MORGAN: I M NO SEX FIEND Star just wanted women to ‘feel at ease
OSCAR winner Morgan Freeman yesterday insisted he is no sex predator - and was simply trying to make women “feel appreciated and at ease”.
The Shawshank Redemption star, 80, had earlier apologised but issued a second statement insisting he never subjected women to “unsafe work environments”.
Freeman said: “I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye.
“All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humour.
“I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women – and men – feel appreciated and at ease around me.
“As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly, I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologised Thursday and will continue to apologise to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally.”
Harassment
His statement continued: “But I also want to be clear: I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did is completely false.”
Freeman was accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate comments and behaviour by eight different women.
“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy,” he said in a his original statement. “I apologise to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected .”
Freeman has lost a deal with VISA, while other sponsors including Pepsi are yet to make announcements.
The star spoke out after CNN reported the actor’s alleged inappropriate behaviour at Revelations Entertainment, the production company he co-founded in 1996. One, a production assistant, accused Freeman of touching her and making unwanted comments in 2015, during the filming of Going in Style. “It was constant comments about the way I looked,” she told CNN. WAYNE and Coleen Rooney’s goal is clearly family fun as they hit the beach in Barbados. The footie star, 32, joined his wife, also 32, on a jet-ski ride while son Kai, eight, took the plunge on an inflatable. Everton star Wayne is poised for a move to US club DC United – where he will hope to make waves.