Gold Logie winning actor Craig McLachlan will fight the claims of sexual misconduct against him saying his career has been “annihilated” by the accusations.
The former Rocky Horror show star admits the show’s backstage culture could be lewd, but McLachlan insists he is innocent of the allegations against him, he told News Ltd in his first public interview since the allegations surfaced earlier this month.
McLachlan left the stage show mid-January amid allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour, with his understudy taking to the stage as Frank N Furter for the Brisbane and Perth season.
It came after three women – Christie Whelan Browne, Angela Scundi and Erika Heynatz – who appeared in the 2014 production of the Rocky Horror Show told the ABC McLachlan inappropriately touched them or exposed himself.
A woman and a man who worked as part of the crew have also gone to Victorian police who are investigating the allegations.
McLachlan says he doesn’t understand why the allegations were made.
“By God I will fight this,” he told News Ltd, alongside his partner, orchestra conductor Vanessa Scammell.
“And the truth, the truth will come out,” he said while not commenting on the specific allegations made against him citing legal advice.
“There are hundreds and hundreds of people who will stand forward and go, ‘what we have read in the media recently, this is not the guy we know’. So (I feel) anger, hurt, bewilderment, but it keeps coming back to shock. How can this be?
McLachlan has been lying low since stepping down from the stage show.
Producers of the popular TV show The Doctor Blake Mysteries in which McLachlan stars have also temporarily halted preparations for the new series on the Seven Network while allegations are investigated.
Cast and crew of the TV show have reportedly revealed details of McLachlan’s on-set behaviour, including an alleged incident where he held a banana to his crotch and thrust it into the faces of an actress and director.
One crew member told Fairfax Media McLachlan’s constant sexual innuendos might have been brushed off as a joke by some but “it looked like sexual harassment”.
Top Comments
I hope he does "fight" the allegations I'd like to see his bank account a bit lighter an more of he's victims to come out,, an to all the people that keep saying "why has it taken this long for people to come out" when Entitled celebraties start saying, an touching people, whenever they get the urge an the person doesnt do anything they keep going, ask( Rolf Harris how that works) then all it takes is one brave person to step forward an then the cards begin to fall, like they say the truth always comes out,,,
After reading up on interrogation techniques, a “tell” is when someone categorically denies they have done something i.e. I didn’t do it, I would never do that, as opposed to “someone like me would never do something like that”. It doesn’t appear McLaughlin has denied these acts, merely that he is trying to excuse them or say they were misinterpreted. In my view, it appears he did do these things but was ignorant to or had reckless disregard for the effect on his victims. This may have been “excusable” behaviour once, but it appears these wanton predators are rightfully now being called to account.