American actor Charlyne Yi says they were "physically assaulted", "psychologically abused" and "gaslit by coworkers, producers and HR" on the set the of Taika Waititi's Time Bandits TV series, which was produced in Wellington.
In a series of Instagram posts the actor, who plays Judy in the upcoming Apple TV+ series, says they were "physically assaulted multiple times by an actor, as well as psychologically abused" and "coerced to quit" the show.
Yi also claimed they were denied compensation for a back injury and PTSD.
They also said they were told "to submit to [their] abuser so he wouldn't physically assault [them] more", and claimed they experienced suicidal thoughts despite not previously being "prone to thinking this way".
A source on the show told Variety magazine the accusation of workers' compensation being denied were not true. However, they didn't deny that Yi had sustained an injury while shooting the series.
Yi said in a follow-up post that the injury had been so severe they couldn't "even stand straight without shooting pains, could not sleep", and was constantly disassociating from chronic pain.
Yi also says that they are "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".
In a statement reported by Variety, the show's producer Paramount TV Studios 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."
The source also told Variety an official investigation could not substantiate Yi's claims, and they had been given the option to continue working or to leave the production without having their contract enforced. It added they were still paid for all episodes that they were originally set to appear in.
Variety also reported the incidents had happened in mid-November 2022 and that Waititi's representatives and Apple TV had no further comment, referring any queries to Paramount TV Studios.
In October 2022, the series was criticised by the granddaughter of one of the original film's actors and disability rights campaigners.
Abby Purvis is the 22-year-old granddaughter of Jack Purvis, who played Wally in the 1981 sci-fi film.
On TikTok she claimed the casting of the new show - which includes Lisa Kudrow from Friends - was "tarnishing" her grandfather's legacy by not using any people of short stature.
Time Bandits was shot in Wellington and wrapped production in January 2023. The fantasy series is based on Monty Python star Terry Gilliam's film of the same name.
Its release date has not yet been announced.
