I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when this news hits but this one shocked me a bit. Morgan Freeman has been accused of harassment or inappropriate behavior on set while promoting his movies & at his production company, Revelations Entertainment.
At the moment, CNN has interviewed 16 people about the actor as part of an investigation & many of them alleged to be victims or witnesses to the inappropriate conduct. In one instance, a production assistant said she was subjected to unwanted touching and comments about her figure and clothing on a nearly daily basis. One encounter alleges that he kept trying to lift up a woman’s skirt while asking if she was wearing underwear. Allegedly actor Alan Arkin made a comment telling him to stop and Freeman freaked out and didn’t know what to say.
A senior member of the production staff of the 2012 movie, Now You See Me, said Freeman “did comment on our bodies…We knew 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.”
The behavior wasn’t just limited to being on set or at his production company. Three entertainment writers have addressed inappropriate remarks made to them during press kickers. One of the women works for CNN and her name is Chloe Melas. She says when she interviewed the actor during the press tour for Going In Style, he allegedly looked her up and down and made suggestive remarks including, “you look so ripe”.
As I was writing this piece, Freeman released this statement through a rep about 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. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”
There were many other similar incidents that were detailed in the investigation and only time will tell if more stories will come to light. In the current #MeToo climate, accusations like this aren’t taken lightly and I’m sure Morgan Freeman will be taken to task if this all proves to be true.
