Ben Affleck has been left “saddened and angry” by sexual abuse allegations made against embattled movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
The film producer was terminated from the board of The Weinstein Company on Sunday (08Oct17) following the publication of a New York Times expose, which detailed three decades of allegations made against the mogul by several women, who claim he made inappropriate advances towards them.
It was also claimed that Weinstein’s companies paid out thousands of dollars to at least eight women to keep them quiet after they complained.
Now, a report from the New Yorker features allegations of sexual abuse from actresses Asia Argento and Lucia Evans.
Affleck, who worked with Harvey on Good Will Hunting, has addressed the scandal on Facebook, writing:
“I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades.
“The additional allegations of assault that I read this morning (Tuesday) made me sick. This is completely unacceptable, and I find myself asking what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to others.
“We need to do better at protecting our sisters, friends, co-workers and daughters. We must support those who come forward, condemn this type of behavior when we see it and help ensure there are more women in positions of power.”
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star joins the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, and George Clooney in condemning Weinstein’s alleged actions and applauding the women, like Argento, Evans, Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino, who have spoken out.
Meanwhile, Weinstein has denied the allegations of non-consensual sex. A spokesman for the movie mogul says, “Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances… Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.”
He is also planning to sue the New York Times for alleged inaccuracies in the original expose.
