Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Legendary actor Morgan Freeman, who has been accused of sexual harassment by eight women, has apologised by saying he never "intended to make anyone uncomfortable". Following the allegations, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is in the process of determining if any action will be necessary regarding its lifetime achievement award recipient.
A CNN report has quoted multiple women, including journalists, describing troubling incidents throughout the 80-year-old Oscar winning actor's career that spans nearly five decades.
A Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) spokesperson said in a statement: "These are compelling and devastating allegations which are absolutely contrary to all the steps that we are taking to insure a safe work environment for the professionals in this industry.
"Any accused person has the right to due process, but it is our starting point to believe the courageous voices who come forward to report incidents of harassment. Given Mr. Freeman recently received one of our union's most prestigious honours recognising his body of work, we are therefore reviewing what corrective actions may be warranted at this time."
Freeman received his award from SAG in January at the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. At the time, he said: "This is beyond honour, this is a place in history".
Several of the women CNN spoke to said Freeman made frequent comments about their bodies and clothing choices in incidents that took place on movie sets or at his production company, Revelations Entertainment. Two of those eight said they were subjected to unwanted touching by the "Bruce Almighty" actor.
One woman, who said she was a production assistant on Freeman's film "Going in Style," said that while filming in 2015, Freeman subjected her to unwanted touching of her lower back and comments about her figure on a near-daily basis.
