Gun and Wand TV Star apologises for crew member kidnap – and assault with ‘small’ chair
BREAKING NEWS
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BREAKING NEWS 〰️
Pictured: ‘Gun and Wand: 'The Official Companion Podcast’ hosts Alfie Packham and Caroline McEvoy. Top left: Gun and Wand star Harry Forthwright (Paddy Young). Bottom left: kidnapped wizard-language consultant Dr Brian Spleen (Adam Flood); Top right: The ‘small’ chair in question
Gun and Wand official podcast hosts Alfie Packham and Caroline McEvoy uncover the truth behind the rumours circulating around trouble on set of the hot new fantasy drama.
EXCLUSIVE: Production on Gun and Wand, BHO’s flagship wizard-gangster drama, has stalled after it emerged that its leading man held a crew member hostage in his trailer while shooting in Peru.
In an interview on Gun and Wand’s official companion podcast, the renowned method actor Harry Forthwright admitted to imprisoning his wizard-language consultant for a total of six weeks in a walk-in wardrobe.
Forthwright has insisted that the kidnap was a necessary part of his preparation for the role of Pinky Black, a 1920s London gangster who stumbles through a magic portal and enters the wizard kingdom of Aveldor.
VICTIM: Language expert Dr Brian Spleen (Adam Flood), pictured here with podcast host, Packham
“It is true that I locked my consultant in my trailer for a month and a half. This was crucial for my process,” he said.
“But yeah, I should have opened the windows. That’s on me. I have personally asked my agent to send Brian a gift hamper.”
Dr Brian Spleen, a professor at the University of Stoke on Trent, was appointed to teach the show’s cast various phrases in “Aveldorian” – a mystical language with a lexicon totalling 7,000,003 words.
Speaking on the same podcast, Spleen spoke of his experience working with Forthwright, who he described as a “passionate” man.
“The allotted time for our sessions was one to two hours – but they would often be nine or ten or fifteen hours. It would go long into the night.”
Spleen added: “Harry’s trailer was magnificent. It had a lot of storage space and a huge bed. But I didn’t see the whole trailer. I was [locked] in one section of it.”
Forthwright has since come under fire for other aspects of his conduct on set, including calling the show’s First Assistant Director “stupid” and allegedly throwing a chair at him.
While Forthwright insisted that the chair was “small”, he made yet another apology on episode four of the official Gun and Wand podcast:
PINKY SWEAR: Harry Forthright (Paddy Young) has admitted to violent behaviour on set, and will probably do it again
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole controversy around me and the AD and the chair that was thrown at him on set, and may or may not have taken out an eyeball. Look, how can I put this? None of this controversy really matters. Even our incredible show doesn’t really matter. Just look at your news feed. The wars. The injustice. Fiscal drag. That stuff right there is what truly matters.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my work. And for me to be allowed to keep doing the work, I need to make an apology. During our interview, I called our AD ‘stupid’. And that was wrong to say on a podcast. I’m sorry, Gareth.
“Yes, Gareth might sometimes forget an actor’s dietary requirements. But that man is not deliberately stupid. I’ve already spoken with him about the chair thing, and he totally sees where I was coming from now. I just wish he saw where the chair was coming from.
“But we hugged it out, and he even gave me a little wink. I’m pretty sure it was a wink. He’s obviously got the eyepatch. There’s nothing but respect there now.”
It is not the first time Forthwright’s conduct on set has come into question. While filming the 2012 thriller Cooking on the Run, the actor allegedly refused to stop “cooking and throwing egg” at the cast and crew.
Despite the controversies hampering the show, the fanbase of self-styled “Wandies” has only grown, with many appearing at Forthwright’s recent court appearances in full wizard costume.
Gun and Wand: The Official Companion Podcast is hosted by Alfie Packham and Caroline McEvoy. Listen to the full series wherever you summon your podcasts. Episode one below:
