I like Constance Wu and I like that she DGAF about leading public discussions on somewhat tricky conversations, like Asian representation in Hollywood, or general whitewashing, or how there should be a bigger backlash against Casey Affleck. That’s where we are now that the Oscar nominations have come out. People are looking at the nominations and realizing, “Oh, right. Casey Affleck is the lead contender for this year’s Best Actor Oscar.” As we’ve discussed, Casey Affleck was accused of sexual harassment by two women several years ago, and he settled out of court in both cases. Many have wondered why Casey hasn’t gotten even a fraction of the backlash that Nate Parker received, and many (myself included) think it’s because he’s a white guy with substantial connections and privilege. So in the month in between now and the Oscars, will there be a sustained campaign AGAINST Casey? Constance Wu hopes so.
As anticipated, Casey Affleck received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for Manchester by the Sea this morning. The news served as evidence to some that multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him and a related lawsuit have been successfully swept under the rug, at least in the Academy’s eyes (Affleck has previously denied all allegations against him, and settled the suits out of court for an undisclosed sum). Fresh Off the Boat actress Constance Wu, however, is not about to let the viewing public forget the accusations against Affleck, who is now being celebrated for his talent. “Men who sexually harass women 4 OSCAR! Bc good acting performance matters more than humanity, human integrity! Bc poor kid rly needs the help!,” the actress tweeted sardonically.
In a longer post, she expounds further: “He’s running for an award that honors a craft whose purpose is examining the dignity of the human experience & young women are deeply human.” Wu calls on voting organizations to recognize their role in condoning award recipients’ actions. “It signifies said committee’s awareness of the harmful oversights it may have unknowingly participated in in the past, and the respect and dignity to learn from the past, not to repeat it and not to use it as an excuse to reinforce the industry’s gross and often hidden mistreatment of women.” Wu concludes by acknowledging that she’s been told not to speak about the matter: “I’ve been counseled not to talk about this for career’s sake. F my career then, I’m a woman & human first. That’s what my craft is built on.”
[From NY Mag]
You can see Constance’s Twitter here (I’m embedding the main tweet below). I follow her argument and I agree with her – while Casey Affleck isn’t running for president, he’s “running” to win an award. He’s campaigning. And not just that, he’s so far ahead of the rest of the pack, I don’t think any kind of “backlash” will undo his lead. But it’s still g—damn important to have the conversation, even if he still wins, even if nothing really happens besides the conversation. Because most women know what it feels like – or they know someone who knows what it feels like – to be harassed in the workplace. To be made to feel small and insignificant and powerless, to feel like you have to make a choice between condemning some douchebag’s behavior versus having a job. Of course, while this year’s Oscars are historic in their diversity, they’ve also nominated another known abuser: Mel Gibson, who admitted in a court declaration that he slapped his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.
Here's a thing I wrote during an convo w/ @PeterShinkoda about how Casey Affleck's win will be a nod to Trump's. pic.twitter.com/FjrRsniS9d
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) January 24, 2017
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Source: celebitchy.com
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