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F. Murray Abraham has mined comedic gold by playing characters who don’t know where the line is when it comes to inappropriate behaviour, most notably in recent times as the libidinous grandfather Bert Di Grasso on season two of The White Lotus.
But in real life, such behaviour has apparently cost him his job on the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest after the 83-year-old actor was reportedly sacked for sexual misconduct on set.
F. Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso in season two of The White Lotus.Credit: HBO/Binge
Abraham, who won the best supporting actor Oscar in 1985 for his role as Mozart’s rival composer Salieri in Amadeus, had been a regular on the show about a computer gaming company in its first two seasons.
He played C.W. Longbottom, a fantasy/sci-fi author who was tasked with bringing narrative richness and character complexity – or backstory, to use his favoured term – to the fictional game for which the show is named.
His character was louche, handsy, and given to insensitive and inappropriate comments. He was a throwback and, to many of the people working on the game, an embarrassment. Game developer Poppy Liwang, played by Australian actress Charlotte Nicdao, was one of the many women in the Mythic Quest team who took issue with his character’s behaviour.
But when the show’s third season was announced last April, Abraham was no longer part of the cast.
Lionsgate, the studio that produces the show, said in a statement at that time: “F. Murray Abraham will not be returning to season three of Mythic Quest. Beyond that, we do not comment on matters concerning personnel.”
Rob McElhenney and F. Murray Abraham in the workplace comedy Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet.Credit: Apple TV+
When the third season premiered in November, Abraham’s character had been written out of the show via a suicide note left behind in his office, explaining that he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had decided to write his own ending by driving his car into the Grand Canyon, a scenario clearly inspired by the ending of Thelma & Louise.
Speaking to reporters during a set visit to the show last May, series co-creator Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Welcome To Wrexham) gave little away.
“It’s a bummer to not have Murray in this season,” he said. “But we recognise that C.W. is a beloved character and obviously a huge part of the show. So, we made sure that we have a really fitting tribute to him. We definitely address it in a big way.”
But according to Rolling Stone, the real reason for Abraham’s departure has now been revealed as “sexual misconduct”.
Abraham won an Oscar for his role as Antonio Salieri, opposite Tom Hulce’s Mozart, in Amadeus. Credit: Jaromir Komarek
The publication claims “at least two concerns were raised about Abraham’s behaviour. The first incident resulted in Abraham being given a warning and told to keep away from some of the show’s actresses, according to a production source. After a second incident was brought to creator and star Rob McElhenney’s attention … Abraham was let go from the show.”
Lionsgate responded to questions about the allegations with a statement, reported by Rolling Stone.
“We take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly,” a spokesperson for the studio said. “As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss our personnel actions.”
Neither Abraham nor McElhenney has commented on the allegations.
Abraham will next be seen in the Italian thriller Double Soul, which is billed as offering “a double female point of view … between the affirmation of identity and the risks that people are willing to take to get what they want”.
Find more of the author’s work here. Email him at [email protected], or follow him on Facebook at karlquinnjournalist and on Twitter @karlkwin.
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