EXCLUSIVE
F. Murray Abraham Was Kicked Off ‘Mythic Quest’ for Sexual Misconduct
The White Lotus star’s exit from the Apple TV+ series last April came after at least two complaints were made against him, Rolling Stone has learned
F. Murray Abraham’s unexpected departure from Mythic Quest last year ahead of the Apple TV+ show’s third season stemmed from sexual misconduct complaints, Rolling Stone has learned.
The 83-year-old’s exit was announced last April with little explanation other than producing studio Lionsgate confirming the news regarding the Oscar-winning actor. “Beyond that, we do not comment on matters concerning personnel,” the studio added. Abraham did not comment at the time.
But Rolling Stone has learned that at least two concerns were raised about Abraham’s behavior. The first incident resulted in Abraham being given a warning and told to keep away from some of the show’s actresses, according to a production source. After a second incident was brought to creator and star Rob McElhenney’s attention, Rolling Stone understands that Abraham was let go from the show.
In a statement released on Thursday, Abraham confirmed the firing, saying, “This is a sincere and deeply felt apology. Though never my intention to offend anyone, I told jokes, nothing more, that upset some of my colleagues and as a result lost a great job with wonderful people. I have grown in my understanding from this experience, and I hope they will forgive me.”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Lionsgate said, “We take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly. As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss our personnel actions.” McElhenney did not return requests for comment, nor did the show’s other creators, and lead actresses.
Abraham joined comedy series Mythic Quest as central character C.W. Longbottom, a fantasy/sci-fi author and head game writer for the show’s namesake video-game studio, known for his ability to flesh out a game’s backstory, coming off as pretentious to his younger colleagues, and described by the Ringer as a “walking cry for sensitivity training.”
Mythic Quest worked in Abraham’s exit from the show with a fitting send-off for his character in the Season Three premiere “Across the Universe,” airing last November. The central characters return to the studio’s offices as a homecoming to Longbottom, who’d spent the past year traveling. However, they soon discover in a letter that Longbottom had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and, with little time left to live, decided to “script” his own ending (heavily borrowing from Thelma & Louise) and drive off a cliff into the Grand Canyon in a Thunderbird, with his remains then launched into space.
“It’s a bummer to not have Murray in this season,” McElhenney told Variety of his departure. “But we recognize that C.W. is a beloved character and obviously a huge part of the show. So, we made sure that we have a really fitting tribute to him. We definitely address it in a big way.”
In January 2022, Abraham was cast in the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus, playing Bert Di Grasso, a bumbling, elderly grandfather journeying to Sicily with his son Dominic (Michael Imperioli) and grandson Albie (Adam DiMarco). Bert draws the ire of his son and grandson for constantly making inappropriate comments about women, shrugging off any and all criticisms by saying he’s from an older generation.