The body duplicate of “The Goldbergs” star Jeff Garlin was allegedly used by ABC to film his final sequences for the show.
That news comes after he was fired off the show following a series of sexual misconduct charges.
In a tweet on Thursday, Deadline broke the surprising news, citing anonymous sources. According to the Twitter post, “The Goldbergs” reportedly used the 59-year-old “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star’s nameless stand-in for “what was supposed to be his last day,” and planned to use special effects to superimpose the actor’s face over the doppelgänger later in production.
During the current ninth season, which has 18 episodes, it’s uncertain how frequently Garlin’s pinch-hitter will appear. Since the show’s launch in 2013, Garlin has played curmudgeonly family patriarch Murray Christian Goldberg – husband of Beverly Goldberg, played by Wendi McLendon-Covey.
According to Deadline, the “Mad Roughly You” actor had been primarily absent from set since an alleged incident about two months ago, and showrunners have previously used the unusual contingency step for other unnamed reasons. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, he also revealed that he had considered not returning for Season 9 because he had grown “bored” with the show.
Speaking on contemplating his exit, Garlin had said he was “bored, and I was frustrated with the parameters that were being put on me by Sony, which they have every right to [enact]. And I have every right when I’m not under contract to decide not to come back.”
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He also stated in the same Vanity Fair interview published last week that he “was not sacked” from the show.
Early on in the run of the autobiographical series, Goldberg remarked on how accurately Garlin portrayed his real-life father, who died in 2008.
Despite the fact that network representatives did not reply to calls for comment, one programme insider told The Washington Post that even they were startled to learn Garlin was “fired” overnight.
The body-double revelation comes after it was revealed that the Emmy-winning actor had abruptly quit “The Goldbergs” after a series of allegations and a three-year investigation into his alleged wrongdoing on site.
The Post did public records search and found no active civil claims filed against Garlin in the Los Angeles court system.
Executives reportedly announced the departure while honouring “The Goldbergs” cast and crew on the show’s 200th episode on Wednesday night.
Unnamed sources had previously accused Garlin of using derogatory language, giving female coworkers insulting nicknames, and overall being “verbally” and “emotionally” abusive on set, according to previous reports.
The comedian, on the other hand, dismissed his antics as foolish pranks that the cast and crew misread.
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