Actor Jeffrey Tambor says he didn’t sign up for this. The actor, who plays Maura Pfefferman on the Amazon series Transparent, is leaving the show after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against him earlier this month.
Tambor issued a statement to Deadline on Sunday, denying allegations that he made inappropriate comments and advances towards trans actress Trace Lysette and a former assistant and trans actress Van Barnes.
“What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago… I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue”, Tambor said. “Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.”
After the allegations were first aired, rumors surfaced that writers were considering writing Tambor out of the lead role in the award-winning show for its next season. It seems that is now a reality.
This isn’t the first sexual harassment scandal Amazon Studios has faced. Last month, studio chief Roy Price resigned from his post after The Man in The High Castle executive producer Isa Dick Hackett accused him of propositioning her.
It’s also not the first resignation by a star actor that will result in major script rewrites. Earlier this month, sexual misconduct allegations against Kevin Spacey led Netflix to cut ties with the star of House of Cards. Shooting for the show’s sixth and final season was halted as a result. Spacey will also be cut from the Ridley Scott-directed film All The Money in the World, set for a December release. His scenes will be re-shot by Christopher Plummer.
