The Expanse, Amazon’s adaptation of the popular science fiction books, is currently between its fourth and fifth seasons, with filming slowed down by the coronavirus like every other show in Hollywood.
Recently, fans have been coming forward with stories about inappropriate behavior by Cas Anvar, who plays the Martian pilot Alex Kamal. He is accused of using his status as a star of The Expanse (and as a voice actor in the Assassin’s Creed series) to coerce women, some of them underage, into sexual situations, sometimes at fan conventions. There are also accusations of him sexually assaulting women.
Daniel Abraham, one of the two authors who write The Expanse books under the pen name James S. A. Corey, said on Twitter that he had passed reports of Anvar’s misconduct on to the studio that makes The Expanse, Alcon, which had hired a private firm to do a full investigation.
So one of the core cast of #TheExpanse has been accused of sexual misconduct. We immediately passed these serious accusations onto the studio, Alcon. Alcon has engaged an independent firm to investigate this matter and takes these allegations very seriously.
— Daniel Abraham (@AbrahamHanover) June 26, 2020
Later, tweeting from the James S.A. Corey account, he (or coauthor Ty Franck gave fans an update, assuring them that this was being taken seriously and thanking the people who had stepped forward to tell their stories.
And, if I may, a wholehearted thank you to those who were brave enough to bring this to us. We hear you. This will get the attention and action such serious allegations deserve. I'm staking my reputation on it.
— James S.A. Corey (@JamesSACorey) June 26, 2020
Other cast members have made statements, too, like Dominique Tipper (Naomi Nagata)…
— James S.A. Corey (@JamesSACorey) June 26, 2020
…and Wes Chatham (Amos Burton):
The past few days have been a whirlwind but I want you to know that you are heard. I'm committed to advocate for those who have been mistreated at a place in time where all voices should be heard, and accusations should be treated seriously.
— Wes Chatham (@weschatham) June 26, 2020
It’s good to see that the cast and crew seem to be taking the accusations seriously.
We don’t know what the investigation will yield, but this would hardly be the first time that someone high up in the entertainment industry was outed as having abused their power to take advantage of people. Kevin Spacey is a good example of someone who was at the head of a major show, House of Cards, who was fired following accusations of misconduct. The Expanse doesn’t revolve around Cas Anver’s character the way House of Cards revolved around Spacey’s, so I imagine The Expanse can continue whatever happens.
But that’s beside the point. It’s depressing that these patterns of behavior are still being discovered in Hollywood. We hope justice is done.
UPDATE: Anvar has responded, per Deadline. “I welcome the independent investigation, respect that the women who have come forward should be heard, and will make myself fully available to participate in the process as appropriate so that I may refute these very serious claims that strike at the core of what I value.”
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