Ben Affleck Speaks out About Harvey Weinstein

Ben Affleck appeared on the Today show Friday morning, and like many celebrities have been in recent weeks, the actor was asked about the onslaught of sexual assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein. Affleck had previously worked with Weinstein on a number of films early in his career, including 1997’s Good Will Hunting, which earned the actor his first Oscar.

“I knew he was sleazy and kind of a bully, but unfortunately, that wasn’t that uncommon,” Affleck recalled. “I was brand new to Hollywood, 24 years old. I had never made a movie; I didn’t know much of anything really.”

“And, you know, it really is a shame because although I stopped working with Harvey a long time ago, those movies hold a special kind of place in my heart and to now look back on it and think like, ‘Gosh, some other people were going through something really ugly and disturbing (experiences).”

The actor shared that he is giving his residuals from films he did with Weinstein and Miramax to anti-sexual violence organizations like RAINN.

Savannah Guthrie specifically asked Affleck about claims made by actress Rose McGowan, who tweeted that Affleck had known of Weinstein’s alleged misconduct, but Affleck didn’t get into specifics on the topic.

“I don’t really want to get into other people’s individual stories because I feel like those are their stories and they’re entitled to tell as much or as little of those as they want,” he said. “I believe Rose. I support her. I really like and admire her tenacity and I wish her the best.”

Photo Credit: NBC