Morgan Freeman has been accused of sexual harassment by eight women. The actor is said to have subjected the women to both verbal and sexual harassment towards his co-stars on various Film sets and to women at his production company. According to CNN Entertainment, 16 people spoke out about Freeman's behaviour, eight of them claiming to be victims of what is described as a pattern of inappropriate behaviour.
One of those women told CNN, she thought she had landed the job of her dreams when she started working on "Going in Style," a comedy starring Michael Caine, Alan Arkin and Morgan Freeman in the summer of 2015.
But the job, she said, quickly turned into several months of harassment. She alleges that Freeman commented about her figure and touched her without her consent, almost daily. "He kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear." the woman said. She stated that Alan Arkin, Freeman's co-star, asked him to stop. That allegedly made Freeman freak out, not knowing how to respond. Another woman, who was part of the production crew on the set of 2012 thriller "Now You See Me" alleged that Freeman harassed both her and her assistant, by constantly commenting on their bodies.
Staffers describe a toxic atmosphere
Freeman released a statement following the allegations. In it, he says, "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows that I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy.
I apologise to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected - that was never my intent." The group of people that spoke to CNN are divided. Eight of them don't recall witnessing anything problematic about Freeman's behaviour, the other half taking an issue with his actions.
Some of them describing a toxic atmosphere at Freeman's production company Revelations Entertainment, which he founded in 1996 with his business partner Lori McCreary.
A woman working as a manager for the production company said Freeman used to walk over to her desk and then stare at her breasts for quite some time. Another staffer stated that she had stopped wearing skirts around the office. According to five people who all spoke to CNN, there was no human resources department at the company.
Therefore no one reported Freeman's behaviour, out of fear of losing their jobs.
The allegations already having an effect
TransLink, the greater Vancouver's Transportation system has removed Freeman's voice from a Visa ad campaign and Actors Union SAG-AFTRA is investigating the allegations. The union has released a statement, saying, "These are compelling and devastating allegations which are absolutely contrary to all the steps that we are taking to ensure a safe work environment for the professionals in this industry. Any accused person has the right to due process, but it is our starting point to believe the courageous voices who come forward to report incidents of harassment. Given Mr Freeman recently received one of our union's most prestigious honours recognising his body of work, we are therefore reviewing what corrective actions may be warranted at this time." Mr Freeman turned 80-years-old last year and is one of Hollywood's biggest star. In 2005 he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in "Million Dollar Baby." He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among many other awards.
