The three actresses who came forward to the ABC and Fairfax with accusations of sexual harassment against long-time actor Craig McLachlan have said producers knew about the alleged behaviour, despite the company saying the contrary.
Gordon Frost Organisation (GFO) said the first time they’d heard about the incidences that occurred on the set of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 2014 were through recent news reports, and that they were “shocked to learn” of them. The company has said they will be conducting their own internal investigation.
Christie Whelan Browne, one of the women alongside Erika Heynatz and Angela Scundi who were allegedly harassed by Craig, told ABC’s 7.30 that they were aware.
“That is untrue,” she said of GFO’s claims.
“There were two people in management that I spoke to directly and I can’t imagine they could look me in the face and say those conversations never happened.”
Christie had to work with Craig again during The Wrong Girl last year.
Angela added: “It’s quite shocking to be honest.”
“Incredibly disappointing for the industry as a whole, not just for me personally or for Christie and Erika, but for the entire entertainment industry. GFO are a giant. They are known for having a monopoly over the musical theatre industry. So it’s incredibly disappointing that they can so easily deny.
Erika said, “it is this response that drove us to tell our story in the media.”
“For GFO to say they had no details of the complaint prior to our going to the media is not true.”
“Our first letter through our lawyers provided a bullet point list of explicitly inappropriate behaviour by Craig McLachlan. This was more than enough detail for GFO to recognise that our complaints warranted investigation. But instead they threatened to sue us for defamation.”
Actress Angela Scundi recounted Craig’s behaviour on ABC’s 7.30 report.
Craig, 52, who starred as the lead role Dr Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has adamantly denied the claims against him, telling The Herald, “I have NEVER done anything like this.”
“Frankly, they seem to be simple inventions, perhaps made for financial reasons, perhaps to gain notoriety,” he told the ABC.
“In either event, they are to the best of my knowledge utterly and entirely false.”
Craig, who appeared on Neighbours, has been stood down from his Rocky Horror role, and The Doctor Blake Mysteries (which he’s the lead role in), has suspended production while an investigation is carried out.
Understudy Adam Rennie performed Rocky Horror in Craig’s place last night in Adelaide.
Since initial reports, two more people, a man and a woman, have come forward to Victorian Police.
Craig as Doctor Lucien Blake on The Doctor Blake Mysteries
