‘MacGyver’s Lucas Till Details Peter Lenkov’s ‘Unacceptable’ Behavior
Almost exactly two weeks ago, Peter Lenkov was fired from CBS; he had been the showrunner for the just-ended Hawaii Five-0 and the ongoing MacGyver and Magnum P.I.
Lenkov’s dismissal came after an investigation into claims that he allegedly created a toxic work environment, and Vanity Fair spoke with 30 sources about their experiences with the producer. Among them was MacGyver star Lucas Till, who plays the titular character.
According to Till, he dealt with verbal abuse, bullying, and body-shaming from Lenkov, who set the tone of the set, even though he wasn’t there often. “I’ve never worked this hard in my life, and I am fine with hard work,” the actor said. “But the way Peter treats people is just unacceptable. I was suicidal that first year on the show, because of the way he made me feel. But the way he’s treated the people around me — that’s just my breaking point.”
In response, Dale Kinsella, a lawyer for Lenkov, called those claims of abuse and body-shaming “100 percent false and untrue” and said the former showrunner “championed [Till] from the very beginning and has been nothing but supportive of him.”
According to Till, he brought up what was happening to CBS in 2017 and this year — including a five-page letter to the head of human resources about Lenkov’s behavior towards himself and costar Meredith Eaton (who plays Matty Webber) — but felt he was dismissed. However, a source told Vanity Fair that his concerns helped set the H.R. inquiry into motion that resulted in Lenkov being fired.
(CBS)
In Till’s letter to HR, he detailed a comment from Lenkov about his legs and the reaction to that comment. “There was always something about my appearance that wouldn’t please him like when I was in a hospital gown and our producer … thought it was funny that [Lenkov] said my legs were ‘f**king hideous’ and we can never show them again,” Till wrote, adding that he “found humor” in it.
“But you can imagine if that was a more sensitive spot that he had hit, and often did,” he continued. “Just like the time he screamed at [a director] ‘Oh, my f**king God! Tuck his shirt in, he looks like a little f**king boy.’ Just hire a 35 year old then.” In his letter, Till said that he “struggled with maintaining ‘man weight’ on the show because of the stress, no time to work out, and an unpredictable schedule for proper nourishment.”
In that same letter, he also detailed an injury Eaton suffered and her subsequent recovery. “Meredith suffered an injury on set that was not dealt with properly … and had to get a hip replacement surgery and in-home care to recover fast enough to return to work the next season,” Till wrote. “Peter would frantically email and call her insisting on knowing when she would be able to walk at a fast pace again.” Eaton reportedly was standing for hours during the next season’s premiere.
Via his lawyer, Lenkov said that didn’t happen and he didn’t insist on finding out when she could walk at a fast pace.
“Now is the time to listen and I am listening. It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry,” Lenkov said in a statement when CBS announced his dismissal. “I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better.”
Executive producer Monica Macer is taking over as showrunner for MacGyver ahead of its fifth season.
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J
It's interesting that Till has brought up this behavior beginning a few years ago. So apparently this is not a recent development, or the case of someone jumping on the "criticism bandwagon." In fact, it sounds like Till's complaints may have been part of the reason CBS began investigating to begin with. I'm curious about the comments from some of the other 30 people Vanity Fair spoke with. They must have also had stories or comments, yet they're not mentioned here.
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O
I know Till is telling the truth. He actually agreed that his body is like a kid. He mentioned he doesn't have enough time to work out. The producer that was fired certainly had an eye for good talent and entertainment , but should have treated the cast and crew with respect. Hope his shows don't suffer much without him.
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J
Yes, Lucas Till is very lean, but I mainly attributed that to natural body type. I also assumed it was a healthy leanness... I hope it is. But it sounds like he'd like to have more time to relax, eat as he chooses, and work out on a reasonable schedule, rather than be so pressured and stressed out. I can only assume all this will HELP with MacGyver and Magnum being better shows going forward. (As long as the writers do their jobs; I have to admit I think MacGyver had kind of lost its way this past season. I was kinda surprised it even got renewed.)
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O
Ratings were strong for Friday which is what mainly counts for renewals. CBS has been thriving on Fridays with the help of MacGyver,Magnum, H50 (RIP) and Blue Bloods.
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O
JUST read that CBC (Canadian network) renewed Burden of Truth for a 4th season.
Hopefully The CW will continue with it as well.
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J
Good news! It'll be interesting to see, since we've already had a time jump, so who knows when the next season will be set. And I hope the case they deal with is a little less depressing than this season was.
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