Brie Larson on why she refused to clap as Casey Affleck won Best Actor Oscar

Was Brie Larson making a point by not clapping as she handed Casey Affleck the Oscar for Best Actor, as many presumed that she was following this year’s show?

It very much seems so.

Asked why she didn’t applaud Affleck on stage, she told Vanity Fair: “I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself.

“I’ve said all that I need to say about that topic.”

Affleck’s involvement in two sexual harassment lawsuits from 2010 have marred his win somewhat, and Larson’s reaction to Affleck’s win was interpreted as a reaction to it.

Affleck has always denied the allegations, which were settled out of court.

Speaking about them after scooping the gong for ‘Manchester By The Sea’, he told the Boston Globe: “I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent.

“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.”

The director of the movie, Kenneth Lonergan, was seen to defend Affleck, writing in the newsletter for his alma mater, the Wesleyan University: “Casey denounced the allegations as being totally fabricated.

“Like most civil suits, this one was settled out of court by mutual consent on undisclosed terms. In other words nothing was proved or disproved.”

Read more:
Emma Watson hits back at those branding her a feminist hypocrite
Critics’ reactions to Beauty and the Beast are mixed
How Rogue One should’ve ended