Add this to the things we didn't know about Casey Affleck - the guy can hold a grudge.
The winners of the 82nd New York Film Critics Circle Awards had been announced over a month ago, but that didn't mean the even didn't throw a up a few surprises. The biggest of which coming when Affleck accepted his Best Actor award for Manchester by the Sea.
“I like to read reviews,” Affleck prefaced his acceptance speech, particularly when they’re “informed without being esoteric, critical without being snarky or personal.”
Affleck then went on to note that although many New York film critics had been kind about his performances, New York Magazine film critic and chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle, David Edelstein, had not. He then proceeded to read out some of the harshest words Edelstein had ever written about him.
"Affleck, though likable, doesn’t have a lot of variety and resorts to chewing gum to give his character through-lines,”
“Affleck’s line readings would be too mumbly and mulish even for the glory days of ’50s Method [acting] and he might as well be wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Shoot Me.’ Fortunately, he’s not the lead,”
“It’s looking like whenever I see Affleck’s name in a movie’s credits, you can expect a standard, genre B picture — slowed down and tarted up.”
Affleck's words were apparently met with applause and laughter from the audience but Edelstein was reportedly not impressed and spent considerable time defending himself during the rest of the evening.
Affleck is currently a strong favourite to take the Best Actor Oscar in February.
Via Deadline
