topic Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation in TV and Movies

Frank Langella Under Investigation

gertrudecloset — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 02:37:10 GMT

Frank Langella Fired From Netflix Show Following Misconduct Investigation

According to an exclusive Deadline report, the veteran actor was fired from the limited series following an investigation into his alleged misconduct on set. Sources tell the outlet Langella’s role as Roderick Usher will be recasted; and although the show is halfway the production, all of Roderick’s scenes will be reshot. No word on who will fill in for Langella, who has yet to publicly address his termination or the sexual harassment allegations.

Netflix has not commented on the reported firing.

It seems Frank Langella is at the center of a sexual harassment probe.

According to TMZ, the 84-year-old actor has been accused of inappropriate conduct while filming The Fall of the House of Usher, a new limited series from Netflix. An insider tells the outlet the production team has launched a formal investigation into the alleged incidents; however, Langella has not been fired or suspended from the project.

Sources say the alleged incidents include Langella telling an inappropriate joke with sexual undertones while on set in British Columbia. The Oscar-nominated actor is also accused of touching a female costar’s leg during a scripted performance, and then jokingly asking her, “Did you like that?” once the scene was over.

According to TMZ, the investigation has not hindered production, as Langella—who plays Roderick Usher, “the towering patriarch of the Usher dynasty”—was not scheduled to film this week. Canadian authorities also told the publication they’ve yet to receive any formal reports involving Langella.

Netflix did not confirm the investigation, only telling TMZ, “We do not comment on active employment matters.”

The Fall of the House of Usher reportedly started filming at the top of the year. The eight-episode horror series was created by Mike Flanagan, who will also serve as producer and director. According to Cineblend, Langella’s co-stars include Mark Hamill, Carla Gugino, Willa Fitzgerald, JayR Tinaco, Mary McDonnell, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, and Malcolm Goodwin.

Flanagan spoke about the series during an interview with The Wrap last year, saying it’s nothing like The Haunting anthology he produced for Netflix.

“It’s very much its own thing tonally, thematically. It’s something we’ve actually never done before,” he explained. “And so, it felt like we would be limiting it, in an unfortunate way, if we tried to shove it into that ‘Haunting’ shoebox. It very much is its own crazy, over-the-top, insane, beautiful, macabre, just wicked thing that is so different.”

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

SharkE — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 02:45:59 GMT

He' s a dang good actor. Even had a dalliance with Liz T. Played a good vampire, also.

I would think at his age he wouldn't be chasing nothing. Could be some person made a mountain out of a mole hill to get money and he got falsely accused of something.

He would be good in that type of role. Too bad.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Kachina624 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 03:18:18 GMT

Perhaos he's suffering from senility, especially if he's never done these things before.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

qvcaddition — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 03:28:25 GMT

My God he is 84. Old school. I,m 86 and we always made jokes men and women in the old days. We used to joke with the guys and show them the "FREDRICKS OF HOLLYWOOD" magazines.

I was walking my dog the other day, and an old coot gave me a complement about my teenage figure. I called him and old fool and we laughed.

I loved when I got whistles and a guy said, you look beautiful, or you look nice.

now the touching, no, off limits, but no one wants to be told they are a beautiful female anymore, but they show everything the way they dress.

At least we dressed like ladies in my day and loved a complement.

Like, I said, Inappropriate touching is a no no, but complements good god.

Sorry,if I offended anyone here, but things today are ridicilious.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Mz iMac — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 03:32:20 GMT

"Ain't nothin' an ol' man can do but bring me a message from a young one.".........Mom's Mabley.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Mz iMac — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 03:47:13 GMT

Looking good at 82

He was a handsome Dracula

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

golding76 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 03:57:13 GMT

Mz iMac, how I loved Moms Mabley's wit!

I miss her dearly.

As for Frank Langella, he was a gorgeous guy at one time. Maybe he is on a blue pill.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Mz iMac — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 04:06:27 GMT

@golding76 I was fortunate enough to have seen Mom's act numerous times at the Uptown Theater in Philly during laten 50's early 60's. She had great quotes. I knew exactly what she was "saying" at a young age when I shouldn't have. I even knew she cleaned up her act when appearing on tv.

Thank goodness my parents did not shelter me or my siblings.

================================.

Wasn't Frank married to Whoopi at one time?

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

moonandthestars — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 04:31:04 GMT

"....Sources say the alleged incidents include Langella telling an inappropriate joke with sexual undertones while on set in British Columbia. The Oscar-nominated actor is also accused of touching a female costar’s leg during a scripted performance, and then jokingly asking her, “Did you like that?” once the scene was over...."

Is this really worthy of a firing?! I just don't get it and find it all depressing. just add it to the list of things .....

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

golding76 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 05:44:45 GMT

Mz iMac, I remember that Whoopi and Frank lived together for a very long period of time. I cannot recall if they ever married.

As for your being fortunate enough to have seen Moms perform -- all I can say is "Wow!" You are one of the few who can claim that. I saw her on TV. You know, I do not remember which shows were brave enough to have her on.

As I remember it, though, she appeared on some regular sorts of shows. Moms was a legend, just like Red Foxx.

_______________________________

Found this online about Whoopi's personal life.

Personal life. Goldberg has been married three times. She was married to Alvin Martin from 1973 to 1979; to cinematographer David Claessen from 1986 to 1988; and to union organizer Lyle Trachtenberg from 1994 to 1995. She has been romantically linked to actors Frank Langella and Ted Danson.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

mspatmac — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 05:03:23 GMT

A joke and a comment after a scripted performance by an 84 yr old man and that's sexual harassment? How ridiculous.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Laura14 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 13:20:02 GMT

Did he miss the uproar a few years ago of the whole #MeToo movement? As many issues as I had and still have with women and their double standards, men were put on notice big time to keep their hands to themselves and conduct themselves in a respectful manner especially in the tv and film industry of all places.

Employers are beyond sensitive of being sued and/or drug across social media firestorms and you just can't do what the older generations in the past would blow off and move past.

The youngsters just don't get it and, at this point, it's their world and we all have to live in it, right or wrong. Most of them also don't understand the meaning of the word legend or the work ethic and talent you have to have for a sixty plus year career in acting. The respect isn't there although they'd argue respect is a two way street and they might be right depending on the details here.

It's a shame but at some point you have to get with the current times and understand what will cost you and what won't if you want to continue "business as usual." We've all had to adapt in our respective workplaces for a variety of things courtesy of the Millenials and Gen Z.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Shelbelle — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 13:42:21 GMT

Remember him from Diary of a Mad Housewife in 1970, what a handsome man he was, his character in that movie was quite devilish.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

gardenman — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:02:40 GMT

Saying you have to adapt to modern times is like saying you should walk through a minefield blindfolded. Any misstep can get you in trouble.

How does one address someone in these pronoun-sensitive times? "Hey, you," sounds a bit impersonal. But if you call someone "Miss," you're apt to be informed that the apparent woman doesn't identify as such. Call an apparent man "Sir," and you may have insulted he/him/they/it, as they identify differently. We now are told you have to be a biologist to even know what a woman is. Uh, okay.

Social media is filled with people using all sorts of pronouns that often have nothing to do with how they appear to someone who's not interacting with them on social media. An apparent woman in public in a dress, heels, and makeup may be horribly offended if you think she's a woman. She may be even more offended if you call her "Sir." Just me calling her "her/she" here would offend her, it, they, them, whoever. Do you just put your head down and ignore everyone in public and hope there's never a need to interact with anyone ever again? That's about the only way you can avoid offending someone these days. And then some will be offended that you ignored them.

We have to desensitize people and get back to what the person intended. If someone is intending to hurt you, it's one thing. If they're not intending to hurt you it's another. Intent is important in law and it's equally important in society. If a joke is told to get a smile or laugh, it's a joke and not an attack. Take it as a joke and move on even if you don't enjoy it or it has "sexual undertones." (Whatever the heck they are.)

If someone calls you by a pronoun you'd prefer not to be called, ignore it and move on. Life goes on. There are bigger problems in the world. If someone's intending to hurt you, it's a different thing, but it's nearly impossible to go through life these days without someone taking offense at something. (And right now someone is upset I used "someone" instead of some other phrase as the word "someone" offends them.) Intent matters. The rest, not so much.

We're supposed to be social animals, but it's getting nearly impossible to interact with other humans these days with the myriad new social contract rules in place. Maybe instead of expecting everyone else to conform to these new ever-changing rules, those horribly offended by everything could grow a wee bit thicker skin and focus on what the person who offended you intended and not your reaction to what was said. Intent matters. And the vast majority of the time, the person who horribly offended you had no intention to do so. They were just trying to interact with you.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Laura14 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:36:16 GMT

Depends on the misstep. It's not appropriate to force another generation to live by our rules just as we don't want to live by some of theirs.

Possible language fauxpas are one thing. A man placing his hand on a woman's leg is something completely different.

And I would venture to say as a woman of an age with a foot in both the past and present day worlds, I didn't like being touched then without an invitation to do so and I like it even less now. It's something I honestly don't think men will ever understand.

Words are easier to blow off than an uninvited physical gesture. When someone or a whole of group of someones tells you to stop doing something, I think you should stop doing it especially if your livelihood depends on it.

Save it for your friends and family time.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

skatting44 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:41:05 GMT

@SharkE

He's 84 . From my experience as a nurse , working with those in his age group , that is commom behavior . Many his age have medical issues, and you can tell them a thousand times a day that telling sexual content jokes or touching is now a days taboo , they won't retain it long enogh from keeping themselves from doing things we now see as not acceptable behavior.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

gardenman — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:41:44 GMT

@Laura14

If you go back to the original post the touching of the leg by Frank Langella was apparently scripted. That's how I read it. If he did it and it wasn't in the script, it's one thing. If he's simply following the script, it's another.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Wsmom — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:49:07 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:

Perhaos he's suffering from senility, especially if he's never done these things before.

Considering his age my guess is these are things he's done his whole life and probably worse when he was younger. The difference is then it was tolerated and now it is not.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

mspatmac — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:58:56 GMT

@Laura14 From what I've read the touch on the leg was part of a directed scene. His crime was that he asked her when the scene was over if she liked it.

Re: Frank Langella Under Investigation

Laura14 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 15:17:47 GMT

@gardenman @mspatmac I went back and re-read and it says it was done during a scripted performance. That leads me to believe that while they were shooting the scripted scene, he improvised and put a hand on her leg and then asked her if she liked it.

Usually gestures are not included in the script. That's left up to the actor.

I don't remember the House of Usher being a sexy story and obviously I have no idea what the scene actually was or what this interpretation is but I think most women would appreciate being asked to be touched before a man takes it upon himself to force the issue.

Especially in a professional environment where now she looks like the bad guy for saying please don't touch me after the fact and a studio has to, for legal reasons, react to it.

Trust me. No woman takes pleasure in calling a man out and looking like a witch. We'd just like to be in on the decision beforehand to see if we are comfortable with it. It's truly a safety issue for girls both on the job and off since the day we're born female.

I have a young niece in the business who I'd be upset if a costar took advantage of her, innocent of a bad intention or not. And that respect for her doesn't stop once she turns 18.

Best advice for all of us: if you wouldn't do it to or in front of a kid, don't do it to or in front of a stranger unless they say yes.