Casey Affleck, along with Denzel Washington and a few other A-listers, were nominated for the ‘Best Actor’ category during the 89th Academy Awards. Washington seemed thoroughly upset and even on the verge of tears after Affleck beat him to it and won the Oscar for Manchester by the Sea.

If looks could kill, Casey Affleck would’ve been six feet underground during the 87th Academy Awards. When Ben Affleck’s younger brother landed his first-ever Oscar, owing to his performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea, the Batman v Superman star teared up out of pride. But when Denzel Washington lost the prestigious accolade to the 48-year-old actor, his eyes filled with tears of bitter anguish.

And as if the loss wasn’t bad enough, Affleck sprinkled salt on the wound by paying a tribute to Washington in his acceptance speech. Yikes.

On a February evening in 2017, some of the most high-profile names in the industry were called out for the ‘Best Actor’ category at the Academy Awards. But of course, only one could emerge triumphant out of the five actors, and that man turned out to be Casey Affleck. While the nominations comprised A-listers like Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Bridge), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Vigo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), Denzel Washington (Fences), and Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), the award was largely viewed as a face-off between the last two actors. But when Affleck won the Oscar, The Equalizer star did not appear happy in the least.

What’s more, Affleck even addressed Washington in his acceptance speech, paying a sort of tribute to the acclaimed filmmaker and actor for inspiring him to act.

One of the first people who taught me how to act was Denzel Washington, and I just met him tonight for the first time. Thank You.

Came for the Boston accents, stayed for the action: The Instigators First Trailer Starring Matt Damon, Casey Affleck is Visceral, Violent Action