Charlyne Yi claimed that they were ‘physically assaulted multiple times by an actor, as well as psychologically abused’ on Taika Waititi’s ‘Time Bandits’ set. They were later allegedly ‘coerced to quit’ the show and were denied compensation for a back injury and PTSD.
Yi’s allegations came in an Instagram post on May 7. The caption read:
“Instead of asking ‘why did it take them so long to speak up’ why not ask ‘what institutions and circumstances make it unsafe to?’”
They Didn’t See Support From Cast And Crew
The Judy actor also said they were ‘gaslit by coworkers, producers, and HR.’ HR reportedly told them they could ‘leave with ‘integrity’’ instead of asking the alleged abuser to leave before an investigation started.
Yi noted that they were forced to ‘submit to [their] abuser’ to avoid further physical assault. This led them to suicidal thoughts despite not previously being ‘prone to thinking this way.’
The actor detailed the assault’s damage on her with a second post including texts with a ‘Chinese Medicine doc.’ They wrote:
“I could not even stand straight without shooting pains, could not sleep, and was constantly disassociating from chronic pain. I want my workers comp so I can heal my back and PTSD from the physical assaults and psychological abuse on the ‘Time Bandits’ set.”
The Studio Denied The Allegations
A Paramount TV Studios representative commented on the allegations via Variety. They said:
“The safety of our cast and crew is very important to us, and we take all concerns that are raised to us very seriously. At the time of the complaint, Paramount Television Studios conducted a full investigation regarding allegations that were brought to our attention. While all investigations are confidential and we cannot comment on specifics, additional steps were taken to address concerns.”
A source close to the Apple TV+ project also talked on the matter by saying the said incident happened on camera in a scene where a fellow actor ran or bumped into Charlyne Yi.
The source didn’t deny Yi’s back injury nor mentioned its cause, but they disputed the allegation that requests for compensation were denied. They said the studio helped the actor receive payment from a third party in charge.
The source also claimed Yi was working with that party to get additional payment.
Insider Says The Actor Was Compensated
Charlyne Yi wrote in their first post that they were tired of being met with ‘retaliation’ and ‘have been met with being blacklisted, death threats, threatened to be sued, and fired—any time [they] have spoken out.’
The actor alleged in 2018 that Marilyn Manson harassed them on the ‘House’ set. They later posted about wanting to quit James Franco’s ‘The Disaster Artist’ after the sexual misconduct claims against him.
The show insider confirmed that Yi quit before the filming of ‘Time Bandits’ wrapped up but denied that they were forced to do so. The studio allegedly gave them the option to leave or stay after an official investigation failed to back up her claims.
The source also noted that the incident happened 18 months ago before mid-November 2022, and Yi was still paid for all the episodes they were originally set to appear in.
