Gwenyth Paltrow made a pledge, in an interview published by the New York Times yesterday, saying: “We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over. This way of treating women ends now.”

She was speaking about the Harvey Weinstein scandal that has seen countless actresses, models and former employees go public with allegations of sexual harassment against the 65-year-old film producer.

But her words have rung true in wider Hollywood, also.

What started with Weinstein is spreading to other male Hollywood figures, with Ben Affleck today implicated in the patriarchal rape-culture that has defined Hollywood, seemingly forever.

First, Affleck, 45, was accused of lying when he said he was “angry” about Weinstein’s behaviour. He said in a statement that he found himself “asking what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to others”, the New York Times reports.

“You lie,” actress Rose McGowan tweeted in response to Affleck’s apparent concern. She said she had told theGood Will Huntingstar about the abuse she endured at the hands of Weinstein, and that Affleck said he’d confronted Weinstein about it.

“Goddamit. I told him to stop doing that,’ you told me to my face,” McGowan’s tweet read.

Now, Affleck has been accused of hypocrisy. With Twitter followers – and then the actress Hilarie Burton herself – reminding the actor he groped Burton’s breast during a 2003Total Request Liveappearance.

A clip surrounding the incident, where theOne Tree Hillactress says Affleck “tweaked” her breast, has surfaced online (and can be viewed above).

Actor Ben Affleck appears with VJ's Hilarie Burton and La La on MTV in 2003. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

"[Affleck] also grabbed Hilarie Burton's breasts on TRL once. Everyone forgot though," one Twitter user posted to the platform.

"I didn't forget," Burton, 35, replied.

Seriously, thank you for that. I was a kid.

— Hilarie Burton (@HilarieBurton) October 11, 2017

The actress thanked the Twitter user for speaking up, adding she was "a kid" when it happened.

"I had to laugh back then so I wouldn’t cry," she added.

Burton would have been about 19 when the episode was recorded.

After copping widespread criticism, Affleck issued an apology on Twitter.