Neighbours actor Shareena Clanton claims workplace culture is ‘toxic’

Neighbours actor Shareena Clanton has made bombshell claims about “racism” and “misogyny” on the set of the iconic soap.

Indigenous actor Shareena Clanton has revealed the “toxic” workplace culture that she was allegedly subjected to on the set of iconic soap Neighbours.

The former Wentworth star told Confidential she witnessed constant “misogyny” and “racism” from the production crew and some of the talent at the show’s Melbourne studio, including use of the “N-word” from an actor, who was reprimanded after she complained to human resources.

“I heard this person use the N-word twice,” Clanton, 30, said.

“After I went to human resources, the person in question was stood down for one week.

“They were given a formal warning and then the second time they used it, they were stood down for one week to do workplace conduct education but we all know that one week is not enough to shift levels of ingrained ignorance.”

Indigenous actor Shareena Clanton on the Neighbours set.

Clanton would not reveal the identity of the actor for legal reasons.

The Perth-native played the guest role of Sheila Canning on the Channel 10 show and filmed scenes from January to March.

She said that she could not believe the level of unprofessionalism behind-the-scenes.

“There is a culture here of harassment there,” she said.

“I don’t even have the words to talk about the levels of disrespectful, misogynistic and vile comments made by male crew members towards women.

“They would say things like, ‘You women don’t know how to take directions’. When it gets to this point, things have gotten intolerably bad. These are not one-off instances. The male crew have been there for over 30 years.”

One executive allegedly used the word “s …” during a discussion about women, while a non-white actor was allegedly referred to as a “monkey”.

Indigenous actor Shareena Clanton alleges inappropriate behaviour on Neighbours set.

Indigenous actor Shareena Clanton with Colette Mann on the set of Neighbours.

She was stunned when some cast members tried to defend the alleged inappropriate behaviour.

“I think the accommodations that we make like ‘this is just office banter’ or ‘it’s a bit of fun’ or ‘they’re only joking’ disqualifies individuals from taking accountability,” Clanton said.

“A lot of people are too intimidated to call it out because they’re afraid of the power dynamics and they’re not sure how to navigate it,” she said.

“They often feel like they’re put in an uncomfortable position or there’s a landscape of fear of not having a security of income particularly in these trying times.”

Clanton claims she was bullied after speaking out.

“I was completely isolated. No one spoke to me,” she said.

Shareena Clanton claims she was bullies after speaking out. Picture: Christian Gilles

Shareena Clanton as Doreen Anderson on Wentworth.

After Clanton went to human resources and later voiced her concerns about the work culture on Instagram, she was contacted by cast members with similar experiences.

“What I discovered is that this is not new and this has been happening for a very long time,” she said.

“I’ve actually had other people who have been part of the show contact me and talk about their own personal experiences and the levels of disrespect, discrimination, harassment, bullying, retaliation that has happened in the same space.

“So in speaking up about it, other people have felt encouraged to be able to talk about some of the origins and the lack of processes in place that really need to correct this workplace policy.”

She said the final slap in the face was when she insisted on having a Wurundjeri Elder on set “for ongoing cultural safety reasons”, however, she was told there was no budget to cover the full cost.

“The response was ‘this is not a film production Shareena’,” she said.

Confidential has contacted broadcaster Channel 10 for comment.

A spokeswoman at production company Fremantle Australia said:

“Neighbours strives to be a platform for diversity and inclusion on-screen and off-screen. Our quest is always to continue to grow and develop in this area and we acknowledge that this is an evolving process. Shareena’s involvement in the creative process and on set was invaluable and hugely educational and will benefit the series moving forward. There have been significant and lengthy discussions with Shareena during her time on Neighbours and we will continue to work with all cast and crew to ensure Neighbours continues to be a fully inclusive environment.”