Behind Linden Furnell’s sacking from the lead role of ‘American Idiot’

On the eve of its Melbourne opening, the American Idiot musical sacked the actor who played the lead of Johnny, Linden Furnell.

According to shake & stir theatre co, “Mr Furnell’s dismissal was a consequence of breaching the company’s ‘Statement of Zero Tolerance to Inappropriate Behaviour’ previously communicated to him and all other company members by company management.”

Furnell took to social media to explain at length the circumstances which led to his firing.

The cast member involved is not named in his post but the role is currently performed by Phoebe Panaretos.

Furnell’s explanation began: “Those that know me well, are probably accustomed to my impulsive mind and somewhat inactive filter.

“The majority of the time it serves me well and makes me the inventive performer that I am. In this particular case it sabotaged me.

“There is a scene where the characters Johnny and Whatsername have sex.

“Needless to say it’s a vulnerable, delicate scene and the actors need to trust each other completely.

“The director had responsibly monitored the scene and our individual comfort repeatedly throughout the run and any possible points of friction had been addressed and resolved in the spirit of workplace friends.

“In this climate, I know very well this kind of scene is a minefield and trod very carefully through the physical requirements of the scene.

“Her and I would intermittently check up on each other outside work to make sure we were comfortable with the scene and a few months into the tour, had become good friends with a great sense of trust.

“Ironically, this was not where the misdemeanour occurred.

“It happened in the moments following this scene. Johnny and Whatsername are dimly lit while another scene takes place in the foreground.

“Some off-mic character banter takes place between us in the background.

“One night I wasn’t careful and made a mistake.

“It was a particularly hot night in an old theatre without suitable aircon and we were both comically sweaty.

“Without thought, I made a crude allusion to menstruation amongst the banter.

“It was in poor taste and a lame attempt at humour.

“The kind of thing you say to make your friends go “euugghhh gross”.

“I found out later that same night via a text conversation with her that it had made her very uncomfortable and thrown off her show.

“Naturally, when I discovered the fact I apologised immediately and said that I would do what was necessary to avoid making that mistake again and reassured that I definitely did not intend to cause hurt or discomfort.

“I made a poor judgement call, assumed too much comfort in a work friendship. I apologised again for the upset caused.

“I occasionally make bad judgement calls, assume others are on my wavelength and pick the wrong crowd when it comes to humour.

“It’s a personal challenge that I come up against. I always apologise and do my best to adjust. That said, I genuinely regret the upset I caused that day.

“I can only assume my colleague didn’t intend for this to happen, but it did happen and here we are.”

In his post, Furnell noted, “I wasn’t asked to explain, give my account, dispute it or attempt resolution.”

TMN understands that Furnell’s management had urged mediation but the company reportedly refused and told him to vacate his possessions from the show by next afternoon.

At that point Furnell decided he would leave forthwith.

The theatre company responded, “The decision to dismiss Mr Furnell was not taken lightly.

“Accordingly, and in the interests of a healthy and safe workplace, the company decided to act.

“At the time of his dismissal, Mr Furnell advised in writing his acceptance of the termination.

“For shake & stir theatre co, the well-being and safety of all our company members and all our employees is our top priority. “