Frank Langella refutes claims of 'unacceptable behaviour' on Fall of the House of Usher set
Frank Langella has broken his silence after being fired from the Netflix TV show The Fall of the House of Usher over alleged misconduct.
The Frost/Nixon actor was axed from the upcoming show in April following an investigation into claims of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct.
On Thursday, he broke his silence about his exit in a guest column for Deadline.
"I have been cancelled. Just like that," he began, before recounting the alleged incident that led to his dismissal.
"On March 25 of this year, I was performing a love scene with the actress playing my young wife. Both of us were fully clothed," he wrote. "I was sitting on a couch, she was standing in front of me. The director called cut. 'He touched my leg,' said the actress. 'That was not in the blocking.' She then turned and walked off the set, followed by the director and the intimacy coordinator.
"I attempted to follow, but was asked to 'give her some space.' I waited for approximately one hour, and was then told she was not returning to set and we were wrapped."
By his own admission, Langella ignored the "absurd" instructions on where he should put his hands during the scene from the set's intimacy coordinator.
"It was a love scene on camera," he argued. "Legislating the placement of hands, to my mind, is ludicrous. It undermines instinct and spontaneity."
Of the working environment, he wrote, "When you are the leading actor, it requires, in my opinion, that you set an example by keeping the atmosphere light and friendly. These were some of the allegations: 1. 'He told an off-colour joke.' 2. 'Sometimes he called me baby or honey.' 3. 'He'd give me a hug or touch my shoulder.'"
The 84-year-old called the impact of the situation "incalculable" and insisted the way he has been treated is "the real definition of unacceptable behavior".
"I lost a thrilling part, the chance at future earnings and perhaps face a stretch of unemployment. Netflix terminated me after three months of work with only three weeks left to shoot, and I have as yet to be fully remunerated for my services. Most importantly, my reputation has been tarnished," he concluded. "This is not fair. This is not just. This is not American."
Langella's character, Roderick Usher, is now being portrayed by Bruce Greenwood.
