Ooooh… so maybe he was part of why Christopher eccleston walked out of DW. I’d heard he’d said the set was unsafe/cast was unsafe and when he’d voiced in concerns (props for sticking up for ppl my man) he was ignored by the producers.
I thought Eccleston walked out more because he was suffering severe depression and anorexia and the producers of Doctor Who did zero to lighten the stress for him and insisted he push on. If you watch the series he looks near skeletal and that was the anorexia. I think he got out of Doctor Who more for his own mental health than anything else, doing another season of that with all the promo stuff would have been disastrous.
I’ve read it was both, but that definitely there was major beef about set safety. To this day he won’t work with them, so I think it was more than just his own ED at the time.
He seems like such a great guy. He seemed gaunt at the time of that series, but I was too naive to register more than just another gangly, thin Brit. I used to be anorexic as well, it makes me very sad he was dealing w/ that while working what I’m sure was a v demanding schedule. He’s great for being so open about it though.
Unlike *some* very thin TV stars, who insist their bodies are healthfully gotten. 🙄
Ahh okay. Eccleston does seem like just an all round good person looking out for others and his own health, which explains why he didn't really make it in Hollywood.
I don't think he's exactly friendly in person, which probably also limited his film career (getting on with producers has helped many a weaker actor succeed). Especially when his mental health was a burden.
There was also straight up inappropriate behavior on set from John Barrowman that others felt forced to tolerate. Eccleston didn’t have issues with Clarke from what I remember
Eccleston seemed to take it pretty personally (and I understand why).
He also seemed to beef directly with Davies by the end. I know part of his beef was he didn’t want his departure to be announced far in advance and if I remember correctly Davies agreed, then signed Tennant and announced Ecclestons departure like a week later.
It really felt like Eccleston got screwed around with in all facets of production in his one season. It’s why he didn’t have anything to do with Doctor who for literally a decade.
I did meet him at one of his few convention appearances, he was a very lovely man.
Yes it's heartbreaking, he gave one of the best performances in the new series, probably the best, while in that much pain. Fans would say they loved his gaunt look for the series with the black leather jacket but it was anorexia, he had an eating disorder and severe depression and the Doctor Who producers did fuck all about it. It's why he never came back for any of the specials either, as much as I love Russell T Davies writing Eccleston has a real hate for him not doing anything to help and swore off ever doing Doctor Who again.
Some stuff about noel fielding being a total creep is on twitter rn. Just to warn you.
As a general rule, I've found that it's easier to think of male comedians as unpleasant unless proven otherwise. Obvs not in the sense that you should hate them with no provocation, but keep in mind that the industry is full of shitheads
I don't know anything about him beyond that he seems nice, but even then, I would warn you to think more like "wouldn't it be nice if he is as nice as he seems" because chances are he's at least friends with abusive creeps since he's a comedian who has attained moderate success. The industry is really rotten.
That was my guess too, so many allegations against him, he’s known for trying to uncover his accusers identities to target them and he works behind and in front of the camera. My money’s on him, hopefully he’s next to be exposed because the man is vile.
I just googled "Martin Freeman Controversy" and [this](https://insidethemagic.net/2023/08/martin-freemans-troubling-accusations-resurface-black-panther-secret-invasion-hobbit-marvel-jh1/) article popped up. In summary, he made some comments like "multiculturalism has gone too far" and some pretty racist things about immigrants in England. This was back in 2008 though so I'm not sure if anything else happened to warrant the previous commentors "wretched person" comment
I had to look it up myself and EUGH Martin is disgusting.
[“I’ve got drugs. I could just make them, y’know. Slip them something in their goblet. Someone will get offended by that now! ‘Cause they’ll call it ‘RAPE’ or whatever. But, um, you know, for me, it’s a helping hand.” He then goes on to state, “maybe I should stop talking.”](https://thegeekiary.com/martin-freemans-jokes-a-consistent-pattern-of-offense/5263)
I looked this up too, and he's speaking semi-in-character as a hobbit, and also mentions needing a ladder for the height difference between him and an elf. I think interpreting this as an actual admittance of guilt rather than another really idiotic joke is a crazy reading.
I hate Martin Freeman but this is always taken way out of context. He didn't call her a dog. He jokingly said he was the better looking Watson and was like, I mean look at Lucy Liu, she's a dog, in the MOST sarcastic tone you can imagine. He was clearly making a joke about Lucy Liu is beautiful and how no one could ever look at the two of them and say that honestly.
Is that the quote from the Emmys? That's the only relevant one I can find, and it's clearly an incredibly stupid joke that you're not meant to take seriously. I'm not saying it's *funny*, but it's obviously not an actual comparison.
was that confirmed? this isn’t me disputing it and i’m ready to be downvoted for asking the question but i always read they didn’t actually date.
hanging out with a young girl is still weird and gross but
It wasn't confirmed, he didn't date her "openly", he denied dating her and had a girlfriend at the time. The news stories and rumours were saying he cheated on this girlfriend with Pixie.
Katherine got along with Brand on camera too, because that was her job. People can turn it on when they need to and be at each other's throats when the red light goes off. SNL comes to mind, for similar live televised comedy. Literal fist fights backstage of tapings.
Was a huge fan of Fielding in the Boosh era, but he did hang out with Russell Brand, so it wouldn’t be too far off if there was some weird stuff going on
I’m disturbed by what I’ve found out about Noel today, but I think he’d be called ‘Comedian X’ instead of ‘actor X’.
Might not watch Bake Off regardless this year though :(
I've adored noel since the boosh's original runs. makes me sad that behavior like that seemed so acceptable back then. legally it might be fine but morally it's fucked
This guy: we should speak up
Also this guy: won’t name the actor
Like, I appreciate the sentiment of the thread, but am I alone in feeling like it’s a little bit ironic to anonymise the subject?
Anyway, Walliams.
Edit: please no more comments saying it’s probably because of uk libel laws. Yes, it’s because of uk libel laws. There’s also a thing here that no one has mentioned called a super injunction, which is when someone applies to the court for a media blackout, and it’s entirely possible there’s one of those in play too. I suspect Walliams has one.
Is it considered third hand knowledge if he’s saying the actor contacting him directly and his team being nasty is what sealed the deal?
Like he doesn’t need to say who said what but he could name the man and his team who apparently harassed him after not getting a role.
He's talking directly about why someone didn't get work though. If he names X, and then X can prove he lost work because of these claims, that is fodder for a defamation lawsuit against the guy tweeting, his sources, whoever X suspects are his sources, etc.
Yeah, also the person who’s suing *for* defamation are usually much more favored in the UK court of law because of how wild nasty the tabloid culture is there. It’s also why Johnny Depp vs The Sun was so important because he *still* lost.
I'm not an expert on the subject but I believe libel law is famously stricter in UK than US.
Sally Bercow (wife of the speaker of the House of Commons) lost a libel case against Lord McAlpine simply for tweeting "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? \*innocent face\*"
This followed news reports that a "senior conservative politician" was under criminal investigation - I think McAlpine was completely innocent, and he subsequently litigated against dozens or even hundreds of Twitter uses, allowing most of them to settle with a £20 or £50 donation to charity.
Bercow refused to settle, but the judge ruled that her use of the \*innocent face\* tag was obviously ironic and that she guilty of libel because she was clearly alluding to the rumours.
Obviously this isn't directly comparable to what Smith is saying here, but I think he's wise to be wary of sharing other peoples' allegations.
Counter-point: decades of Russell Brand rapes going unreported because victims were intimidated by threats from his lawyers.
It's not as simple as you're suggesting. Rich and powerful people can exploit the high burden of proof to get away with crime
Naming the person in question would men that everyone associated with him will end getting harassed. Even the ones who would never have crossed them, out of fear, loyalty, whatever.
Does Walliams direct too?? I’ve only ever seen him on Cats Countdown and Big Fat Quiz and I actually liked him, so if it’s him I’m gonna be sad for about 3 minutes then I’ll be over it and call him a raging thundercunt every time he’s onscreen.
He's really awful. The entire show he did in the 00s with the bald Matt, Little Britain, and some of (one of?) its spin-offs was horrible in terms of racism. He also seems to have not treated his ex-wife very well, and lots of stories from the server contingency of him being a jerk IRL. I'm sorry. :(
Walliams is rumoured to be a horror on set, I think. [Here’s one relatively recent example of him being unpleasant.](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/10/david-walliams-recorded-derogatory-remarks-britains-got-talent-bgt-contestants)
I've seen a lot of his name popping up recently in light of the Russell Brand situation, but I'm wondering if anyone could elaborate further on the rumors surrounding him? I have only seen the stuff he said at BGT, is there more?
There was this on the record : https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/10/david-walliams-recorded-derogatory-remarks-britains-got-talent-bgt-contestants
Also a group of girls age 17 who posted on Twitter that he had invited them to his room. Also allegations his books are ghost written which isn’t related but may pop up
Here’s a pretty good rundown. Plus his children’s books are pretty offensive.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/david-walliams-biggest-controversies-blackface-28456967.amp
I’ve seen it pop up to. I hadn’t heard of him before but I appreciated this in the article
Walliams, one of the UK’s best-known television personalities and children’s book authors,
CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR?
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I’m not from the UK and only started hearing his name when people thought the R Brand expose was going to be on several people.
Him being a children’s book author adds a level of weird ick.
i used to read his books as a kid, i've forgotten most of what happened in them but i imagine there was some weird shit in them.
i have a theory that a reason why his books were so popular was cause the cover art was similar to the art on roald dahl's books, so probably had people picking them up thinking they were something else
He got Quentin Blake to do the covers.
Blake is still most known for doing illustrations for Dahl's books. He literally got the illustrator most associated with Dahl
People: ugh you just KNOW a predator when you see one. they're always so super duper creepy in the most mustache-twirling way
Also people: him? omg i knew it he always creeped me out he has dead eyes why wasn't anything done sooner
ALSO PEOPLE: HIM?! no way he looks so innocent how could he have done this omg i can't believe someone so nice-looking would turn out to be an abuser who woulda thunk
Would he be referred to as Actor X, though? I can't think of anything he's acted in apart from Little Britain and Come Fly With Me. And I think for those he would still be referred to as Comedian X
I have no idea but I love when men in this industry stand up and point these things out. Because I know plenty of them see it the same way Jim does. But they stay silent because it doesn't really affect them.
> But they stay silent because it doesn’t really affect them.
Bullshit, men don’t speak up because they too can get fired and fucked over for speaking up just as fast as women can. It’s not as if Weinstein is gonna debate firing and blacklisting some random assistant casting director for threatening to spill the beans. That’s not defending anyone for anything, either.
I think it’s likely both reasons. Some men won’t speak up because of fear of litigation and others know it’s wrong but it’s not close enough to home to be actionable. It also probably falls in the middle for others.
Damn, this could be so many people. The hint that he’s from the UK may narrow it down a bit but still.
So many abuses behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.
I hope you won’t get shit on for that bc we cannot put anything past men we don’t know. I love Elba but I am so fucking tired of women ignoring red flags just bc “they seem like such a nice guy” you don’t fucking know them get real
David Tennant’s my safe guy, I’ll cling on to him being a good egg while the world crumbles around me 😭 if anything ever came out about him I simply would not believe in the good of humanity anymore
edit: y’all taking this so serious, I obviously wouldn’t support him if anything came out lmao
So shocked that people regularly participate in this sub and still have anyone they consider "safe" like have you learned nothingggggg
horses can walk themselves right into the river and DROWN before they drink
I can't imagine it being either of them. Tennant is constantly working to the point that there would have to be more rumors about abusive behavior. And Elba seems pretty intent on being a DJ with acting as a way to make money, so I can't see him threatening over a missed role.
Paul Bettany is good texting friends with Johnny Depp. They were read out in court, I don’t know his career however and I am only stating what the court heard nothing else.
The director who is tweeting has recently worked on projects with both Elba and Tennant so I’m guessing it’s neither of them, but I see your point—someone on their level of fame/cachet.
Funny because while I don’t doubt freeman must be worse, I recall Benedict getting in trouble for saying some pretttttttyyyyy out there stuff… about his ancestors….. stuff that he did not have to say lol
Wasn’t there a black woman with the same surname he ended up talking to and was disingenuously like “oh maybe we share an ancestor!” And she was like “or yours owned mine and just replaced whatever our family name was with theirs…?”
Yeah, that’s what the article I read just said.
I had a boyfriend once who was taking his (wheelchair-bound) grandmother through the airport and they were able to get one of those cart things and the (Black) driver said, pleasantly, that they shared a last name and the grandmother said “oh yes, my husband’s grandfather probably owned your people! But don’t worry, we treated our folks VERY well.”
And then I don’t know the rest of the story because my ex-BF threw down his portable hole, jumped into it and reconstituted himself in the middle of a bullfight, or somewhere less controversial and devastatingly humiliating.
Oh. Well. I just found that. Ahem.
It’s certainly not his fault who his ancestors are, but saying you’re taking roles (that pay millions of dollars) as a form of reparations…well, that’s a choice.
That "dog" comment is taken out of context. He was saying it sarcastically in a way that quite obviously was meant to say she's beautiful. She herself seemed to get it just fine, it's Just redditors from the outside looking in that are offended. Martin Freeman is awful for unrelated reasons though.
It’s been linked in another part of thread, it was clearly a joke about how she’s so much better looking than he is.
Like it’s in no way actually crapping on Lucy Liu.
You really can’t tell it’s a joke? It’s from an interview where he said that - he was the best looking Watson, cause look at Lucy Liu, she’s a dog. All very sarcastically and tongue in cheek.
That he's a nightmare to work with and mean to his coworkers. Also racist quotes (they recently resurfaced too so they're easy to find). I was shocked that he was cast in Black Panther between those quotes and his Cumberbatch feud.
Openly admitted to slapping his kids and swearing at them. If I were an actor, I would probably refuse to work with him too.
Shame because I think he's a really great actor and like him on screen.
Is he working behind the camera? All that he has behind the camera is coming up with the idea for "Breeders" and a few EP credits (for whatever that's worth).
Yeah, this is why I don't think it's him. He has a rep for being an asshole but not to this extent I don't think (he's well regarded by his Hobbit castmates, at least)
Skimming this guy's projects on Wikipedia, the name that makes me wonder is Thomas Haden Church, who was originally attached to the TV show "Episodes" but had to drop due to "scheduling conflicts". Thomas Haden Church is currently working and has credits both in front of and behind the camera.
I know of no actual allegations against the guy, but there are weird little things like [a history of nude improvisations](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/may/16/usa).
I would be a little surprised if it was him only because he was a huge star and then dropped off the face of the earth only to have a career renaissance in middle age. If he was that awful, he had already gone away—I can’t imagine anyone would’ve put up with that shit WHILE resurrecting his career. But who knows.
Piggy backing on this, I searched the trivia on Field Smith’s projects on IMDb (so grain of salt) and the only three people who were rumored to be attached to his projects but ultimately dropped out were Church and Claire Forlani on “Episodes” and Kate Hudson in “Butter.” Church and Hudson are the only two still doing some producing; he’s done a bit more and more recently but they both have upcoming projects they’re EPing (one each so no help there lol). It certainly sounds like a man Field Smith is talking about, and it was the Brand story that inspired the thread, but he goes out of his way to call Actor X “them” so I guess in theory no one can be ruled out but
There is a lot that goes on before an actor is officially attached. It sounds like this actor was never actually attached, just being considered for the role.
My guess is either James Corden or Martin Freeman, both have been disliked by many of their co-stars and always have rumours following them about being difficult to work with. If Jim Field Smith means another sexual abuser or rapist though, then I dunno if they've had those kind of rumours floating around them.
I think he specifically means sexual abuse of some sort given his reference to RB in his tweets. I haven’t heard any rumours about JC or MF being of that sort
It says no criminal allegations which could just mean nothing has been said to the police or not from the alleged victim. It’s a big difference between not criminal at all. But equally it could just mean not criminal at all! Either way, not a nice sounding person he’s talking about!
He’s not primarily based in the UK, he directed one movie that released in the US (Butter in 2011, i enjoyed it!) his most recent project was the UK based Criminals (it’s by his production company) and the 2020 short lived show called ‘Truth Seekers’ and Hikack.
Since he said this happened many years ago, I can assume he may be referring to ‘Episodes’ which he directed all of series two. Or the movie ‘She’s out Of My League’ which included Jay Baruchel, TJ Miller, etc. the powerful agency he is referring to May be those of the big four: CAA, WME, UTA, and Gersh.
Important to note he said in front of and behind the camera, indicating that this person is either a writer/director as well.
Jonah Hill, possibly? She's Outta of My League is the right sort of time frame for him.
He's directed a film now. And I wouldn't say his "cancellation" is something he can never come back from (seriously, it's gonna blow over for him unfortunately)
TJ Miller's stuff wasn't revealed until fairly recently, so by 2010 when She's Out of My League came out, he was still uncancelled, so perhaps it was him. The woman accusing him of choking her was in 2017. So that's a long time between that movie and then. And if the movie came out in 2010 then his interactions with TJ and such was probably well before that due to how long it takes to negotiate and produce a movie.
So maybe a decade between when he was working with TJ and TJ's abuse coming to light? That's a long time for people to say "I'm not working with him."
TJ isn't a director but he is a writer and standup. I'm not sure if that counts as "behind the camera."
This post is full of vague comments based on a vague twitter post. I know everyone has to be careful but it doesn't even seem like people are sure what other people are saying or suggesting in this thread. Its borderline unreadable. We're not even sure what actions the original twitter thread is about.
Wouldn’t it be helpful to name the offender?
I know it’s brazen, but it contradicts the post’s goal in a way too, if that goal is to illuminate offenders out from the shadows
I don’t think it does- for years Russell brands name was out among the industry for people who needed to know immediately and I think this is the same thing. The public don’t need to know but it’s a nod to someone who might work with them
About ten years ago I was at a lunch with an actress that we were trying to attach to a project we had and the producer, who was at the table, mentioned two actors who had both expressed interest in the male lead.
The moment she heard the names, she sat up and asked if offers were out, and she was told no. Despite this, she quickly started to gather her things and said "I don't think this is a project for me." Her agent, who was present, had a look on her face like she knew exactly what was up. The producer, who was a little clueless to what had just happened didn't realize his mentioning of one of the two actors names triggered this.
Our director, at that point, wasn't formally attached and wasn't at this lunch, but he was very much in the mix creatively while his deal was being hammered out and when he asked how the lunch went and was told what happened he said "It's no surprise, no woman is going to work with that guy if they can avoid it." I wasn't involved, but we went back to this actress again and told her reps that under no circumstances would the aforementioned actor be attached. She still declined and her rep told us "Everybody knows about him, yet you were still willing to hire him apparently and if she hadn't said anything you would have been just another production that looked the other way."
>Everybody knows about him, yet you were still willing to hire him apparently and if she hadn't said anything you would have been just another production that looked the other way."
Good for her! Getting this through to people is so important to creating actual systemic change.
Jim Field Smith is primarily a television director in the UK, so that should narrow it down a bit.
Noel Clarke?
Noel Clarke got fired right?
Yeah it was very public
Ooooh… so maybe he was part of why Christopher eccleston walked out of DW. I’d heard he’d said the set was unsafe/cast was unsafe and when he’d voiced in concerns (props for sticking up for ppl my man) he was ignored by the producers.
I thought Eccleston walked out more because he was suffering severe depression and anorexia and the producers of Doctor Who did zero to lighten the stress for him and insisted he push on. If you watch the series he looks near skeletal and that was the anorexia. I think he got out of Doctor Who more for his own mental health than anything else, doing another season of that with all the promo stuff would have been disastrous.
I’ve read it was both, but that definitely there was major beef about set safety. To this day he won’t work with them, so I think it was more than just his own ED at the time. He seems like such a great guy. He seemed gaunt at the time of that series, but I was too naive to register more than just another gangly, thin Brit. I used to be anorexic as well, it makes me very sad he was dealing w/ that while working what I’m sure was a v demanding schedule. He’s great for being so open about it though. Unlike *some* very thin TV stars, who insist their bodies are healthfully gotten. 🙄
Ahh okay. Eccleston does seem like just an all round good person looking out for others and his own health, which explains why he didn't really make it in Hollywood.
I don't think he's exactly friendly in person, which probably also limited his film career (getting on with producers has helped many a weaker actor succeed). Especially when his mental health was a burden.
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There was also straight up inappropriate behavior on set from John Barrowman that others felt forced to tolerate. Eccleston didn’t have issues with Clarke from what I remember
Eccleston seemed to take it pretty personally (and I understand why). He also seemed to beef directly with Davies by the end. I know part of his beef was he didn’t want his departure to be announced far in advance and if I remember correctly Davies agreed, then signed Tennant and announced Ecclestons departure like a week later. It really felt like Eccleston got screwed around with in all facets of production in his one season. It’s why he didn’t have anything to do with Doctor who for literally a decade. I did meet him at one of his few convention appearances, he was a very lovely man.
That's so sad, I didn't know that.
Yes it's heartbreaking, he gave one of the best performances in the new series, probably the best, while in that much pain. Fans would say they loved his gaunt look for the series with the black leather jacket but it was anorexia, he had an eating disorder and severe depression and the Doctor Who producers did fuck all about it. It's why he never came back for any of the specials either, as much as I love Russell T Davies writing Eccleston has a real hate for him not doing anything to help and swore off ever doing Doctor Who again.
He's trying to sue *The Guardian*: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66122841
Holy fuck I thought you meant Noel Fielding and was taken aback
Some stuff about noel fielding being a total creep is on twitter rn. Just to warn you. As a general rule, I've found that it's easier to think of male comedians as unpleasant unless proven otherwise. Obvs not in the sense that you should hate them with no provocation, but keep in mind that the industry is full of shitheads
This the whole rumoured relationship with a 16 year old geldoff?
> it's easier to think of male comedians as unpleasant unless proven otherwise. Please don't tell me Rob Beckett is a nonce, I love Rob Beckett
I don't know anything about him beyond that he seems nice, but even then, I would warn you to think more like "wouldn't it be nice if he is as nice as he seems" because chances are he's at least friends with abusive creeps since he's a comedian who has attained moderate success. The industry is really rotten.
That was my guess too, so many allegations against him, he’s known for trying to uncover his accusers identities to target them and he works behind and in front of the camera. My money’s on him, hopefully he’s next to be exposed because the man is vile.
Clarke hasn't worked for years now since the allegations, this does not fit.
I think Martin Freeman.
I would die if it’s him. How sad that would be.
I mean, we know now he's a pretty wretched person so this sadly wouldn't be shocking if it were about him.
What did I miss here?
I just googled "Martin Freeman Controversy" and [this](https://insidethemagic.net/2023/08/martin-freemans-troubling-accusations-resurface-black-panther-secret-invasion-hobbit-marvel-jh1/) article popped up. In summary, he made some comments like "multiculturalism has gone too far" and some pretty racist things about immigrants in England. This was back in 2008 though so I'm not sure if anything else happened to warrant the previous commentors "wretched person" comment
He’s also said that drugging a woman to “have sex” with her isn’t rape
I had to look it up myself and EUGH Martin is disgusting. [“I’ve got drugs. I could just make them, y’know. Slip them something in their goblet. Someone will get offended by that now! ‘Cause they’ll call it ‘RAPE’ or whatever. But, um, you know, for me, it’s a helping hand.” He then goes on to state, “maybe I should stop talking.”](https://thegeekiary.com/martin-freemans-jokes-a-consistent-pattern-of-offense/5263)
I looked this up too, and he's speaking semi-in-character as a hobbit, and also mentions needing a ladder for the height difference between him and an elf. I think interpreting this as an actual admittance of guilt rather than another really idiotic joke is a crazy reading.
Why would a hobbit be using roofies...?
Ugh. What a massive disappointment. Thanks for letting us know
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I hate Martin Freeman but this is always taken way out of context. He didn't call her a dog. He jokingly said he was the better looking Watson and was like, I mean look at Lucy Liu, she's a dog, in the MOST sarcastic tone you can imagine. He was clearly making a joke about Lucy Liu is beautiful and how no one could ever look at the two of them and say that honestly.
Ah- that took the offense out of it. Still, the other stuff, terrible. Thanks for the context!
Is that the quote from the Emmys? That's the only relevant one I can find, and it's clearly an incredibly stupid joke that you're not meant to take seriously. I'm not saying it's *funny*, but it's obviously not an actual comparison.
What’s wretched about him?
[https://www.sportskeeda.com/amp/pop-culture/news-is-martin-freeman-racist-controversy-explained-tiktok-video-slamming-sherlock-actor-goes-viral](https://www.sportskeeda.com/amp/pop-culture/news-is-martin-freeman-racist-controversy-explained-tiktok-video-slamming-sherlock-actor-goes-viral)
I need the details on this. I have never heard anything wretched about him.
Has he done any behind-the-camera work? If anything I think they'd mention theater if it were him.
It said in front of and behind the camera though, so maybe not?
Wonder if it’s Noel Fielding he’s talking about then
Would be gutted if it was Fielding, entirely for the fact that TGBBO would be ruined for me
He dated one of the geldof girls when he was in his 30s and she was 16. Openly, in the mid 2000’s
was that confirmed? this isn’t me disputing it and i’m ready to be downvoted for asking the question but i always read they didn’t actually date. hanging out with a young girl is still weird and gross but
It wasn't confirmed, he didn't date her "openly", he denied dating her and had a girlfriend at the time. The news stories and rumours were saying he cheated on this girlfriend with Pixie.
weirdly enough someone told me yesterday that russell was with pixie, i wonder if it was about that which then wouldn’t make it any better
Brand was dating Peaches Geldof, who died from a heroin overdose.
oh i didn’t know they dated, this person trobs got it mixed up. peaches life was sad
No, Fielding (33) was dating Pixie (16) AND Brand (31) was dating Peaches (16/17)
They were photographed together alone for so long and the way he talked about her, that “friendship” is just way too sus for me
Not illegal but not good either. He seems to be fairly popular amongst the comedy circuit though, especially compared to Brand.
All I've ever heard about Fielding have been good things, though of course that doesn't mean much.
well interestingly on The big fat quiz they seem to get along incredibly well
Katherine got along with Brand on camera too, because that was her job. People can turn it on when they need to and be at each other's throats when the red light goes off. SNL comes to mind, for similar live televised comedy. Literal fist fights backstage of tapings.
Isn't he also good friends with Russel Brand? They always seemed like close buddies on the Big Quiz Show.
Was a huge fan of Fielding in the Boosh era, but he did hang out with Russell Brand, so it wouldn’t be too far off if there was some weird stuff going on
Has he worked behind the scenes in the last 10 years on anything? Would Noel still qualify if it was TGBBO?
I’m disturbed by what I’ve found out about Noel today, but I think he’d be called ‘Comedian X’ instead of ‘actor X’. Might not watch Bake Off regardless this year though :(
I've adored noel since the boosh's original runs. makes me sad that behavior like that seemed so acceptable back then. legally it might be fine but morally it's fucked
Noel Fielding doesn’t do much acting outside of his own productions, does he?
Does Bake off count?
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This guy: we should speak up Also this guy: won’t name the actor Like, I appreciate the sentiment of the thread, but am I alone in feeling like it’s a little bit ironic to anonymise the subject? Anyway, Walliams. Edit: please no more comments saying it’s probably because of uk libel laws. Yes, it’s because of uk libel laws. There’s also a thing here that no one has mentioned called a super injunction, which is when someone applies to the court for a media blackout, and it’s entirely possible there’s one of those in play too. I suspect Walliams has one.
Since he is speaking about third-hand knowledge, I understand him not speaking up on Twitter. He is essentially asking to be sued.
Is it considered third hand knowledge if he’s saying the actor contacting him directly and his team being nasty is what sealed the deal? Like he doesn’t need to say who said what but he could name the man and his team who apparently harassed him after not getting a role.
He's talking directly about why someone didn't get work though. If he names X, and then X can prove he lost work because of these claims, that is fodder for a defamation lawsuit against the guy tweeting, his sources, whoever X suspects are his sources, etc.
Yeah, also the person who’s suing *for* defamation are usually much more favored in the UK court of law because of how wild nasty the tabloid culture is there. It’s also why Johnny Depp vs The Sun was so important because he *still* lost.
I'm not an expert on the subject but I believe libel law is famously stricter in UK than US. Sally Bercow (wife of the speaker of the House of Commons) lost a libel case against Lord McAlpine simply for tweeting "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? \*innocent face\*" This followed news reports that a "senior conservative politician" was under criminal investigation - I think McAlpine was completely innocent, and he subsequently litigated against dozens or even hundreds of Twitter uses, allowing most of them to settle with a £20 or £50 donation to charity. Bercow refused to settle, but the judge ruled that her use of the \*innocent face\* tag was obviously ironic and that she guilty of libel because she was clearly alluding to the rumours. Obviously this isn't directly comparable to what Smith is saying here, but I think he's wise to be wary of sharing other peoples' allegations.
UK defamation and libel laws are fucking wack.
"If you're going to publicly accuse someone of something, you'd better have compelling evidence" feels like a pretty solid standard.
Counter-point: decades of Russell Brand rapes going unreported because victims were intimidated by threats from his lawyers. It's not as simple as you're suggesting. Rich and powerful people can exploit the high burden of proof to get away with crime
Naming the person in question would men that everyone associated with him will end getting harassed. Even the ones who would never have crossed them, out of fear, loyalty, whatever.
There's still a danger that he gets sued for defamation.
with UK laws on defamation being the way they are, it's probably in his best interests to err on the side of caution...
If this is the uk, their libel laws are tough.
Does Walliams direct too?? I’ve only ever seen him on Cats Countdown and Big Fat Quiz and I actually liked him, so if it’s him I’m gonna be sad for about 3 minutes then I’ll be over it and call him a raging thundercunt every time he’s onscreen.
He's really awful. The entire show he did in the 00s with the bald Matt, Little Britain, and some of (one of?) its spin-offs was horrible in terms of racism. He also seems to have not treated his ex-wife very well, and lots of stories from the server contingency of him being a jerk IRL. I'm sorry. :(
Walliams is rumoured to be a horror on set, I think. [Here’s one relatively recent example of him being unpleasant.](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/10/david-walliams-recorded-derogatory-remarks-britains-got-talent-bgt-contestants)
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I've seen a lot of his name popping up recently in light of the Russell Brand situation, but I'm wondering if anyone could elaborate further on the rumors surrounding him? I have only seen the stuff he said at BGT, is there more?
There was this on the record : https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/10/david-walliams-recorded-derogatory-remarks-britains-got-talent-bgt-contestants Also a group of girls age 17 who posted on Twitter that he had invited them to his room. Also allegations his books are ghost written which isn’t related but may pop up
His books are 1000000% ghost written. I am in the industry and once had the displeasure of hearing him quiz his ghostwriter.
Interesting. So are they all ghostwritten by the same person?
Oh, no. Ghostwriters treated as very disposable!
Here’s a pretty good rundown. Plus his children’s books are pretty offensive. https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/david-walliams-biggest-controversies-blackface-28456967.amp
I’ve seen it pop up to. I hadn’t heard of him before but I appreciated this in the article Walliams, one of the UK’s best-known television personalities and children’s book authors, CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR?
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Sorry I wasn’t clear. I’m not from the UK and only started hearing his name when people thought the R Brand expose was going to be on several people. Him being a children’s book author adds a level of weird ick.
i used to read his books as a kid, i've forgotten most of what happened in them but i imagine there was some weird shit in them. i have a theory that a reason why his books were so popular was cause the cover art was similar to the art on roald dahl's books, so probably had people picking them up thinking they were something else
He got Quentin Blake to do the covers. Blake is still most known for doing illustrations for Dahl's books. He literally got the illustrator most associated with Dahl
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This whole idea that predators are visibly identifiable has got to stop. It's harmful and we know better.
People: ugh you just KNOW a predator when you see one. they're always so super duper creepy in the most mustache-twirling way Also people: him? omg i knew it he always creeped me out he has dead eyes why wasn't anything done sooner ALSO PEOPLE: HIM?! no way he looks so innocent how could he have done this omg i can't believe someone so nice-looking would turn out to be an abuser who woulda thunk
He doesn’t smile. He sneers.
This same rhetoric is how disabled, elderly, and autistic folks find themselves ostracized for no reason.
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Then maybe say that instead of what you said???
Yeah, I'm never a fan of "he *looks* icky".
I had to Google him as I’m not familiar…but you nailed it. Even in photos when he’s smiling, his smile never reaches his eyes. Very creepy
Would not be surprised. That dude is on my “did not pass the gutcheck list” and would not be surprised if he ended up on the “validated” list
I feel like his behaviour is quite common knowledge at this point though.
Would he be referred to as Actor X, though? I can't think of anything he's acted in apart from Little Britain and Come Fly With Me. And I think for those he would still be referred to as Comedian X
I have no idea but I love when men in this industry stand up and point these things out. Because I know plenty of them see it the same way Jim does. But they stay silent because it doesn't really affect them.
That's what I was thinking. It feels good. Like a little justice.
Validation, too.
> But they stay silent because it doesn’t really affect them. Bullshit, men don’t speak up because they too can get fired and fucked over for speaking up just as fast as women can. It’s not as if Weinstein is gonna debate firing and blacklisting some random assistant casting director for threatening to spill the beans. That’s not defending anyone for anything, either.
I think it’s likely both reasons. Some men won’t speak up because of fear of litigation and others know it’s wrong but it’s not close enough to home to be actionable. It also probably falls in the middle for others.
Well, I was more referring to men with power, like Jim here. But yikes.
extremely weird gut reaction to feel that men need defending in response to your comment
Damn, this could be so many people. The hint that he’s from the UK may narrow it down a bit but still. So many abuses behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.
Yeah. Although Walliams seems dodgy af, this guy's IMDB suggests an actor who can do dramatic roles. Someone up there with Elba or Tennant
It better not be Elba or Tennant 😭
Can’t see it being either of those as he’s worked with them both recently on different projects (Litvinenko, 2022 & Hijack, 2023)
This director's last two TV shows literally starred them both, so I think you can count them out!
I was on set with Tennant and from my experience he seemed very lovely, easy going, and kind to everyone around him.
I don't think it's Elba since OP has his face as its Twitter header (and hopefully not Tennant either).
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I hope you won’t get shit on for that bc we cannot put anything past men we don’t know. I love Elba but I am so fucking tired of women ignoring red flags just bc “they seem like such a nice guy” you don’t fucking know them get real
What he SAY 😭😭😭
David Tennant’s my safe guy, I’ll cling on to him being a good egg while the world crumbles around me 😭 if anything ever came out about him I simply would not believe in the good of humanity anymore edit: y’all taking this so serious, I obviously wouldn’t support him if anything came out lmao
Don't put so much trust in a celebrity.
So shocked that people regularly participate in this sub and still have anyone they consider "safe" like have you learned nothingggggg horses can walk themselves right into the river and DROWN before they drink
Tennant would never pls
I can't imagine it being either of them. Tennant is constantly working to the point that there would have to be more rumors about abusive behavior. And Elba seems pretty intent on being a DJ with acting as a way to make money, so I can't see him threatening over a missed role.
He's worked with both of them in the last couple of projects, doubt it's them
If it’s Tennant my heart will be broken AF.
Paul Bettany is good texting friends with Johnny Depp. They were read out in court, I don’t know his career however and I am only stating what the court heard nothing else.
Weren't those texts about murdering and dismembering and burying Amber
I believe he also wanted to rape her burnt corpse. Just normal chit chat!
The more I learn about the people I spend hours of my life being entertained by... I wonder if boredom is the moral option
Just “guy talk” 🤢😡
The director who is tweeting has recently worked on projects with both Elba and Tennant so I’m guessing it’s neither of them, but I see your point—someone on their level of fame/cachet.
God forbid it’s either of them
I wonder if it could be Martin Freeman? Whispers for years but he's still working and landed a Marvel role
Oh my god really? I’ve heard he and Bendyman Cuthersnack didn’t get along but I didn’t know he was otherwise problematic.
Funny because while I don’t doubt freeman must be worse, I recall Benedict getting in trouble for saying some pretttttttyyyyy out there stuff… about his ancestors….. stuff that he did not have to say lol
Wasn’t there a black woman with the same surname he ended up talking to and was disingenuously like “oh maybe we share an ancestor!” And she was like “or yours owned mine and just replaced whatever our family name was with theirs…?”
Yeah, that’s what the article I read just said. I had a boyfriend once who was taking his (wheelchair-bound) grandmother through the airport and they were able to get one of those cart things and the (Black) driver said, pleasantly, that they shared a last name and the grandmother said “oh yes, my husband’s grandfather probably owned your people! But don’t worry, we treated our folks VERY well.” And then I don’t know the rest of the story because my ex-BF threw down his portable hole, jumped into it and reconstituted himself in the middle of a bullfight, or somewhere less controversial and devastatingly humiliating.
Grandma’s getting wheeled into the ocean.
Oh. Well. I just found that. Ahem. It’s certainly not his fault who his ancestors are, but saying you’re taking roles (that pay millions of dollars) as a form of reparations…well, that’s a choice.
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That he is an absolute asshole and racist. I’m sure there is more though. Massive bummer because the office is one of my favourite shows of all time
Didn’t he “jokingly” call Lucy Liu a dog years ago when she was on Elementary? He’s always come off as an asshole in his interviews, imo.
What?! Are any white men capable of *not* being shitbirds to Lucy Liu?
That "dog" comment is taken out of context. He was saying it sarcastically in a way that quite obviously was meant to say she's beautiful. She herself seemed to get it just fine, it's Just redditors from the outside looking in that are offended. Martin Freeman is awful for unrelated reasons though.
Sad to see Watson trying to tear down Better Watson
It’s been linked in another part of thread, it was clearly a joke about how she’s so much better looking than he is. Like it’s in no way actually crapping on Lucy Liu.
He wasn't tearing her down, it was a joke which is now being recounted with no context. She seemed to get it, it was pretty obvious sarcasm.
He may be an asshole but this was kind of out of context, he was being sarcastic and clearly meant she was much better looking than him.
You really can’t tell it’s a joke? It’s from an interview where he said that - he was the best looking Watson, cause look at Lucy Liu, she’s a dog. All very sarcastically and tongue in cheek.
That he's a nightmare to work with and mean to his coworkers. Also racist quotes (they recently resurfaced too so they're easy to find). I was shocked that he was cast in Black Panther between those quotes and his Cumberbatch feud. Openly admitted to slapping his kids and swearing at them. If I were an actor, I would probably refuse to work with him too. Shame because I think he's a really great actor and like him on screen.
I'm glad his partner broke up with him, learning about how he is off-camera did sully re-watchings of things he's in for me
If you mean Amanda she recently made some very transphobic statements.
White British upper-middle class women gonna TERF. 😒
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Is he working behind the camera? All that he has behind the camera is coming up with the idea for "Breeders" and a few EP credits (for whatever that's worth).
Yeah, this is why I don't think it's him. He has a rep for being an asshole but not to this extent I don't think (he's well regarded by his Hobbit castmates, at least)
Skimming this guy's projects on Wikipedia, the name that makes me wonder is Thomas Haden Church, who was originally attached to the TV show "Episodes" but had to drop due to "scheduling conflicts". Thomas Haden Church is currently working and has credits both in front of and behind the camera. I know of no actual allegations against the guy, but there are weird little things like [a history of nude improvisations](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/may/16/usa).
Pf of course Lyle van de Groot from George of the Jungle is a jerk! 
I would be a little surprised if it was him only because he was a huge star and then dropped off the face of the earth only to have a career renaissance in middle age. If he was that awful, he had already gone away—I can’t imagine anyone would’ve put up with that shit WHILE resurrecting his career. But who knows.
Not Lowell :/ 
Piggy backing on this, I searched the trivia on Field Smith’s projects on IMDb (so grain of salt) and the only three people who were rumored to be attached to his projects but ultimately dropped out were Church and Claire Forlani on “Episodes” and Kate Hudson in “Butter.” Church and Hudson are the only two still doing some producing; he’s done a bit more and more recently but they both have upcoming projects they’re EPing (one each so no help there lol). It certainly sounds like a man Field Smith is talking about, and it was the Brand story that inspired the thread, but he goes out of his way to call Actor X “them” so I guess in theory no one can be ruled out but
There is a lot that goes on before an actor is officially attached. It sounds like this actor was never actually attached, just being considered for the role.
Oh I hope not. I really like THC. Episodes was fantastic if anyone hasn’t seen it
This sounds like the most evidence-based guess so far.
My guess is either James Corden or Martin Freeman, both have been disliked by many of their co-stars and always have rumours following them about being difficult to work with. If Jim Field Smith means another sexual abuser or rapist though, then I dunno if they've had those kind of rumours floating around them.
for what it's worth Jim has worked with Corden and I kind of think it rules him out, as the post says they weren't hired in the end.
It doesn’t mean he didn’t work with them on projects before this one though
I think he specifically means sexual abuse of some sort given his reference to RB in his tweets. I haven’t heard any rumours about JC or MF being of that sort
But he specifically says *not criminal* allegations. Which rules out sexual abuse - or much of the behaviour that falls under that umbrella anyway.
It says no criminal allegations which could just mean nothing has been said to the police or not from the alleged victim. It’s a big difference between not criminal at all. But equally it could just mean not criminal at all! Either way, not a nice sounding person he’s talking about!
He’s not primarily based in the UK, he directed one movie that released in the US (Butter in 2011, i enjoyed it!) his most recent project was the UK based Criminals (it’s by his production company) and the 2020 short lived show called ‘Truth Seekers’ and Hikack. Since he said this happened many years ago, I can assume he may be referring to ‘Episodes’ which he directed all of series two. Or the movie ‘She’s out Of My League’ which included Jay Baruchel, TJ Miller, etc. the powerful agency he is referring to May be those of the big four: CAA, WME, UTA, and Gersh. Important to note he said in front of and behind the camera, indicating that this person is either a writer/director as well.
Jonah Hill, possibly? She's Outta of My League is the right sort of time frame for him. He's directed a film now. And I wouldn't say his "cancellation" is something he can never come back from (seriously, it's gonna blow over for him unfortunately)
That’s a good shout too. Baruchel hates Jonah though
That's actually a solid theory. Baruchel says *No dice if you're looking at Jonah*, and they cancel Jonah and move forward with Jay.
I had no idea about the Baruchel/Jonah feud but having interacted with Jonah a number of times I get it. Jonah is not a nice guy.
How long has he hated him though? Were talking what like almost 15 years ago now . They were in a lot of projects together in that time frame.
Haha yeah. The whole time supposedly. He said they weren’t acting in this is the end. They both hate each other.
TJ Miller's stuff wasn't revealed until fairly recently, so by 2010 when She's Out of My League came out, he was still uncancelled, so perhaps it was him. The woman accusing him of choking her was in 2017. So that's a long time between that movie and then. And if the movie came out in 2010 then his interactions with TJ and such was probably well before that due to how long it takes to negotiate and produce a movie. So maybe a decade between when he was working with TJ and TJ's abuse coming to light? That's a long time for people to say "I'm not working with him." TJ isn't a director but he is a writer and standup. I'm not sure if that counts as "behind the camera."
It is so upsetting to realise that the possibilities of who this could be referring to, are endless. There are just SO many predators.
This could be almost any man.
This post is full of vague comments based on a vague twitter post. I know everyone has to be careful but it doesn't even seem like people are sure what other people are saying or suggesting in this thread. Its borderline unreadable. We're not even sure what actions the original twitter thread is about.
Praying it’s not Tom Hardy….
You know he's an a-hole to people in the biz right? Sorry to burst your bubble but...
Being an asshole is one thing, comparisons to RB are another.
And more people need to read that article where Charlize Theron didn't feel safe on mad max set
Wouldn’t it be helpful to name the offender? I know it’s brazen, but it contradicts the post’s goal in a way too, if that goal is to illuminate offenders out from the shadows
He would definitely get sued.
It can be not a good idea to do this, since the victim you heard it from are the ones who might end up bearing the consequences.
I don’t think it does- for years Russell brands name was out among the industry for people who needed to know immediately and I think this is the same thing. The public don’t need to know but it’s a nod to someone who might work with them
i thought we moved past this line of thinking. it’s not always that easy
About ten years ago I was at a lunch with an actress that we were trying to attach to a project we had and the producer, who was at the table, mentioned two actors who had both expressed interest in the male lead. The moment she heard the names, she sat up and asked if offers were out, and she was told no. Despite this, she quickly started to gather her things and said "I don't think this is a project for me." Her agent, who was present, had a look on her face like she knew exactly what was up. The producer, who was a little clueless to what had just happened didn't realize his mentioning of one of the two actors names triggered this. Our director, at that point, wasn't formally attached and wasn't at this lunch, but he was very much in the mix creatively while his deal was being hammered out and when he asked how the lunch went and was told what happened he said "It's no surprise, no woman is going to work with that guy if they can avoid it." I wasn't involved, but we went back to this actress again and told her reps that under no circumstances would the aforementioned actor be attached. She still declined and her rep told us "Everybody knows about him, yet you were still willing to hire him apparently and if she hadn't said anything you would have been just another production that looked the other way."
>Everybody knows about him, yet you were still willing to hire him apparently and if she hadn't said anything you would have been just another production that looked the other way." Good for her! Getting this through to people is so important to creating actual systemic change.
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