Golden Globe Winner Casey Affleck Accused of Sexual Harassment in 2010

Casey Affleck at this year’s Golden Globes. Photo courtesy of Variety.

Summary: Golden Globe winner Casey Affleck was accused of sexual harassment in 2010.

Being Ben Affleck’s brother is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because the family name can shoot you to the A-List, and it’s a curse because you’re always in Big Ben’s shadow. But for Casey Affleck, the blessing and curse have affected his personal reputation recently. The star of Manchester By the Sea has a history of sexual harassment allegations, but those claims have not hindered his career allegedly because of the protection of brother Ben. However, because of his fame and name, those old allegations have been dug up by the press.

On Sunday, Casey, 41, won a Golden Globe for his role in Manchester, which he had promoted on Saturday Night Live when he hosted. Casey had already acted in movies such as Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone, but Manchester is the film that is bringing him the most glory.

However, Casey’s past is smudging his current shine. After once-Oscars hopeful Nate Parker was obliterated by the press for his alleged rape history, the media wondered why Casey was not equally probed for his allegedly sordid sexual actions against his female colleagues. The Daily Beast reports that two women working on the set of Casey’s film I’m Still Here filed lawsuits against him, alleging that he sexually harassed them.

Producer Amanda White said that she agreed to work on I’m Still Here in 2008. She said that over the course of filming the Joaquin Phoenix vehicle, she was repeatedly harassed. For instance, on one occasion Casey allegedly told a male crew member to show White his penis, which she objected to. White also said Casey referred to women as “cows” and constantly talked about his sex life.

White filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in Los Angeles in 2010. She sought $2 million, not only for his crude comments but also for physical intimidation. In her lawsuit, she said that Casey had tried to have sex with her; and after she rejected him, he grabbed her, attempting to scare her into submission. She said that he also sent her abusive text messages where he would call her derogatory names.

Another crew member from I’m Not Here echoed White’s experience. Magdalena Gorka, the film’s director of photography, filed her own lawsuit for over $2 million. She said that working for Casey was “the most traumatizing [experience] of her career,” and she said that she was constantly bombarded with gross sexual comments from Casey and that he had also tried to have sex with her. Gorka said that after Casey had made his advance she called her agent and quit the project.

White and Gorka both said that Casey retaliated against their complaints by either not paying (White) or not giving film credit (Gorka.) Eventually, the cases were settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

In 2010, Casey’s lawyer Michael Plonsker denied the allegations, and Casey had appeared nonchalant in subsequent interviews. In one magazine, he said, “I guess people think if you’re well known, it’s perfectly fine to say anything you want. I don’t know why that is. But it shouldn’t be, because everybody has families and lives.”

For Casey, his family may be the shield he needs to keep winning awards and get the press off of his back. According to The Sun, “One unnamed member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association believes no one wants to bring up the claims for fear of offending the heavyweight duo of brother Ben and his long-time collaborator Matt Damon. Damon, 46, produced Manchester By The Sea.”