“The director, Paul Alexander, said the decision had nothing to do with Ms. Birch’s acting abilities, which he praised; she was playing the central female character, Lucy Seward, the love interest of Count Dracula,” the Times' story said. “Mr. Alexander said that Ms. Birch was fired because her father, Jack, had threatened another actor during a rehearsal on Thursday night. Mr. Birch, in an interview, denied making any threat.”
The elder Birch said he was just trying to “convey Thora’s discomfort” after she looked “a little uncomfortable on stage because an actor kept rubbing her back” and denies that he made any threats.
The actress said she was completely baffled by the whole thing.
“For three weeks I was just doing my thing, and everything I hear was positive, that the work I was doing was wonderful,” she told the paper. “Maybe it’s some kind of misunderstanding. I mean, there had been no tensions, everything was going wonderfully. Then Friday they just asked me to leave the building.”
We are still unsure as to how her father’s past as an actor in adult films factors into the whole situation, but we remain fascinated.
