Arrested Development star Alia Shawkat says she wishes she had intervened further during that recent interview with the show’s cast, in which her male co-stars worked overtime to contextualise and minimise Jeffrey Tambor‘s verbal outbursts against Jessica Walter.
Last month, a New York Times interview with the show’s cast broached the topic of Tambor’s dismissal from Transparent over sexual harassment allegations. The discussion prompted Walter to reveal Tambor verbally harassed her while working on Arrested Development.
“In like almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set,” a tearful Walter said. The public admission spurred co-stars Jason Bateman, Tony Hale, and David Cross to voice their support for Tambor.
Only Shawkat presented the view that Tambor’s behaviour was unacceptable regardless of the context, using one of her few additions to the conversation to say “the point is that things are changing, and people need to respect each other differently.”
Speaking to Broadly, Shawkat explained the “intense moment” came after a day of press interviews which only skimmed the allegations made against Tambor.
Shawkat said she was shaking as Bateman offered his defense of Tambor, and that she herself cried after the interview.
“Afterwards I was scared that I didn’t say enough and was kind of upset with myself that I wasn’t able to stand my ground more,” Shawkat said, but reiterated that Walter’s wellbeing was her main concern in the moment.
She said she discussed the matter with the cast, including Tambor, after the interview, and that their conversations were productive – despite the fact her male co-stars potentially overlooked her distress because “for the most part, they still have seen me as a little girl.”
“For the first time as a woman, through this awkward scenario, I finally had their ears to say, ‘This is how I felt, and this is what I want, and this is what I believe in.’ I think they were hurt to realize they had not been aware of that,” Shawkat said.
“They were all very sincerely apologetic, as well as surprised.”
After outlining her hopes that other men in the industry, you know, take a back seat to really listen to the concerns of women, Shawkat said “I know I said a little, but what I wish I had said was, ‘Stop talking. Stop. Jessica, go on.’”
You can read the full chat HERE.
