Casey Affleck Bows Out of Oscar Presenter Duties

Casey Affleck

It's a tradition almost as old as The Academy Awards. Every year the acting categories play a cute game in which the Best Actor winner of the previous year awards the Best Actress category of that year (and vice versa). There's been one controversy however present in an era defined by the Me Too and Time's Up movement: what are they going to do about Casey Affleck, last year's Best Actor winner for Manchester By the Sea. He has become a figure of notoriety thanks to his sexual harassment lawsuit that almost cost him the Oscar. Many wanted him to vetoed out of the role. However, today marks a different turn: Affleck himself is stepping down, breaking an Oscar tradition. It may be an expected move amid controversy, but it still is quite an odd development.

As I reported in last weekend's Failed Oscar Campaigns for Manchester By the Sea, the controversy around the film wouldn't be over until the 2018 ceremony. It wasn't a done deal that Affleck would even win, but now that he has... how's Hollywood going to react to their most controversial first time winner? Would he walk out on the stage to a crowd of boos? There was a proposed petition late last year to remove him from the presenters list. It makes sense then why Affleck himself would take initiative to remove himself from the conversation by not even presenting. Considering that many believe that James Franco was disqualified from the Best Actor category due to his own allegations, it was sure to be a year with plenty of cold shoulders.

While this is the first major cancellation for The Oscars, it's a pattern that's held up over the many awards ceremonies. Many celebrities with current notorious reputations didn't show up to The Golden Globes. There's plenty of curiosity as to who else is going to not show up to the ceremony. For now, it's clear that Hollywood's message is getting out and already making an impression. It's the type of reputation that would clue one in as to how the actual ceremony is likely to go. Will the winners be more about vigilant women much like last year's recognition of diverse stories? Who knows. For now, Affleck is out of the running - leaving the category in search of a presenter. In one of the funnier aspects of today's news, the woman who gave Affleck his Oscar (Brie Larson) recently premiered in her Captain Marvel outfit. If there's anything to look forward to, it's that.