'I Could Have Been More Respectful': Ca...

Casey Affleck is looking back at his career with mixed emotions

Published Time: 19.07.2024 - 02:31:10 Modified Time: 19.07.2024 - 02:31:10

Casey Affleck is looking back at his career with mixed emotions.

The actor, 48, candidly reflected on how he handled his rise to stardom, including what he could have done better, on the Thursday, July 18, episode of The Hollywood Reporter's It Happened in Hollywood podcast.

While speaking about the 2007 filmThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which earned him an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category at the 80th Academy Awards, Affleck admitted he could have been "more respectful" at events.

"I think that people said to me, like, I was chewing gum at some award show, and people said, 'Who does this little punk think he is?' Like, he's on camera chewing gum at the SAG Awards, and I wasn't taking it seriously enough," said Affleck.

"And I don't care. But also, I do care," he confessed. "I realize now that I could have been more respectful because it does mean something."

"It does mean some things in certain instances to be acknowledged by your peers, who are a group of hardworking, very talented people. And in most instances, our community is really, really great people," said Affleck. "And so that was our office party. You know, that was our office Christmas party. Those are our industry celebrations."

The movie star added that having a new baby at the time and preferring to be at home made events "a little bit stressful."

"And for me, being a young man without a lot of experience with that part of the industry, publicity and, you know, stuff like that, I didn't really know how to manage the situation,& -

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#34; he said. "So, the stress outweighed the pleasure, and it outweighed my desire to be there."

While Affleck would later win the Oscar for Best Actor for his work on Manchester by the Seaat the 89th Annual Academy Awards in 2017, the achievement was overshadowed by the two sexual harassment lawsuits filed against him in 2010 by two women who worked on his filmI’m Still Here.

Although Affleck denied the claims and settled out of court for undisclosed amounts, many criticized his nomination (the settlement barred him and his accusers from discussing details of the case).

On the podcast, Affleck said his "head was clouded by all the distractions" that year but he proudly keeps his award in his closet.

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"It's a reminder of what that movie was, what an underdog it was, and, you know, what I didn't say, what I should have said in that year because my head was clouded by all the distractions. Man, did Amazon films give that movie a shot," he said.

"It could have come and gone and been another beautiful movie that no one heard about or some people talked about," continued Affleck. "But this shipping company came in and said, let's give some life to this tiny independent movie."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.