Charlyne Yi accused an unnamed actor on Taika Waititi’s upcoming Apple TV+ series “Time Bandits” of physically assaulting and “psychologically” abusing them, adding that their complaints and requests for compensation from Paramount Television Studios, which produces the series, were rejected before they were “coerced” to quit.
“I could not even stand straight without shooting pains, could not sleep, and was constantly disassociating from chronic pain,” Yi, who uses the pronouns they/them, captioned a May 9 Instagram post.
They further detailed the alleged assault in a follow-up post on Wednesday.
“My abuser pressed his body on me from behind, to the point I had to dig my feet into the ground to keep my stance during rehearsals and filming. I tried to shove him off. And he pushed down harder, and harder, till I felt my lower back compress, sending sharp pains through my whole body,” they wrote, adding that the episode led to them throwing up from pain.
The May 9 post was coupled with images of text messages between Yi and who they identified as a Chinese Medicine doctor in New Zealand confirming the extremity and cause of their back pain.
“Give me my workers comp to heal my back and PTSD. Paying me for episodes I was forced to leave, does not pay for the retaliation I was met with, and will be,” read the caption of Wednesday’s post, addressing Paramount TV Studios. “Nor does it provide for my healthcare.”
Yi’s accusations stem from their original post on May 7, in which they stated they were “coerced to quit” and was blocked from receiving worker’s compensation for PTSD and a back injury. They detailed that the assault happened while filming “multiple times.”
Yi’s Wednesday post included more information about their experiences with the accused, who they have not named, and Paramount Television Studios’ response, explaining that “the doc on set gave me codeine for my chronic pain, but that only made me numb and high. That did not fix my injury or protect me from my abuser.”
Paramount Television Studios said in a statement to TheWrap that “the safety of our cast and crew is very important to us, and we take all concerns that are raised to us very seriously.”
“At the time of the complaint, Paramount Television Studios conducted a full investigation regarding allegations that were brought to our attention,” the spokesperson continued. “While all investigations are confidential and we cannot comment on specifics, additional steps were taken to address concerns.”
The incident and the probe took place over 18 months ago — likely sometime before November 2022, an individual familiar with the situation told TheWrap. The specific complaint of physical assault allegedly involved a fellow actor bumping or running into Yi and picking them up during a scene being filmed where actors were running.
The individual added that an investigation was conducted once the complaint was issued and included interviews with several colleagues and witnesses. The results of the probe found that Yi’s allegations could not be substantiated, but additional proactive steps were taken to address workplace concerns and Yi was assisted with worker’s compensation.
In addition, the source stated that Yi wasn’t coerced to quit the project, but was given the option to stay on or leave without enforcing their contract after they’d repeatedly expressed their unhappiness on set. They decided to leave, and Yi was paid for all episodes originally guaranteed, despite choosing to depart early, TheWrap was told.
“Time Bandits,” which is based on Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film, wrapped up production in January 2023. Yi’s character Judy will still appear on the show, but will not be featured in the episodes that were shot after their departure.
Read Yi’s allegations in full via Instagram below.
