After his sudden departure from a sequel series for The Full Monty last year, actor Hugo Speer is speaking out about what happened. Back in 1997, Speer was one part of the ensemble cast of The Full Monty, a British comedy about a group of unemployed men who become unlikely male strippers. A sequel series, which has also been dubbed The Full Monty, was recently developed by Disney. It’s set to release this month for streaming on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in the UK.
In the new series, Speer reprises his role as Guy from the feature film version of The Full Monty. In a new chat with the Daily Mail, the actor spoke about how things went south on the set, resulting in his firing and a tarnished reputation. While Disney would only state publicly that Speer was terminated from the production after allegations of “inappropriate conduct,” the new interview with the actor shares more details on what happened from his side of the story. Speer says it boiled down to very bad timing when he was getting changed on the set, claiming he was exposed to a female crew member by accident.
According to Speer, a runner in her early 20s with little film experience knocked on the door of his trailer while he was changing. He told the person to hold on for “one minute,” but that request was either unheard or ignored, as the door opened a moment later. Speer says he was fully nude at the time and rushed to hide his body behind the wardrobe while the runner engaged in conversation with him for around 30 seconds. The actor says he didn’t think much more of the incident, other than finding it strange the person didn’t walk away immediately. However, he was approached by a producer six days later and told there had been complaints about the incident.
“‘I said: ‘What?’ I’ve never, in 31 years, had a single complaint about my conduct. He told me: ‘You’ve been seen undressed in your trailer,'” Speer explains. “I couldn’t believe it. I said: ‘OK, that’s my trailer. That’s where I get dressed and undressed.’ He said: ‘It’s serious.’ I said: ‘Whoa, stop. What’s serious? What’s going on?’
He added, “I’m a 55-year-old happily married man with two small children. I’m not going to start turning into a flasher after all these years in the business. I was so shocked to be told I’d made members of the crew feel ‘uncomfortable’. I tried to think back and remembered the runner, but she hadn’t said anything since she opened the door on me. Not ‘that was a bit awkward’. Nothing. We just carried on doing our jobs.”
The Full Monty Sequel Series Cut Hugo Speer Loose
At that point in the production, Speer still had some scenes left to film, but he was told by an executive producer that he needed to go home until the controversy “has all blown over.” The producer is quoted as telling the actor that Disney wanted “to be seen to be doing the right thing.” After getting sent home, however, another complaint was made by a costume designer who claimed to have seen the actor walk by the open doorway in his trailer without clothing on. Speer would be formally terminated from the project with his character written out of the series beyond that point.
“The trailers are dark and stuffy. If it’s a warm day I’ve been known to have the door open but I should have been more careful in this instance, as I was getting changed,” Speer said of that situation, and the costume designer acknowledged that the actor didn’t so much as look at her. “I’d no idea anyone was in the vicinity or could see into my trailer. If I made anyone feel uncomfortable I am extremely sorry.”
Speer’s wife, Vivienne, has stood by him. The married couple have described the ordeal as having a detrimental effect on their lives, with Speer referring to the press coverage of the incident as the “most humiliating day” of his life. Vivienne says she was even afraid to leave her husband’s side as the firing had emotionally devastated him.
“Hugo was in a state of extreme anxiety,” she explains. “He had depression, insomnia, exhaustion, nightmares. He was shaking. His heart was racing. Over the next few days, the subject of suicide started to come up. I was worried he’d have a heart attack because of all the stress. This is wrong. So wrong.”
Speer was considering taking Disney to court over the firing, though he ultimately dropped the case, concerned about the “thousands and thousands of dollars” that would need to be spent for such a legal battle. However, Speer says he declined a request to sign an NDA about what happened on the film, as he wasn’t willing to let them have his “voice.”
“They’ve taken my job. They’ve taken my reputation. They’ve taken my money. They’ve taken my mental health. And now they wanted my voice,” Speer said. “No, you don’t get to gag me. You don’t ruin my life, potentially ruin my career and then gag me to protect your reputation. You know what? You can’t. I don’t want anybody else to have to go through the living hell that me and my family have been put through.”
Meanwhile, a statement from Disney addressing the situation reads, “Last year, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Hugo Speer on the set of The Full Monty. As is policy, an independent investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his contract, with immediate effect.”
