UPDATED 4/13, 9:42 p.m. ET: Frank Langella has been cut from The Fall of the House of Usher.
According to an exclusive Deadline report, the veteran actor was fired from the limited series following an investigation into his alleged misconduct on set. Sources tell the outlet Langella’s role as Roderick Usher will be recasted; and although the show is halfway the production, all of Roderick’s scenes will be reshot. No word on who will fill in for Langella, who has yet to publicly address his termination or the sexual harassment allegations.
Netflix has not commented on the reported firing.
See the original story below.
It seems Frank Langella is at the center of a sexual harassment probe.
According to TMZ, the 84-year-old actor has been accused of inappropriate conduct while filming The Fall of the House of Usher, a new limited series from Netflix. An insider tells the outlet the production team has launched a formal investigation into the alleged incidents; however, Langella has not been fired or suspended from the project.
Sources say the alleged incidents include Langella telling an inappropriate joke with sexual undertones while on set in British Columbia. The Oscar-nominated actor is also accused of touching a female costar’s leg during a scripted performance, and then jokingly asking her, “Did you like that?” once the scene was over.
According to TMZ, the investigation has not hindered production, as Langella—who plays Roderick Usher, “the towering patriarch of the Usher dynasty”—was not scheduled to film this week. Canadian authorities also told the publication they’ve yet to receive any formal reports involving Langella.
Netflix did not confirm the investigation, only telling TMZ, “We do not comment on active employment matters.”
The Fall of the House of Usher reportedly started filming at the top of the year. The eight-episode horror series was created by Mike Flanagan, who will also serve as producer and director. According to Cineblend, Langella’s co-stars include Mark Hamill, Carla Gugino, Willa Fitzgerald, JayR Tinaco, Mary McDonnell, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, and Malcolm Goodwin.
Flanagan spoke about the series during an interview with The Wrap last year, saying it’s nothing like The Haunting anthology he produced for Netflix.
“It’s very much its own thing tonally, thematically. It’s something we’ve actually never done before,” he explained. “And so, it felt like we would be limiting it, in an unfortunate way, if we tried to shove it into that ‘Haunting’ shoebox. It very much is its own crazy, over-the-top, insane, beautiful, macabre, just wicked thing that is so different.”
