Jessica Walter has admitted Jeffrey Tambor verbally "harassed" her on the set of ‘Arrested Development’.
The 73-year-old actor recently referenced a "blowout" he had with his co-star that got out of hand while discussing his firing from ‘Transparent’ following allegations of sexual harassment, and though Jessica, 77, declined to comment at the time, she has now tearfully addressed the incident.
In a roundtable interview with other ‘Arrested Development’ cast members for the New York Times, she said: "In like almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set. And it’s hard to deal with, but I’m over it now.
"Let me just say one thing that I just realised in this conversation. I have to let go of being angry at him.
"He never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever. Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize. I have to let it go.
"And I have to give [Jeffrey] a chance to, you know, for us to be friends again."
The interview has sparked controversy because Jason initially defended Jeffrey for what he had previously admitted himself could be "difficult" behaviour.
He said: "In the entertainment industry it is incredibly common to have people who are, in quotes, ‘difficult.’
"It’s a weird thing, and it is a breeding ground for atypical behavior and certain people have certain processes."
But Alia Shawkat retorted: "But that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. And the point is that things are changing, and people need to respect each other differently."
Jessica then tearfully interjected with her own story, and admitted she would never have mentioned the incident had Jeffrey not spoken about it first, and insisted she would work with the actor again "in a heartbeat".
Jessica Walter felt verbally harassed by Jeffrey Tambor
