Australian actress Samara Weaving has left popular US TV series SMILF after two separate issues involving sex scenes.
The former Home and Away star made complaints against the Showtime series creator Frankie Shaw, who allegedly tried to force her to do a sex scene naked, and then later, turned on CCTV monitors that were supposed to be off during the filming of another sex scene.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shaw, who also stars as the show’s title single mum, gave Weaving just 40 minutes notice to perform a sex scene with her co-star Miguel Gomez, nude, during the filming of the show’s first season.
As there was no nudity clause in her contract, Weaving refused, at which point, a source says Shaw pulled the 26-year-old into her trailer, took her own top off and demanded to know why she had such a problem with nudity.
Weaving’s representatives have not commented publicly on the alleged events, but Shaw’s reps confirmed it to THR by way of clarifying that her breasts weren’t exposed when she took her top off. This was said to have made Weaving “uncomfortable”.
Weaving and Gomez eventually performed the sex scene in underwear, but another issue arose during the filming of season two.
This time Weaving was meant to be wearing a T-shirt and underwear, but Gomez was asked to be nude. A source told THR that the pair explained to the show’s director Cate Shortland about the issue last year.
Shaw wasn’t present during the filming of the scene, which was happening on a closed set – meaning only the necessary crew were around. Outside monitors were also turned off for the same reasons of privacy.
However, when Shaw learned the monitors were off, she allegedly instructed the monitors to be turned on, leading to more than a dozen staff being able to see the scene without the actors’ knowledge.
Weaving is believed to have complained to the screen actors union and Showtime, and her complaints were investigated.
The investigation found Shaw innocent of wrongdoing, Variety reports, but Weaving was released from her contract after requesting not to return if the show continues with a third season.
A source told THR that the environment on set was “traumatising”.
“There are a lot of shows where people are angry at each other and then it’s over and then you celebrate the work. This was not like that. People were really traumatised. It was pretty upsetting.”
Weaving is best known for playing Indi Walker on Home and Away from 2009 and 2013 and has since been in several movies and TV series, including Netflix’s The Babysitter, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Showcase miniseries Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Frankie Shaw has spoken out as a supporter of the #MeToo movement.
Top Comments
Good on her for sticking up for herself.
I agree, but it's concerning that if your boss is asking you to do something that isn't in your contract then the best idea is to just leave.
Horrible. I wonder if this will get shunted to the side and not talked about like the allegations against Asia Argento were.
Yeah, AA did some pretty reprehensible stuff, I was surprised to see her manage to dust that off.
It's alleged that:
AA slept with an underage co-star.
Anthony Bourdaine recently paid off the abused actor for his silence - I forget the sum of money, it was large and AB's death revealed that he wasn't astronomically wealthy.
Although I think that Weinstein absolutely needed to face up to his actions, it was intensely hypocritical that AA shouted his abuse to the treetops, while having committed sexual abuse, of a fairly serious order, herself.
Bourdaine committed suicide shortly after AA was photographed in the arms of a French journalist.
Using AB, right after his suicide, as a shield and excuse was the bit that really boiled my blood.
I don't know how that didn't get the same utter hammering that Kevin Spacey got for his "oh... um... I'm gay?" rubbish. It's utterly, utterly disgusting.
Everyone knows who Kevin Spacey is and at the time Anthony Rapp made his allegations against him, he was starring on one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed shows around. On the other hand, many people still couldn't pick Asia Argento out of a line-up or name a single film or television show she's appeared in.
I think the fact that there is still the idea that teenage boys are supposed to be thrilled about sexual contact with an older woman (even when they are clearly too young to consent) is part of the reason why the stories were reported differently but I also think Argento and Spacey's relative levels of fame played a part.
Oh for sure.
After his death it did seem most people had even a passing awareness of Bourdaine though. I really thought there'd be a bigger defence of his name when Asia kept using it as a shield from allegations, even if she's not that well known.
And I totally agree, even now it does seem sex crimes are framed as "if a young girl is preyed upon by an older man, it's sickening paedophilia. hang him. if a young boy is preyed apon by an older woman, it's titillating."