Adelaide salon worker ‘uncomfortable’ when McLachlan allegedly tongue-kissed her

A WOMAN working in an Adelaide tanning salon in 2004 has reportedly claimed Craig McLachlan left her “uncomfortable, flustered and confused” when he allegedly tongue-kissed her following an appointment.

3 min read

January 11, 2018 - 11:01AM

It comes as the production company at the centre of the McLachlan allegations apologises to three actresses who claim the actor behaved inappropriately during the 2014 production of The Rocky Horror Show.

The ABC has reported the woman said McLachlan was “extremely friendly and flirtatious” when he came into the Adelaide salon where she worked back in 2004.

She reportedly said she and McLachlan were the only two people in the salon and she was “shocked” when the actor made an unwelcome advance on her.

“He walked around the reception desk to where I was sitting, he grabbed my face in both hands and passionately kissed me, tongue included,” the woman, who was 25 at the time, told the ABC.

“It was just such a bizarre situation.

“I was shaking for the rest of the day, I felt uncomfortable, flustered and confused about what had happened.”

The woman said there was “no encouragement from my end”.

“For him to feel that’s appropriate behaviour to someone he’s only met 20 minutes ago ... it certainly shows that his behaviour towards the other women that have come out, that it’s not about the role he was playing, it’s not about that he was just taking his character (in Rocky Horror) a little bit too far,” she said.

Meanwhile, John Frost, the managing director of the Gordon Frost organisation, has apologised to actresses Christie Whelan Browne, Erika Heynatz and Angela Scundi, who alleged McLachlan harassed and bullied them during the 2014 run of The Rocky Horror Show.

McLachlan starred as the lead character Frank N Furter.

The latest development came after actresses Christie Whelan-Browne and Angela Scundi told the ABC’s 7.30 they are angry about production company GFO’s claims that it received no complaints.

McLachlan has vehemently denied allegations of harassment and bullying female cast members.

In a statement, Mr Frost said: “Anyone should feel comfortable reporting issues of sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying, and the fact that these three women did not feel as though they could report these issues in 2014 is concerning and distressing to me and, and I sincerely apologise to them for this.”

Mr Frost said GFO had “never had an incident of this nature prior to this, and complaints of any type of bullying or harassment are very rare”.

GFO, he said, has strict policies and procedures in place when it comes to reporting allegations of this nature and had those same policies in place in 2014.

In light of the recent allegations, GFO would enforce a culture where no one is fearful of reporting incidents, Mr Frost said.

The managing director reiterated his previous statement that he did not remember discussing Craig McLachlan with Christie Whelan-Brown. The actor claims she approached John Frost to raise her concerns about the star.

“I can honestly say while I remember seeing her briefly, I cannot remember any discussion around Craig,” he said.

“I can only explain this by pointing out that I speak to many people backstage across many productions and have little time to spend with each person.

“Christie has told the media that I responded with words to the effect that she was feeling was not good and I gave her my phone number and asked her to call me. She has confirmed that she did not take up that offer.”

Mr Frost said his company “can only deal with issues if we are told about them”.

Christie Whelan-Browne told ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday she felt “a sense of relief” that she had spoken out and felt “empowered”.

But she and fellow accuser Angela Scundi said they were dismayed when GFO stated the company did not know any details about the allegations.

“I was incredibly disappointed, although not surprised,” Whelan-Browne told the ABC.

“And the fact there was no apology involved again is unsurprising, but terribly disappointing.”

Whelan-Browne, who played Janet in the production, claims McLachlan inappropriately touched her on stage during a sexually charged scene on a bed.

Erika Heynatz, who performed the role of Magenta, told ABC’s 7.30 on Monday that McLachlan had kissed her, leaving her feeling shaky and unnerved.

Angela Scundi claims McLachlan subjected her to an unwanted and unscripted kiss during one scene and then turned on her when she confronted him.

In a strongly worded statement issued, Gold Logie winner McLachlan said the allegations were untrue.

In an email to Fairfax Media, McLachlan said the claims are “baseless” and “they seem to be simple inventions, perhaps made for financial reasons, perhaps to gain notoriety”.

“These allegations are ALL made up,” he said.