Former Cast & Crew Accuse Director Cary Fukunaga Of Inappropriate Behavior On Sets

After being called a “groomer” and last month by the actress and skater Rachelle Vinberg, more former co-workers and ex-girlfriends of notable director Cary Fukunaga have brought up alleged instances of inappropriate behavior and abuse of his position as a director that they noticed while collaborating with him on sets including the upcoming miniseries Masters Of The Air.

Vinberg first brought up her relationship with Fukunaga, who she met just after turning 18 in a Samsung commercial. One source who spoke with Rolling Stone said they worked on that set and recalled that Fukunaga, who was nearly 40 at the time paid Vinberg “centralized attention.”

The actress’ tirade was likely caused by when Fukunaga called the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on Roe v. Wade a “war on women’s rights.” Though she didn’t name him at first, she began with saying, “He f–––ing traumatizes women. He doesn’t give a f––k about women. He refers to women as ‘whores.’ I’ve heard that, it pisses me off.”

She said they first had a friendship but it turned sexual by the time she was 21 with Fukunaga often sharing details of his sexual life with her, and asking her to divulge her fantasies. Vinberg claimed that he asked her to pretend to be his relative in some group settings “because it would look bad for him, because people wouldn’t understand, because it would make him look like a predator.” She also shared a revolting detail that Fukunaga allegedly “bragged to some people that he was the second person I’d ever been with.”

It doesn’t seem like Fukunaga pursuing Vinberg after meeting her as a director on a set was a one-time case. Set romances aren’t inherently problematic, but are made much more difficult to navigate when one of the participants is your boss who is also a renowned director who could bring your career to a new level overnight.

People who worked with Fukunaga on Masters Of The Air reportedly claimed that the director pursued at least three women during production. At one point, he requested two young background actors dressed as prostitutes from the ’40s to pose for still photos for “continuity purposes,” which is not usually the responsibility of the director. The source reflected on the interaction as a “clear-cut abuse of power” on behalf of Fukunaga.

The director and his legal team have categorically denied any wrongdoing as outlined by the extensive anonymous accounts profiled in Rolling Stone. His lawyer said that Fukunaga “takes pictures of actors – men and women, young and old – on his sets all the time,” and said a similar thing in response to Fukunaga’s flirting on set that he “has befriended men and women, young and old,” in the process of production.

Fukunaga also has more broadly denied one source’s account that he “utilizes his influence in the film industry to pursue many young women.” That influence is certainly undeniable, as Fukunaga’s films like Beasts of No Nation and series like True Detective garnered significant acclaim and positioned him as the first American to direct a James Bond film with No Time To Die.