Veteran American actor Morgan Freeman has apologised following accusations of sexual misconduct made by eight women.
A production assistant accused Freeman of harassing her for months while they were filming bank robbery comedy, Going in Style, CNN reported. She claimed that the 80-year-old actor touched her repeatedly and misbehaved to no end.
The production assistant was among the eight women to admit to CNN that they had been the victims of harassment and told CNN that during the harassment, another actor, Alan Arkin, “made a comment telling him to stop. Morgan got freaked out and didn’t know what to say.”
Meanwhile, a woman who worked on the 2013 American heist thriller Now You See Me said the staff knew “not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms” or any close-fitting clothes if Freeman was in the vicinity.
In addition to this, Freeman is said to have stared at women’s breasts and asked them to twirl for him.
Freeman made an apology saying, “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy.” Making women feel uncomfortable was “never my intent”, he added.
He is yet another well-reputed Hollywood figure to be accused of sexual misconduct after similar allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein instigated the #MeeToo campaign against sexual harassment.
CNN also claimed that they had spoken to a dozen more people who worked with or for Freeman; some of whom were all praises for him and insisted that his behaviour was always professional.
