The Hollywood Reporter's editorial director discusses the harassment accusations against Morgan Free

(25 May 2018) MORGAN FREEMAN APOLOGIZES IN WAKE OF HARASSMENT ACCUSATIONS Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has apologized after CNN reported that multiple women accused the A-list actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on movie sets and in other professional settings. Matthew Belloni, Editorial Director at The Hollywood Reporter, says these latest accusations point to the massive shift in Hollywood following the allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein which sparked a national reckoning. "In the annals of Hollywood history there is going to be a before Harvey Weinstein and after Harvey Weinstein era and we are in the after Harvey Weinstein era right now and we continue to see allegation after allegation against very powerful and prominent men. The Morgan Freeman case is very different from the Harvey Weinstein (case). No one is alleging, at least so far, that he raped anyone. It is a series of women who have come forward anonymously to say that they were, that there were comments made about their appearances, that he made them feel uncomfortable, that he lifted up a skirt on one woman, that he was inappropriate to journalists in a junket setting, those kinds of claims. And he's apologized. It remains to be seen what the fallout will be of that case," said Belloni. On Friday, Weinstein was arrested on rape charges in New York. Weinstein has consistently denied any allegations of nonconsensual sex. Freeman apologized on Thursday (24 MAY) to anyone who may have felt "uncomfortable or disrespected" by his behavior. "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy," the actor, now 80, said in a statement sent to The Associated Press by his publicist, Stan Rosenfield. "I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent," Freeman's statement continued. "The responses we have seen to these kinds of claims have run the gamut, but what I will say is what often has happened in these MeToo cases is when allegations are first made and then there is a denial. What often happens after that is the floodgates open and more women come forward with stories. We saw that with Russell Simmons. We saw that with Brett Ratner. We saw that with a couple of other cases and so I think the strategy of apologizing is probably the right one. You know, I don't want to say whether something happened or didn't happen. I wasn't there. But the allegations are what they are and now we have an apology," said Belloni. Belloni is not sure what lasting effects the accusations will have on Freeman's career. He notes that some celebrities, including Jeffrey Tambor and Louis C.K., have received second chances in Hollywood following misconduct claims.   The CNN report about Freeman includes the account of a production assistant on the 2017 heist film "Going In Style," who detailed an incident in which the actor repeatedly tried to lift up her skirt, and asked if she was wearing underwear. She alleged that Freeman subjected her to unwanted touching and comments on a near-daily basis on the film. Several women alleged that he made frequent comments about their bodies, or would stare at them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. The CNN report also cited accounts by three entertainment reporters of inappropriate remarks they allege Freeman made at press junkets. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...