Front and center among Oscar rumors is Manchester By the Sea, the latest fi lm from award winning writer/director, Kenneth Lonergan, in which Casey Affleck plays Lee, a quiet Boston janitor who must return to his hometown to take care of his teenage nephew after Lee’s brother (played by Kyle Chandler) dies. At Hollywood’s Arclight Theatre, Affleck talked about the fi lm during a post-screening Q&A. There were many challenging scenes to play, he said, one of which takes place in a hospital morgue.

“I started crying when I walked in the room,” recalled the 41-year-old actor. “You sorta build yourself up to think about how you would do the scene, what would it be like in your own life; it was really emotional. Also, the script is good; I would start the day by reading as much as I could, not just the scenes I was doing.”

Michelle Williams plays Affleck’s ex wife in the film, which is produced by Matt Damon. “She is so talented and good,” Affleck said. “She had that attitude, was brash and kinda tough, and gave a beautiful performance.”