Casey Affleck says winning the 2017 best actor Oscar for Manchester by the Sea was “mildly traumatic”: he expected Denzel Washington to win and felt terrified onstage, later realizing he had not thanked director Kenneth Lonergan or his children.
After leaving the stage, Affleck saw Leonardo DiCaprio in the wings. DiCaprio laughed and hugged him, and Affleck said he then felt better.
Affleck also told Variety that Company, a drama starring his mother, son and partner, was dedicated to his parents and premiered earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival. His mother, Chris, died in June after a December 2025 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, before she could see the finished film.
