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John Barrowman Apparently Exposed Himself On Set And Is Now Apologizing

John Barrowman has been Jack Harkness for years, going even farther back than his role as Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow. He’s returned to the series as Jack in the last year and has undoubtedly been having a great time. He’s a funny man. Still, now he’s apologizing for his behavior on set years ago. At least he’s able to acknowledge his mistakes.

Noel Clarke, one of his former co-stars, is accused of sexual harassment while filming Torchwood and Doctor Who. During all this, a clip has resurfaced from 2014 that features Clarke telling stories about how Barrowman would expose himself on set to his co-stars.

Barrowman would eventually confess to The Guardian about “tomfoolery” but was unaware of Clarke’s behavior. The Guardian would reach out to sources who would confirm incidents involving Barrowman and Clarke. The sources claimed Barrowman’s behavior on set, however, was “joking” when compared to Clarke’s more predatory behavior.

Someone who worked as a runner on the series recalled Barrowman’s behavior.

 “He would get his genitals out on a regular basis … he’d just sort of have his balls hanging out his trousers or something, which he just thought was really funny,” she said.

Another said, “Sometimes he’d call me into his dressing room, and I would knock on the door and he’d say, ‘Oh, look at this’, and he’d just have his willy out, standing in the doorway,” she said. “It was kind of accepted that it was his thing,” she said. This runner made clear that she wasn’t made to feel unsafe by Barromwan’s behavior. “It just felt really uncomfortable,” she said.

Barrowman issued a statement.

Barrowman claims his “high-spirited behavior” was “only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and backstage” He goes on to say that, “With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously. Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed.”

The 2008 apology he is referring to is one he made on BBC 1 during a radio interview.

“I apologise for any offence I have caused. I was joining in the light-hearted and fun banter of the show, and went too far.”

Julie Gardner, the Doctor Who executive producer, says she received a complaint about Barrowman’s behavior on Torchwood. She spoke to him and other franchise executive producers, Barrowman’s agent, and the BBC’s head drama commissioning.

“I met with John and reprimanded him [to] make it clear to both John and his agent that behaviour of this kind would not be tolerated … To my knowledge, John’s inappropriate behaviour stopped thereafter.”

Finally, Gareth David-Loyd who was on Torchwood with Barrowman spoke about his behavior when the camera wasn’t rolling.

“In my experience on Torchwood John‘s behaviour on set was always meant to entertain, make people laugh and keep their spirits and energy high on what were sometimes very long working days. It maybe that because we were so close as a cast that professional lines were sometimes blurred in the excitement – I was too inexperienced to know any different but we were always laughing. The John I knew on set would have never behaved in a way he thought was affecting someone negatively. From what I know of him that is not his nature. He was a whirlwind of positive energy, always very generous, kind and a wonderfully supportive lead actor to have at the helm of the show.”

Still, it’s important to note Barrowman has apologized for his actions.

 

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