Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, known famously for films such as Million Dollar Baby and The Shawshank Redemption, is accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. His name is now the latest addition in the growing list of Hollywood men, whose once-buried stories of sexual impropriety are now steadily surfacing in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp.
Sixteen individuals have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior against the actor. Eight women allege to be victims of Freeman's behavior, while the rest claimed to have witnessed those various incidents both in private and public.
Morgan Freeman Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
CNN first broke the story about the accusations, publishing a detailed account of Freeman's alleged behavior toward employees of his company Inside Revelations Entertainment, female crew members, and even Lori McCreary, cofounder of the aforementioned production company.
One woman, described as a "young assistant" working on 2015's Going In Style, claimed the actor subjected her to unwanted touching and made lewd comments about her figure and clothing nearly every day. She described one incident where Freeman repeatedly attempted to lift her skirt and asked if she was wearing underwear until Alan Arkin, an actor also working on the film at the time, stepped in and asked Freeman to back off, she said.
Another woman, described as a senior member of the production staff on 2013's Now You See Me, said Freeman often commented on their bodies.
"We knew that if he was coming by ... not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were] fitted."
In another incident, CNN reporter Chloe Melas claimed that Freeman made inappropriate remarks while she was pregnant during a press junket interview for Going In Style. Freeman allegedly held Melas's hand, held onto it, looked her up and down, then said, "I wish I was there" and "You are ripe."
Morgan Freeman Issues Apology After Being Accused Of Sexually inappropriate Behavior
Freeman's camp has issued on an apology amid the accusations:
"Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy," said Freeman, through a representative. "I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent."
The glamorous curtains of Hollywood continue to unravel, revealing a grimy, horrific underside made up mostly of men who have either embarrassed, wrong, sexually harassed, assaulted, raped women — and got away with it unscathed. Until now, that is, as the #MeToo movement continues to pave the way for women to share their stories and work together to carve a much better space where these actions aren't tolerated.
Photo: Angelo Yap | Flickr
