LONDON, ENGLAND: Hugo Speer recently appeared in a tell-all interview where he slammed Disney+ for wrongfully terminating him from the upcoming television spinoff of the hit 1997 British comedy movie ‘The Full Monty’. As the television spinoff is all set to premiere on June 14, Speer, who starred in the role of Guy in the movie, revealed that he was originally cast in the latest production but was let go citing “inappropriate conduct.”
The ‘London Kills’ star said that while filming for the new show in Manchester, England, a runner knocked on his trailer and entered without waiting despite him telling her to wait, in a Daily Mail interview. Speer, who was changing at the moment, became flabbergasted and confused on seeing the female runner and hid behind a wardrobe. He also claimed that the woman did not immediately leave after realizing he was changing. But this incident subsequently accelerated to cause his termination from the series.
'I’ve never, in 31 years, had a single complaint'
The ‘Bedlam’ star said in the interview that a couple of days passed after the incident when a producer took him aside and said, “There’s been a couple of complaints about you.” According to Speer, he was surprised at the allegation and said, “What?’ I’ve never, in 31 years, had a single complaint about my conduct.” However, the producer then continued to say, “You’ve been seen undressed in your trailer.”
Hugo also shared that he was left “shocked” when he found out through the producer that he had “made members of the crew feel ‘uncomfortable.'” He further said, “I tried to think back and remembered the runner, but she hadn’t said anything since she opened the door on me,” before adding, “Not ‘that was a bit awkward’. Nothing. We just carried on doing our jobs.”
‘They’ve taken my mental health’
It was just the tip of the iceberg, as after the initial event he was asked to return home for a considerable amount of time. At the time, he hoped for the situation to improve, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. In fact, after a preliminary investigation, his character was not only omitted from the show but his contract was also terminated. He revealed that the investigation report said that a costume trainee saw him in a state of undress when she walked through an open door in his trailer.
"It doesn't even make sense. Some mates of mine, laddie mates in the pub, just laughed,” recounted the actor. He continued, "They said 'This is The Full Monty you're on, isn't it? For God's sake?'” But the entire ordeal wasn’t as simple as it looked. The incident messed with his mental health as he said, “It was tragi-comic, but they didn't realize how badly affected I was. I went into massive, deep shock. As you can see, I'm still kind of there."
Elaborating further about his struggle with mental health, he said, “I went into massive, deep shock. As you can see, I’m still kind of there.” Speer recounted, “They’ve taken my job. They’ve taken my reputation. They’ve taken my money. They’ve taken my mental health.”
The worst part is that he even contemplated self-harm, as he said, "I just wanted to stop feeling what I was feeling. If it wasn't for Vivienne and the girls, I would have ended it all. That was the worst thing. I didn't want to be feeling like this, but I couldn't stop living because of my family.” However, he was saved because of his love for his family. "My children, they're so little I can't... They're going to remember this for the rest of their lives, seeing their daddy having a nervous breakdown. No child should have to see that," said Speer.
When Daily Mail contacted Disney, a spokesperson said, “Last year, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Hugo Speer on the set of ‘The Full Monty’. As is policy, an independent investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his contract, with immediate effect.”
