Last month, Netflix fired the 84-year-old actor Frank Langella from Mike Flanagan’s latest series The Fall of the House of Usher after the veteran actor was accused of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. However, the Tony Award-winning Oscar nominee is now fighting back against such allegations, commenting on the situation.
While Netflix has not opened up much about the incident, Bruce Greenwood was cast in Lagella’s role in the series, after the former actor was fired fr making an inappropriate joke, besides touching a female co-star’s leg. The show was already halfway through filming and Langella’s scenes are now being shot with Greenwood.
On Thursday, Langella issued a statement to explain his side of the story. He talked about how he was “performing a love scene with the actress playing my young wife” on March 25th, 2022, when the actress alleged that he had touched his leg which “was not in the blocking”.
The actress then apparently “walked off the set, followed by the director and the intimacy coordinator.” Langella said, “I attempted to follow but was asked to ‘give her some space’. I waited for approximately one hour and was told she was not returning to set and we were wrapped.”
The investigation apparently began “not long after”. He then spoke about how he was summoned by human resources and then questioned. He added in the statement, “Legislating the placement of hands, to my mind, is ludicrous. It undermines instinct and spontaneity.”
Langella was also apparently never given the chance to defend himself nor was he allowed to meet the actress to clarify himself. He said, “The directors and the producer stopped answering my emails and phone calls. Within 30 minutes of my firing, a letter went out to the cast and crew and a full press release was sent immediately. My representatives and I were given no opportunity to comment or collaborate on the narrative.”
He lashed out against cancel culture, calling it an “antithesis of democracy” that “ inhibits conversation and debate. It limits our ability to listen, mediate, and exchange opposing views. Most tragically, it annihilates moral judgment.” He called Netflix’s actions “not American”. Read his full letter here.
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s eponymous short story included in his collection named The Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, The Fall of the House of Usher is yet another collaborative project between Mike Flanagan and Netflix.
The eight-episode series will star a lot of his frequent collaborators like Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, Zach Gilford, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, Rahul Kohli, T’Nia Miller, and Michael Trucco, Samantha Soyan etc. The new cast members include Mark Hamill, Mary McDonnell, Paola Nunez etc.
