Oscars 2017: Brie Larson May Be Silently Protesting Best Actor Casey Affleck
A momentary lapse in professionalism from movie star Brie Larson during Sunday night’s 2017 Oscars may have something to do with certain allegations regarding newly-crowned Best Actor winner Casey Affleck.
Elite Daily is noting the moment of the telecast when the 2016 Best Actress winner of Room, a movie that centers on a victim of rape, displayed a quick but noticeable expression of irritation while presenting the top honor for male entertainers to Affleck for his lead role in the film, Manchester By The Sea.
“While [Larson] kept it professional and handed Affleck his Best Actor award without comment,” the publication explains, “the look on Larson’s face when she read his name [as the winner] said it all.”
Casey Affleck wins Best Actor: "One of the first people who taught me how to act was Denzel Washington… thank you." #Oscars pic.twitter.com/FzBCwe5dbY
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 27, 2017
Moments later, as an emotional Casey thanked the Academy for the honor, Brie was witnessed standing in the background, motionless and expressionless.
“She refused to clap for Affleck as he gave his acceptance speech,” the post continues.
A GIF of that specific moment can be seen below.
My aesthetic: Brie Larson not clapping for literal trash hole casey affleck pic.twitter.com/Ci5LWXLkCr
— tyler (@tyler_struble) February 27, 2017
Incidentally, a previous interaction between Casey Affleck and Brie Larson from this year’s Golden Globes ceremony in January seemed to bear a similar stance from Larson, who was on-hand to present a Best Actor in a Drama trophy to Affleck, and looked visibly crestfallen while doing so.
Compare that to Brie’s more cheerful demeanor while honoring fellow Oscar nominee Denzel Washington at the 2017 Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) Awards, also in January, and one could assume that Affleck may have slighted Larson somehow in the past — but what exactly happened between the two?
Quand Brie Larson doit donner le prix à Casey Affleck (Golden Globes) vs. Quand Brie Larson doit donner le prix à Denzel Washington (SAG). pic.twitter.com/9eEEBLUrQk
— colt vahn. ???? (@CarlitoDNole) January 31, 2017
According to several websites, including Buzzfeed, the collective assumption is that Brie Larson’s disdain for Casey Affleck at the Oscars and the SAG Awards may have some to do with the sexual harassment allegations that were made by two former female co-workers who worked with Casey on 2010’s I’m Still Here, the documentary-style parody film that featured Joaquin Phoenix attempting to tackle a career in music, and her work with several anti-rape support charities, which received widespread media attention following her appearance in Room, the movie that brought her glory at the Oscars in 2016.
As stated in lawsuits filed by cinematographer Magdalena Gorka and producer Amanda White, Affleck and the remainder of the nearly all-male I’m Still Here film crew reportedly harassed the pair both sexually and verbally throughout the movie’s entire production, with Casey once supposedly demanding for White to hook up with a crew member for his pleasure.
“On one occasion, she claimed that Affleck ordered a crew member to take off his pants and show White his penis, even after she vehemently objected,” a November 2016 expose from the Daily Beast revealed.
“She claimed that Affleck repeatedly referred to women as ‘cows,’ and recounted his sexual exploits with reckless abandon. In her complaint, White recalled Affleck asking her ‘Isn’t it about time you get pregnant? once he learned her age, and suggesting that she and a male crew member reproduce.”
Gorka, meanwhile, would go on to relay through her attorney that one night, following an all-day shoot for I’m Still Here, Affleck advised her to spend the night at the New York City apartment where they had been filming as a way to save her from spending money on a hotel room. Magdalena accepted the offer on the grounds that Phoenix, who lived with Casey at the time, would be sleeping in the living room while Affleck would curl up elsewhere in the apartment.
Later that evening, Gorka claimed that she was awoken “in the middle of the night [by] Affleck [curling] up next to her [on] the bed, [while] wearing only his underwear and a T-shirt,” as Elite Daily transcribed from the legal document.
“He had his arm around her, was caressing her back, his face was within inches of hers and his breath reeked of alcohol.”
Gorka and White would go on to ultimately resign from the I’m Still Here project to deter further advances from Affleck, but in retaliation, the actor reportedly reneged on honoring agreements of payment and credits on the film to both women, which in turn, forced them to file separate Los Angeles County Supreme Court suits against the star on charges of sexual harassment and failure to adhere to the terms of their contracts.
Reps for The Academy have not commented on the Brie Larson/Casey Affleck Oscars moment. Both actors have also maintained their silence since the rumor about the possible contention was first publicized.
[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]
