Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher series experienced a major shake-up when Frank Langella was fired from the production. The 84-year-old actor was ousted from the Mike Flanagan-created show following an investigation into allegations of inappropriate, on-set behavior. At the time that his firing was reported, few specific details on his behavior were divulged by the streamer. However, a new report has now seemingly shed light on what apparently occurred on set.
After being fired from the limited series, Frank Langella called out “cancel culture” while telling his side of the situation through a lengthy column. In it, Langella stated that he’d been accused of a number of things, like telling an “off-color joke” or referring to some people as “baby” or “honey.” Deadline has since spoken with several people close to the production and, when it comes to jokes made by the star, one crew member referred to them as “crass.” One person also alleged that the Oscar winner engaged in “toxic” behavior:
There was a general sense of toxicity that followed him around. A lot of the cast and crew were very uncomfortable around Frank from the beginning.
Another source claimed that there were “issues out of the gate with very inappropriate comments” and that the actor made comments that were “incredibly sexual in nature” or “graphic and misogynistic.” When news of the dismissal initially broke, it was stated that the main reason the actor had been fired was due to a scene involving a younger actress. While filming a love scene, he allegedly touched the young woman’s leg, a move that allegedly triggered her and had not been blocked by the intimacy coordinator. These claims were corroborated by others within Deadline’s report and another source alleged that the star would also say things that were not scripted:
Frank added during the blocking, ‘And then she took all her clothes and fucked the whole bar in front of the whole crew.’ No one laughed. There was no joke to set it up, it was just a thing he said.
Frank Langella has also been accused of asking crew members about their “sexual experiences.” Additionally, the trade mentions a number of other jokes he allegedly made, which were deemed inappropriate by his colleagues. Apparently, he was asked by Netflix to change his on-set conduct, though one person says that he referred to those that tried to correct him as “too uptight and woke” while also reportedly evoking “cancel culture.” Neither the streamer nor series creator Mike Flanagan provided comment on the story.
As of right now, Frank Langella’s Roderick Usher scenes are being reshot, as The Resident’s Bruce Greenwood has been tapped as his replacement. Greenwood previously worked with Mike Flanagan on The Haunting of Hill House, though this Edgar Allen Poe adaptation is expected to be something very different from Flanagan’s past work. As for Langella, it remains to be seen if he speaks further on the matter.
A release date has yet to be announced for The Fall of the House of Usher, but know that you will need a Netflix subscription to check it out when it drops.
