Casey Affleck Says Film Set in a 'Society Without Women' Has Nothing to Do With the Sexual Harassment Allegations Made Against Him

Casey Affleck, accused sexual harasser and all around creep, will soon burden the entertainment world with a new film, Light of My Life. The movie—written, directed by, and starring Affleck—just debuted at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival (it does not currently have a U.S. distributor), and according to Indiewire, is an “apocalyptic relationship drama…set in a society without women where gender roles have to be renegotiated.”

But don’t worry, it has nothing to do with the numerous sexual misconduct allegations against Affleck.

At the Berlin press conference, he said that the whole “society without women” thing is definitely not about his personal history or in response to #MeToo:

“It’s not. I wrote this movie and made this movie before all of those things became part of the conversation. I hope people keep their minds open and be responsible and measured in their reactions. And people can talk for themselves. It’s not something I can control.”

According to Deadline, Elisabeth Moss also stars in the film as a “mother lost in this post-pandemic world where the presence of women are rare.” On working with Affleck, Moss said:

“I’m a tremendous fan of his as an actor so it’s really cool to be directed by someone like that because, basically, you just want to do whatever they tell you so you can try to be as good as they are. He was extremely collaborative and generous in letting me create the role, give any script notes or ideas, and really contribute to my part of the story. As an actor, it’s so helpful to be a part of a process like that and to be able to really make something your own, which he gave to me as a director. There was a lot of trust because he knew the material so well and knew exactly what he wanted. I just followed his lead and tried to help tell his story.”

So at least one woman has had a good experience working with him!

Around this time last year, Casey Affleck withdrew from the 2018 Academy Awards as to not become a “distraction.” He took home an Oscar the year prior despite having allegedly grabbed a producer when she refused to share a hotel room with him and being twice sued for sexual harassment (both lawsuits have since been settled). But Hollywood loves to forgive creeps. Redemption narratives are golden in an industry where abusers protect abusers—so it’s probably only a matter of time before Light of My Life makes its way stateside.