Jeffrey Tambor: I Was Expecting a ‘Slap on the Wrist’

The first interview with one of the major subjects singled out in the #MeToo movement is out. Jeffrey Tambor, the actor who played Maura Pfefferman on Amazon’s Transparent, has spoken out since his firing from the critically acclaimed show to The Hollywood Reporter. He claims he was fired via a text message from show creator Jill Soloway, and had been expecting “a slap on the wrist” for his “temperamental outbursts on the set.” He said he thought he was being fired for the outrage caused by him playing a transgender character while being a cisgender, saying “something was up, over and above me. Some dots were not connecting.” The Emmy winner says he was interviewed by Amazon officials for nearly 10 hours and states that while he admits he may have been difficult on-set at times, he did not sexually harass anyone. “I dispute her account,” Tambor said while talking about his former assistant Van Barnes’ accusations. “I did raise my voice at times, I was moody at times, there were times when I was tactless. But as for the other stuff, absolutely not.” He says his worry surrounding his portrayal of the transgender Maura on the brought out the worst in him. “Lines got blurred. I was difficult. I was mean,” he said. “And my whole thing was, ‘Am I doing it right? Am I doing it right? Am I doing it right?’ To the point that I worried myself to death.”