On-screen chemistry is important when it comes to any sort of on-screen pairing. Some people have it, and some don’t. Sometimes on screen chemistry gets carried off-screen, and sometimes, it very much does not. While most would agree that the stars of Fox’s Sleepy Hollow Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison had very good chemistry on screen over the course of three seasons, that apparently was very much not the case off the screen. A new book claims that the tension between them was so great that one iconic part of the series was created specifically so the two would not need to touch each other.
The new book Burn it Down by Maureen Ryan deals with the exploitative practices that exist within Hollywood at both an individual and studio level, revealing behind-the-scenes details regarding numerous TV shows and films. A new piece at THR focuses on the cult favorite series Sleepy Hollow, specifically how co-star Nicole Beharie was treated by various people involved in the production.
While fans of Sleepy Hollow loved to watch Beharie, as detective Abbie Mills, and her co-star Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane, on screen, the internet, as its way, shipped the characters hard, creating the Ichabbie moniker. It turns out that a big part of the reason that no relationship ever happened on screen is that the actors didn't want it, as they didn’t like each other. Things got so bad that it led to the creation of Crane’s overly theatrical bow so that the two stars did not have to hug each other.
Between the on-set issues, a massive shift in the writers’ room that left only one person of color after the first season ended, changes in Sleepy Hollow's showrunner, and numerous other issues, Beharie was in what the book calls a hostile work environment. People in positions of authority allegedly told other writers, including those that had never worked with her, that they did not have a good experience working with Beharie.
The actress left Sleepy Hollow at the end of its third season. There were questions if the show would even move on from there, but a Sleepy Hollow Season 4 did happen, despite the fact that the series had always had something of a ratings struggle. A new character, played by Janina Gavankar was introduced to play opposite Ichabod Crane in the show’s fourth, and ultimately final, season. However apparently replacing Beharie had been considered as early as the pilot episode, as a conflict between co-creator Len Wiseman and Beharie led to them bringing in Lyndie Greenwood, who would portray Abbie Mills’ sister, Jenny, as a potential replacement.
Neither of the Sleepy Hollow stars made comments for the book, and showrunner Clifton Campbell denies some of the claims that are made, so this certainly may not be the entire story, but it certainly sounds like Sleepy Hollow was, at best, a difficult time for a lot of the people involved.
