# Dear Hollywood: Can the actor, not the show. (Re; Sexual harassment.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155 "2017-11-09T22:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/1 "2017-11-09T22:47:41Z")
If it turns out one of the lead actors is a sexually harassing perv, at least _try_ to replace him and see if people still watch. (I’m betting they will) Don’t just throw your hands up in the air and effectively say: “I guess that’s that then”. I get the sense if it were a European production company, they wouldn’t think twice about replacing a bad actor (excuse the pun). ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/2 "2017-11-09T22:49:28Z")
Are you talking about House of Cards? Because for all intents and purposes, House of Cards IS Keven Spacey. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/3 "2017-11-09T22:57:29Z")
Eh. Too bad, so sad. He died, manner to be determined. Wifey takes over. They finish the season. I have a feeling people will watch. ETA: Spacey is being replaced by Plummer in “All the Money in the World”, so some production companies are willing to go that route. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/4 "2017-11-09T23:13:08Z")
House of Cards was finished before the Spacey scandal ever hit the press. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/5 "2017-11-09T23:17:48Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Are you talking about House of Cards? Because for all intents and purposes, House of Cards IS Keven Spacey. Yeah, that’s the article that inspired this thread. Don’t much care about HOC because I stopped watching after season 1. That said, if one of my shows gets canceled because of some asshat actor… I’M gonna be mad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/6 "2017-11-09T23:35:07Z")
I sort-of-like Jeremy Piven’s new show, _Wisdom Of The Crowd_. It would be a shame if it shut down because of his shenanigans, though I don’t know how they’d deal with it in any other way, as his character is pivotal. It’s not a popular enough show to bother recasting. Though it may be he is innocent\* of the accusations. \*_Probably not_ ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/7 "2017-11-09T23:43:21Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Yeah, that’s the article that inspired this thread. Don’t much care about HOC because I stopped watching after season 1. > > That said, if one of my shows gets canceled because of some asshat actor… I’M gonna be mad. 🙂 It really depends on the show. If it’s an ensemble cast, sure, fire him and keep going. If it’s a vehicle for just that person, then what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/8 "2017-11-09T23:47:25Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > It really depends on the show. If it’s an ensemble cast, sure, fire him and keep going. If it’s a vehicle for just that person, then what’s the point? Well, it works for Dr. Who. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/9 "2017-11-10T00:52:26Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > House of Cards was finished before the Spacey scandal ever hit the press. No, they had already decided that the sixth season would be the final one before the scandal hit, but they were still in the middle of filming it so production has currently been halted as they decide how to rewrite it. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/10 "2017-11-10T03:46:53Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > No, they had already decided that the sixth season would be the final one before the scandal hit, but they were still in the middle of filming it so production has currently been halted as they decide how to rewrite it. You are right and I am wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/11 "2017-11-10T05:13:06Z")
Officially, _Louie_ only went on hiatus so he could make a movie. But I feel it’s unlikely production will ever resume. I’m guessing an official announcement to that effect will be made in the near future. That said, I have a hard time imaging the show going on without its lead actor. And its producer, director, writer, and editor. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/12 "2017-11-10T17:45:24Z")
I can’t think of a single show on T.V. right now that I wouldn’t gladly sacrifice at the altar of whatever gods have decided it’s finally time for powerful men to face some consequences for their abuses. But I suppose if it was a show I loved, I’d _prefer_ simply recasting the actor without any in-show explanation\*. I’d rather suspend my disbelief about the character’s changing appearance, than have the show runners change whatever ending they’d planned. Generally when I’m bothered by a show’s cancellation, it’s less because I miss watching it and more because I wanted to see how it was going to end; changing the ending defeats the purpose. - Unless it’s a sci-fi show, in which case they should definitely go with “The transporter scrambled his face, so that’s what he looks like now.” (If the show doesn’t use transporters, just add “We have a transporter? How come we’ve never used it before?” followed by “Maybe because it scrambles faces?”) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/13 "2017-11-10T18:34:44Z")
Just remember, at this point the allegations are just that: allegations. Yes, it’s true that Spacey has been acting very contrite since the accusations became public. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s guilty. He may have done other, lesser things he’s not proud of, and the accusations are spurring him to come clean. The fact that multiple accusers have come forward since the original allegation became public only proves that this is a high-profile case that attracts attention, not that he’s “more guilty.” ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/14 "2017-11-10T18:59:56Z")
There are some shows that simply cannot survive the removal of one actor, House of Cards was one of them. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/15 "2017-11-10T23:50:42Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Just remember, at this point the allegations are just that: allegations. His career is over, immediately, and that’s not due to the general public’s limited point of view. This is from the industry that knows him best. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/16 "2017-11-12T18:21:32Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > The fact that multiple accusers have come forward since the original allegation became public only proves that this is a high-profile case that attracts attention, not that he’s “more guilty.” Surely multiple accusers ought to raise your probability estimate that he’s guilty. I’m not saying _proof_ but it’s _far_ from meaningless. I’d say even after a single allegation, I’d put the probability of guilt above 50%. This is not the sort of thing the accuser has a strong incentive to lie about. But once it reaches Bill Cosby levels of repeated accusations, it’s basically 100%. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/17 "2017-11-12T18:35:08Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Just remember, at this point the allegations are just that: allegations. > > Yes, it’s true that Spacey has been acting very contrite since the accusations became public. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s guilty. He may have done other, lesser things he’s not proud of, and the accusations are spurring him to come clean. > > The fact that multiple accusers have come forward since the original allegation became public only proves that this is a high-profile case that attracts attention, not that he’s “more guilty.” Nobody has a constitutional right to be the lead in a television series. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/18 "2017-11-12T19:18:03Z")
There being plenty of threads in which the argument about judgement of public opinion vs. judgement of law WRT the sexual harassment/assault scandals (and other issues) is being debated, I won’t rehash. In this case the base question would be, never mind scandal, imagine he had suffered an incapacitating accident or illness. Is the way the character Frank Underwood appears in the show so largely built upon Kevin Spacey’s performance, that you could not pull a Darrin on him and proceed, as the OP and \*\* tim314\*\* would prefer, but instead must try to go for a Valerie if they continue at all? **The show runners seem to believe that is so** , and they should know. And FWIW there is also the consideration as to whether the substitute would feel compelled to in effect “play Kevin Spacey playing Frank Underwood” and that would be a tall order and probably just call further attention to the replacement. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/19 "2017-11-12T20:38:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Nobody has a constitutional right to be the lead in a television series. If you drawl that a little, it could be a Frank Underwood line. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155/20 "2017-11-12T20:45:40Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > There are some shows that simply cannot survive the removal of one actor, House of Cards was one of them. So what you’re saying is, the whole show would collapse… [Puts sunglasses on] …like a house of cards. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-hollywood-can-the-actor-not-the-show-re-sexual-harassment/801155.md?page=2)