Morgan Freeman accused of sexual harassment

A report has quoted multiple women, including journalists, describing troubling incidents throughout the Oscar winning actor's career that spans nearly five decades
Morgan Freeman accused of sexual harassment

Veteran actor Morgan Freeman, 80, has been accused of sexual harassment by eight women. He has denied it saying he has never intended to make anyone uncomfortable.

A report has quoted multiple women, including journalists, describing troubling incidents throughout the Oscar winning actor's career that spans nearly five decades. In all, 16 people spoke about Freeman as part of the investigation -- eight witnesses and eight who claim to be victims. They have alleged he behaved inappropriately on set, while promoting his films and at his production company Revelations Entertainment.

The reporter, Chloe Melas, who co-authored the article, was the only victim who spoke on the record. Sexual comments and incidents of unsolicited touching have been mentioned by multiple women.

"He did comment on our 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," said a senior member of the production staff of the film Now You See Me.

The network that reported the allegations reached out to Freeman's spokesperson for comment and then, at his request, e-mailed him a detailed list of the accusations against The Shawshank Redemption star.

While the spokesperson did not respond to multiple follow-ups by email seeking comment on the accusations, Freeman released a statement after the article was published.

It read: "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 apologise to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected -- that was never my intent."

The revelations against Freeman have come forward in wake of the #MeToo movement, which began after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment. It opened up the Pandora's Box of such cases and was followed by accusations against several other stars who had been indulging in inappropriate behaviour over the years.

Following the allegations, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is in the process of determining if any action will be necessary regarding its lifetime achievement award recipient.

A Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) spokesperson said in a statement: "These are compelling and devastating allegations which are absolutely contrary to all the steps that we are taking to insure a safe work environment for the professionals in this industry.

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