TV veteran Vincent Kartheiser joined the cast of HBO Max's Titans for Season 3 to play a character very different from his famous Mad Men role, but now reports have emerged that the actor was accused of misconduct during production on the superhero series. The accusations resulted in multiple investigations as production continued on the third season, which premiered just days ago.
Accusations of Vincent Kartheiser's misconduct stem from at least two complaints and resulted in two internal investigations carried out remotely by Titans production company Warner Bros. Television, according to Deadline, which notes that investigators were not able to visit the Toronto set of Titans due to COVID protocols and instead remotely investigated from WBTV's Labor Relationship department in Burbank, California. The process included interviewing the relevant parties.
The allegations against Vincent Kartheiser reportedly include inappropriate comments and disruptive behavior, with the first investigation determining that Kartheiser's comments and outbursts warranted some corrective action in the form of a verbal reprimand from Warner Bros. TV, but did not indicate that Kartheiser needed to be fired.
The second complaint evidently came toward the end of production on Season 3 weeks later, with that investigation resulting in Warner Bros. TV sending a representative to monitor Vincent Kartheiser on the set of the series, which seems to be the most drastic action taken in response to allegations against Kartheiser. More allegations are said to have been raised against Kartheiser but could not be corroborated.
Vincent Kartheiser has not publicly commented on the reports of misconduct on set Titans Season 3 himself at the time of writing, but his spokesperson said in a statement via Deadline:
Vincent Kartheiser vehemently denies the allegations. Warner Bros investigated this matter and made clear to Mr. Kartheiser its expectations for behavior on the set, and he agreed to comply with their directives.
It's worth noting that although Vincent Kartheiser joined Titans to play Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, one of the most famous Batman villains from the pages of DC Comics (although opposing Dick Grayson as Nightwing rather than Bruce Wayne as Batman in the HBO Max series), he was signed for a deal of just one year and not expected to return for Season 4. Of course, Season 4 isn't a sure thing at this point, as Titans Season 3 only released its first episodes on August 12.
With production on Season 3 wrapped and Vincent Kartheiser already not expected to return as Scarecrow for Season 4, it may be unlikely that anything further comes of the misconduct complaints that were lodged against him. No details are available about who made the complaints or what the uncorroborated complaints entailed, but Kartheiser evidently finished filming Season 3 of Titans as planned.
As for what Season 3 has planned for his character, Titans viewers will have to wait and see. Vincent Kartheiser hasn't been prominently featured in the promotional materials for Season 3; whether this was because of the allegations and subsequent action taken or simply Titans attempting to keep a lid on spoilers for the appearance of an iconic comic character is unknown. Either way, you can catch new episodes of Titans releasing Thursdays on HBO Max.
