As old sexual harassment allegations threaten to upset his Oscar campaign for ?Manchester by the Sea," Casey Affleck?s publicity team is shoring up defenses.
Since January?s Sundance Film Festival, Affleck has been a presumptive contender. Scrutiny is growing, however, over two settled claims of inappropriate behavior and unwanted advances on the set of his 2010 directorial effort, ?I?m Still Here.? On Tuesday, the National Board of Review named ?Manchester? the best film of the year. Affleck was named best actor.
While Nate Parker?s Oscar chances for ?Birth of a Nation? were badly wounded by heavy coverage of a rape case in which he was acquitted in 2001, some media outlets have asked why so little attention has been paid to the accusations against Affleck.