It looks like Jeffrey Tambor will get to compete for an Emmy this fall after all. Earlier this month, Amazon pulled Tambor from the 2018 race after his ouster from Transparent—stepping in before the TV Academy could decide whether it would nominate the actor in light of the sexual harassment claims that led to his exit from the role, which previously got Tambor three Emmy nominations and two wins. (Tambor has vehemently denied the allegations made against him by a former assistant and a former Transparent co-star.) Now, though, Netflix has given the actor another shot at an award: the streaming service submitted Tambor in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for his role in the long-awaited fifth season of Arrested Development.
Per Deadline, the streaming giants application came in just ahead of the Academys deadline. Tambors work on the shows new season, the first half of which will debut next week, will be eligible for consideration. Tambor has received two previous nominations, one in 2004 and another in 2005, for his portrayal of George Bluth Sr.—making a nomination this year seem possible, if not guaranteed. Then again, the TV Academy could go the way of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which declined to nominate James Franco this year after a similar controversy.
Most of Tambors castmates have kept quiet regarding the allegations against him. In April, Alia Shawkat, who plays Maeby Fünke, made a somewhat vague comment: “Im an actor,” she said. “I worked with him. Its not about sharing my personal opinion of him . . . What those victims said needs to be heard just as much. And thats the facts; thats just the truth of it. And they cant be squashed down because of something else. But it is also, you know—it is sad, too.” David Cross, who plays Tobias Fünke, was more decisive: “There are a number of us who stand behind him.” Soon after, Jason Bateman, who plays the main character in the shows dysfunctional-family ensemble, Michael Bluth, said, “I love Jeffrey. I always will. I cant go further than that, but I will always love that man.”
Update (5:45 P.M.): The Arrested Development cast sat down with New York Times reporter Sopan Deb on Wednesday for a surprisingly raw conversation in which they discussed, among other things, the claims about Tambor. The talk got particularly fraught when costar Jessica Walter, who had not previously commented extensively on Tambor or the Transparent allegations, described an incident in which Tambor, in her words, verbally harassed her on set. (Tambor had previously acknowledged an incident he described as a “blowup” at Walter, for which he later “profusely apologized,” in a May 7 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. In that interview, a representative for Walter was quoted as saying, “Jessica does not wish to talk about Jeffrey Tambor.”)
“In like almost 60 years of working, Ive never had anybody yell at me like that on a set,” Walter told the Times, and her castmates. “And its hard to deal with, but Im over it now.” Jason Bateman repeatedly said he did not want to belittle Walters experience, but also tried to quell the furor against Tambor, saying, “But this is a family and families, you know, have love, laughter, arguments. . . I know nothing about Transparent but I do know a lot about Arrested Development. And I can say that no matter what anybody in this room has ever done—and weve all done a lot, with each other, for each other, against each other—I wouldnt trade it for the world and I have zero complaints.”
Bateman said that “difficult” people are not uncommon in the entertainment industry—and that those who hire and influence hires can learn those peoples work habits and, perhaps in some cases, come to understand them better. “Because its a very amorphous process, this sort of [expletive] that we do, you know, making up fake life. Its a weird thing, and it is a breeding ground for atypical behavior and certain people have certain processes.”
Alia Shawkhat replied, “But that doesnt mean its acceptable. And the point is that things are changing, and people need to respect each other differently.”
And Walter herself said, through tears, that she had decided to forgive Tambor: ”Let me just say one thing that I just realized 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.“
Tony Hale offered, ”But I will say, to Jasons point, we can be honest about the fact that — and not to build a thing — weve all had moments.” Walters reply? “But not like that, not like that. That was bad.“
A representative for Netflix did not immediately respond to V.F.s request for comment.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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