In light of sexual assault allegations pressed against Harvey Weinstein, Ben Affleck has spoken up to condemn the man he has worked with for his behavior towards women. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the actor said he is "saddened and angry" that the movie mogul used his influence and power to take advantage, harass, and manipulate women for sexual gain.
He added that the increasing number of allegations made him "sick" and thought that these misconducts are "completely unacceptable." The incident has also made him think of ways to stop this kind of incident from happening to other women.
"We need to do better at protecting our sisters, friends, co-workers and daughters," the father of three wrote.
The internet reacts to Ben Affleck's statements on Weinstein scandal
Many were impressed by Ben Affleck's immediate respond to the ongoing issue. Some, however, asked the actor to evaluate himself first before he rebukes other people's misdeeds. Fans specifically pointed out his alleged groping incident with Hilarie Burton during a "Total Request Live" interview over a decade ago.
The "Lethal Weapon" actress then shared the opening video of MTV's "Total Request Live" and recalled how she faked her emotions just to stop herself from crying over the incident.
After the exchange of tweets between Hilarie Burton and her fans, Ben Affleck took to Twitter to apologize for how he acted towards the actress-model several years ago.
A source told ET Online that the actor would "never intentionally hurt or harass anyone" regardless of what he has done in the past. The groping incident resurfaced after Harvey Weinstein was exposed to his sexual misconducts towards female employees and celebrities.
Weinstein faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment
In fact, the number of alleged victims has continued to rise since the news broke over the weekend. Among those who have testified against the movie mogul include Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, and Cara Delevingne.
Angelina Jolie said her "bad experience" with the producer has made her decide to never work with him in the future, while Gwyneth Paltrow recalled how Harvey Weinstein tried to lure her to his bedroom after he gave her the lead role for "Emma" in 1996.
Cara Delevingne, on the other hand, said the movie mogul tried to make pass at her with another woman. "He asked us to kiss and she began some sort of advances upon his direction," her statement read.
The "Suicide Squad" actress revealed the alleged incident took place a year or two after the producer confronted her and asked if she was gay.