Trace Lysette, who plays yoga instructor Shea on Transparent, claims Jeffrey Tambor pressed up against her in a very sexual way during filming and repeatedly made lewd sexually suggestive comments about wanting to have sex with her. Lysette explains.
“He came in close, put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrust back and forth against my body.”
“For the past four years, I’ve had the huge privilege - and huge responsibility - of playing Maura Pfefferman, a transgender woman, in a show that I know has had an enormous, positive impact on a community that has been too long dismissed and misunderstood. Now I find myself accused of behavior that any civilized person would condemn unreservedly. I know I haven’t always been the easiest person to work with. I can be volatile and ill-tempered, and too often I express my opinions harshly and without tact. But I have never been a predator - ever. I am deeply sorry if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone. But the fact is, for all my flaws, I am not a predator and the idea that someone might see me in that way is more distressing than I can express.”
The accusations against Jeffrey Tambor have dealt a blow to a series applauded for its progressive outlook on gender issues and representation of LGBT characters. Tambor has won two Emmys for his work on the show and has been the public face. The future of Transparent is uncertain at this time, at least a future involving Jeffrey Tambor. You can read the accusations as well as Tambor’s full statement via The Hollywood Reporter.
