Casey Affleck feels 'very blessed' with his career

27 February 2017

Casey Affleck feels "very blessed" with his career after having picked up the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Casey Affleck

The 41-year-old actor scooped up the coveted award at the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on Sunday (26.02.17) for his performance in 'Manchester By The Sea', and has said his career path has been "exactly what [he] wanted".

Speaking to 'Entertainment Tonight' on the red carpet for the 89th Annual Academy Awards, Casey said: "It maybe seems hard from the outside but he's had a pretty good time and I've had a weird life. I've been out here since I was 17 years old and so I've gotten to know lots of actors who have had a lot of success and some failures and some hard times and some success again."

"I've been able to see other people's careers and how they've worked out and it's been an education. And so I've really enjoyed my career. It's been exactly what I wanted and I feel very blessed and happy with it."

Meanwhile Casey - who has kids Indiana, 12, and Atticus, nine, with estranged wife Summer Phoenix - admitted his "heart sank" when he realised he forgot to pay tribute to his offspring during his acceptance speech, despite thanking his parents, brother Ben Affleck, co-producer Matt Damon, screenwriter and director Kenneth Lonergan, his friends, and fellow nominee Denzel Washington.

He said after the awards: "Three seconds after I got backstage, my son said, 'You didn't even mention us.' And my heart just sank.

"My head was completely blank at the shock of winning."