Actor Morgan Freeman has been accused of sexual misconduct, including unwanted touching and inappropriate comments, by eight women, CNN reports.
Since the story's publication, Freeman has apologized for the incidents. "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 said in a statement. "I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent."
CNN said they spoke with 16 individuals about Freeman as part of this investigation, eight of whom alleged the actor harassed them and others who said they witnessed inappropriate behavior. Freeman's spokesperson did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
A production assistant who worked on the film "Going In Style" said Freeman "kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear." He allegedly tried this repeatedly until co-star Alan Arkin make a comment. "Morgan got freaked out and didn't know what to say," the former assistant recalled.
A woman who was a senior member of the production staff of the movie "Now You See Me" in 2012 told CNN that Freeman would comment on the bodies of women on set and that they would be careful not to wear fitted clothing around him.
"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," she said.
And Chloe Melas, a co-author of the CNN story, said she was also harassed by Freeman during a press event last year when she interviewed him for "Going in Style."
According to Melas, who was six months pregnant at the time, Freeman, in a room full of people, shook her hand while repeatedly looking her up and down, and saying more than once a variation of, "I wish I was there." She claims he also said to her, "You are ripe."
Multiple women said they never spoke publicly about Freeman's alleged inappropriate behavior before, fearing retaliation.
An entertainment reporter who is a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association said Freeman made remarks about her skirt and her legs during two different press events. Similar to many women in the report, she, too, declined to go on the record.
"I was just trying to do my job and I brushed it off," said the reporter, who did not want to be identified for the story because she's fearful of losing out on interviews with other celebrities, CNN says. "You don't want to put him on the spot because one, he's famous and two, it's on camera and three, you just want to do your job."
In the interview process, CNN learned that accusations against Freeman was something of an open secret, with several sources naming the actor before CNN had asked them if they had seen or been subjected to inappropriate behavior by an actor they had worked with.
Freeman is the latest high-profile man in Hollywood to come under fire for sexual harassment or misconduct. He is one of the most high-profile to date.
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