Finally Speaks On Sexual Abuse Allegations After Oscars Win

The reaction to Casey Affleck's Oscar win on Sunday was a mixed bag. The audience applauded. Affleck's brother, Ben, was, obviously, thrilled.

But actress Brie Larson, who presented him the award, stood to the side resolutely not clapping.

BJ Novak of "The Office" fame tweeted out, "Can we check Best Actor again," after the Best Picture mixup with "La La Land" and "Moonlight."

And countless viewers at home tweeted out their displeasure for Affleck's Best Actor win.

It wasn't because all these people didn't like Affleck's acting in the quiet Boston drama, "Manchester by the Sea."

It was because they didn't feel the academy should honor a man who was sued by two female colleagues for sexual harassment and gross misconduct in the workplace — which Affleck had been, in 2010.

This lawsuit — in which a cinematographer and producer recounted many, many instances of sexual harassment from Affleck — has been the subject of scrutiny and think pieces in the months leading up to the Oscars.

Now, with his Oscar securely in hand, Affleck is finally addressing the allegations in a recent interview with The Boston Globe.

When journalist Mark Shanahan broached the topic of the case, Affleck maintained the critics online and elsewhere don't know the true story, and that they probably never will because all parties are prohibited from commenting.

Affleck did say,

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

But he declined to specifically refer to himself at the perpetrator of said mistreatment.

Of the criticism, Affleck said,

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.

And that's all Affleck has to say on the matter.

Among the allegations Affleck faced in 2010 was that he snuck into his cinematographer, Magdalena Górka's hotel bed unwelcome.

Górka said in legal documents she woke to find Affleck "curled up next to her in the bed wearing only his underwear and a T-shirt. He had his arm around her, was caressing her back, his face was within inches of hers and his breath reeked of alcohol.”

Watch Affleck's full acceptance speech for Best Actor below.

Citations: Oscar in hand, Casey Affleck now in the spotlight in his own right (The Boston Globe)