‘Lethal Weapon’ Star Clayne Crawford Apologizes for On-Set Behavior
Lethal Weapon star Clayne Crawford is already on his apology tour. Following bizarre reports the star’s on-set abuses put a third season of the FOX remake in jeopardy, Crawford profusely apologizes and explains his “distressing” reprimands.
It was only yesterday word broke that FOX and Warner Bros. were considering either recasting Crawford’s role as Martin Riggs, or replacing the Lethal Weapon character with a female lead. Crawford reportedly “[had] been disciplined several times over complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment,” to the point actors and crew refused to work with him again. The actor today took to Instagram to explain two instances of conflict with assistant directors that resulted in therapy, restitution and unsafe working conditions:
It is true that I have been reprimanded twice during the past two seasons of ‘Lethal Weapon.’ The first reprimand was because I reacted with anger over working conditions that did not feel safe or conducive to good work under the leadership of a guest director and assistant director, who, in turn, were angry at my response. I met with human resources, I apologized for my part of the conflict, and I completed studio appointed therapy in October. I even shared a sizeable portion of my paycheck with one of the parties involved, per the instruction of the studio.
The second reprimand happened just a few weeks ago during the episode I was directing. An actor on set felt unsafe because a piece of shrapnel from an effect hit him. It was an unfortunate event that happened in spite of all precautions and procedures being followed. I take responsibility for the incident, because I was in charge of the set. I absolutely love, respect, and care for my crew and cast and would never intentionally jeopardize so many jobs. Moreover, I love the process of filmmaking and television. I appreciate and respect the work of everyone involved. It takes a village, and I am incredibly sorry if my passion for doing good work has ever made anyone feel less than comfortable on set or feel less than celebrated for their efforts. Furthermore, I apologize to all the crew and cast for any negative attention ‘Lethal Weapon’ is receiving because of these incidents.
Crawford went on to express gratitude for his job, as well that “I hope they will stick with me and stick with the show.” The original report noted Lethal Weapon is the top-rated Warner Bros. show on FOX, and was otherwise a slam-dunk for Season 3 renewal. It remains to be seen if production will accept Crawford’s mea culpa and press on, so stay tuned.
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