Eight women have accused famed actor Morgan Freeman of harassment and inappropriate behavior, alleging he touched them inappropriately and made suggestive comments about their appearance, according to an explosive report by CNN.
The network interviewed 16 people who described a pattern of inappropriate behavior by the 80-year-old star on set, while promoting his movies and at his production company, Revelations Entertainment.
Seven described an environment at the company that included alleged harassment or inappropriate behavior — with one incident allegedly witnessed by Lori McCreary, the co-founder of the enterprise, and another in which he made demeaning comments to her in a public setting.
In one incident cited by CNN, a young production assistant who worked on “Going In Style,” a 2015 bank heist flick starring Freeman, Michael Cain and Alan Arkin, said she was harassed for several months.
She alleged that Freeman subjected her to unwanted touching and comments about her figure and clothing almost every day and that he would place his hand on her lower back or rub her lower back.
In one case, she said, he “kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear,” but he never succeeded in lifting it up because she would move away.
Eventually, she said, “Alan [Arkin] made a comment telling him to stop. Morgan got freaked out and didn’t know what to say.”
The “Shawshank Redemption” and “Driving Miss Daisy” actor’s alleged inappropriate behavior also took place on other movie sets, sources told CNN.
A woman who worked on the production staff of “Now You See Me” in 2012 said Freeman sexually harassed her and her female assistant multiple times.
“He did comment on our bodies … We knew that if he was coming by … not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were]fitted,” the woman said.
Three entertainment reporters also said Freeman made inappropriate remarks to them during press junkets, publicity events for reporters who cover new films.
One of them, CNN reporter Chloe Melas — who co-authored the network’s exposé — alleged that Freeman made inappropriate comments to her about her pregnancy when she was covering the release of “Going In Style.”
Melas, who was six months pregnant, said Freeman told her “I wish I was there” as he ogled her while cameras were recording. She said Freeman also told her: “You are ripe.”
“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent,” Freeman said in a statement to The Post.
Source: Page Six