It was just three months ago that actor Jeffrey Tambor – best known for his role as George Sr. in Arrested Development was fired from the ground-breaking Amazon series, Transparent, due to claims of alleged sexual harassment on set.
Tambor made international headlines for his game-changing role as Maura Pfefferman in Transparent.
While Amazon conducted an internal investigation into his behaviour, the company never released the outcome publicly.
Instead, they announced Tambor would not be returning to the show.
This was a sentiment Tambor himself had already iterated last November when the claims against him were initially made.
“Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life. What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago. I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue. Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.”
After Tambor was officially cut from the show and Amazon had concluded their investigation, series creator Jill Soloway, expressed her admiration for the women who spoke out about Tambor’s behaviour.
“I have great respect and admiration for Van Barnes and Trace Lysette, whose courage in speaking out about their experience on Transparent is an example of the leadership this moment in our culture requires. We are grateful to the many trans people who have supported our vision for Transparent since its inception and remain heartbroken about the pain and mistrust their experience has generated in our community. We are taking definitive action to ensure our workplace respects the safety and dignity of every individual, and are taking steps to heal as a family.”
This statement was released on November 17 – the same month shooting for Season 5 of Arrested Development eventually wrapped (the show is set for release anytime between now and the coming few weeks).
Steve Holt! Uncle Mike!
Going off these dates, it seems Tambor was enlisted to reprise his role as George Sr. before the allegations against him on the set of Transparent went public.
So, does this mean Mitch Hurtwitz and the Arrested Development crew had no choice but to continue working with Tambor because the footage was almost entirely shot by this stage?
While there’s no word on Tambor’s role in the series, a number of his former co-stars have come out in recent months defending the actor.
This includes comedian David Cross, who told claimed many of their mutual co-workers were standing behind Tambor in light of recent events.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I know there are a number of us who stand behind him – from the limited amount we know, we stand behind Jeffrey – and I am one of them.”
Cross went on to add that he found it “very curious that Amazon didn’t make public the results of their internal investigation”, adding, “I’m not sure why they would do that. I know the whole thing is rather curious to me.”
Jason Bateman has also weighed in on the situation, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
“I love Jeffrey. I always will. I can’t go further than that, but I will always love that man.”
Are Tambor’s male co-stars standing up for him because the success of Season 5 could be contingent on clearing his name and reputation? Is it all about showing a united front?
And if so, does this mean Tambor has a triumphant small screen return heading his way?
Please address Jeffrey Tambor's future with the series. If what he did warranted losing his job on #Transparent, it should have the same consequences with #ArrestedDevelopment. #TimesUp #MeToo https://t.co/CSL9qdcBgo
— Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) May 1, 2018
The only female co-star to share a different stance to her male counterparts is Alia Shawkat, who worked with Tambor on Transparent and Arrested Development.
“I was surprised, obviously. I’ve known him since I was very young. I support the voices of the victims though, whatever they said. It’s being handled the way it’s being handled. It’s very … strange … I worked with him on two shows, too, so it’s kind of following me around. I hope it’s all handled legally, the way it should be, and taken into consideration. What those victims said needs to be heard just as much.”
Arrested Development was initially cancelled by Fox in 2006, but resurrected by Netflix for a fourth season years later.
This season didn’t exactly tickle fans the way they’d hoped.
Conflicting schedules for each actor meant it was hard to get everyone together for shoots, which ultimately led to Mitch Hurtwitz filming character-specific episodes.
According to Hurtwitz’s recent Twitter post however, that’s all set to change thanks to some fancy editing skills.
On the next… Arrested Development pic.twitter.com/NjP26k9KE7
— Arrested Development (@arresteddev) May 1, 2018
While his announcement is exiting for fans of the series, it fails to address the important issues surrounding Tambor and his role on the show.
As a key character that is pivotal to the storyline, it’s only natural that we’d assume he’ll be in the entire season.
But if Hurtwitz and co. believe they can move forward without giving viewers some kind of statement or clarity around their choice to continue working with Tambor, they’ll be sorely mistaken.
We’ll be waiting with bated breath in the meantime…