Actions speak louder than words, and Brie Larson says her non-reaction to Casey Affleck’s Oscar win “kind of spoke for itself.”
Larson, who won Best Actress last year for playing a sexual assault survivor in “Room,” handed out the Best Actor award at this year’s ceremony. But she did not join the audience in applauding for the “Manchester by the Sea” actor, and did not congratulate him — which many interpreted as a silent protest because of the sexual harassment allegations brought against him in 2010.
At the Hollywood premiere of “Kong: Skull Island,” Larson told Vanity Fair, “I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself.”
Larson’s non-reaction to Affleck’s win contrasted sharply with her behavior at last year’s Oscars, when she greeted and hugged sexual assault survivors who came onstage for Lady Gaga’s performance of “Till It Happens To You.” Larson is vocal about her support for survivors, and has been using her platform to raise awareness.
Affleck has repeatedly denied the claims against him, and the two harassment suits brought against him were settled in 2010.
Affleck told his hometown newspaper, The Boston Globe, after his win: “I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.”
At Wednesday’s “Skull Island” premiere, Larson wore red in honor of International Women’s Day.
“There is a sense of joy and exhaustion that comes with every film, but the hope is that all the exhaustion pays off and you end up getting to share it with the world. That’s the reason why I make movies,” she told Vanity Fair. “You hope that it reverberates outward and that it changes people’s opinions and hopefully for the better.”