https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml2c3kPTyk0
The New York Times sat down with Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, Tony Hale, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and David Cross to talk about Arrested Development and they got an answer they were never expecting.
Sopan Deb asked Tambor about the report that he yelled at directors and assistant director on the set of Transparent. Several cast members deflected the question, but he did not say anything. Then she reworded it, and asked if someone had that reputation would you hire them. Tambor told her, “I would hire that person if that person said, you know, ‘I’ve reckoned with this.'” Then he added, “And on ‘Transparent,’ you know, I had a temper and I yelled at people and I hurt people’s feelings. And that’s unconscionable, and I’m working on it and I’m going to put that behind me, and I love acting.”
Bateman chimed in and defended his costar, but Walter had enough. You can hear her getting choked up as she interrupted her TV son and said, “Let me just say one thing that I just realized in this conversation. I have to let go of being angry at him. He never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever. Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize. I have to let it go. [Turns to Tambor.] And I have to give you a chance to, you know, for us to be friends again.” Tambor said to her, “Absolutely.”
She was not done and added, “But it’s hard because honestly — Jason says this happens all the time. In like almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set. And it’s hard to deal with, but I’m over it now. I just let it go right here, for The New York Times.” As she finished the last sentence, she was laughing through the tears. The cast responded with laughter, but Bateman took it a step farther when he blurted out, “She did not give it up for anyone else.”
I will get back to Bateman, but let’s start with Tambor. It is never OK to yell at someone like that. The producers should have talked to him about it. If he continued to do it, then they should have fired him. The #MeToo movement has shown us, it is no longer acceptable. Tambor has been acting for over 40 years and how has everyone ignored that behavior? No offense to him, but, to me, he was never a truly a star until Arrested Development. Why did all those other productions put up with his temper until the #MeToo movement? I don’t get it.
My father once did a play with a TV actor, who had just been fired from a show. He was an a$$hole during the play and everyone hated working with him. After that, he got another show. There were rumors the actresses refused to work with him, caused a revolt and he was fired. Shortly afterward, he left showbiz, I am assuming because he was blackballed. That is how it should be. I know how Walter feels because I was once yelled at my job that I had to be taken away from the person yelling at me for my safety. No one should have to deal with that at their job. There is a difference between losing your temper once or twice and losing it all the time. The latter needs to be handled.
Something I am sure Netflix is discussing if there is another season of the sitcom. Why didn’t they handle it when they were filming? I follow some of the actors from the show on Twitter and they started filming before #MeToo was happening. I think they were almost done filming when everything came out about Tambor. Which makes sense why they kept him. It is not like they could do the Kevin Spacey fix like they did in All the Money in the World. I will look away for this season, but I won’t if they keep him.
When it comes to Jason Bateman, he has been acting for over 30 years, and I want to know when it was normal for him to be yelled at on the set? Was it Silver Spoons, The Hogan Family or one of his movies? Did he like it? Would he like them to yell at his sister Justine Bateman like that? Then why would he defend that abusive behavior on a set now? He is the biggest star on the show and his words matter. He needs to defend his costars and not allow it to continue. This does not only pertain to acting, it pertains to all jobs. If you hear something, say something. We cannot let the abusive behavior happen anymore.
Finally, Jessica, I am so sorry you went through this. You are a talented actress who has been doing longer than almost that whole cast has been alive. You deserve respect and people sticking up for you. Not this BS. Know the fans are here for you. If you need us, just ask.
