Faye Dunaway, Oscar-Winning Actress, Fired from Broadway Play for ‘Slapping Crew Member, Verbally Abusing Staff’ and Making People ‘Fear for Their Safety’

Oscar-winning actress Faye Dunaway has reportedly been fired from a Broadway-bound play for slapping a crew member, “verbally abusing” the staff, and making people “fear for their safety.” Sources told the Daily Mail that the 78-year-old actress was creating a “hostile” and “dangerous” environment backstage and behind-the-scenes. The producers of the show — titled Tea at Five — issued a statement explaining that they recently terminated their relationship with Dunaway, and added that they were taking the play to London after it had been warmly received in Boston.

Sources also said that Dunaway’s violent behavior was not the only issue, as she would also be late for rehearsals, sometimes more than two hours. They also said that she would often not allow anyone to look at her while she was rehearsing, including the playwright and the show’s director.

One insider claimed that he actress has lines fed to her through an earpiece, even though she had the script for six months ahead of time. “98 percent of the play came through the earpiece,” the source said.

Dunaway is also said to have regularly left “troubling, rambling, angry” late night voicemail messages for members of the play’s creative team.

The reports go on to detail the actress allegedly demanding that no one on the crew wear white, as it would “distract” her too much. She also requested that no in the theater move during her performance or she would be distracted by that as well.

Insiders also stated that they grew concerned for Dunaway’s health, as she began to appear as if she was losing weight at a drastic rate and began to look emaciated.

Staffers reached out to her former assistant for help or advice on how to handle the situation. The assistant reportedly replied, “It sounds like she’s not complying with her medication.” Eventually, the producers contacted the Actors’ Equity Association to find out if it would even be “ethical” to allow Dunaway on go on stage.

Finally, during the last week of her tenure with the play, sources claim that Dunaway had a full diva meltdown and demanded that theater staff get down on their hands and knees to scrub her dressing room floor clean.

She is alleged to have thrown “mirrors, combs and boxes of hairpins” and staff, as well as plucked gray hairs from her wig so that she could appear younger than she was supposed to.

This is not the first time that Dunaway has been accused of erratic and abusive behavior, as there a similar stories dating back decades.

At this time, representatives for Dunaway do not appear to have commented on the firing.

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