Since the recent firing of Fred Savage, actor turned director of ABC’s The Wonder Years reboot, sources have been flocking to various media outlets to share their behind-the-scenes stories. The 45-year-old actor is at the center of a firestorm, making headlines last week after being fired due to allegations of misconduct. Details about the alleged behavior had been rather opaque until now, and it has clear echoes of previous accusations. According to one of the production veterans who worked alongside Savage on the set, the former child actor’s approach behind the camera was difficult on the crew. A second insider added that Savage “can have a temper and occasional outbursts.”

Fred Savage rose to fame for his role as Kevin Arnold in the hit coming of age situation comedy The Wonder Years. Unfortunately, he was and apparently is still known for brutish behavior on the set. One source told People:

“He works his crews pretty hard by always doing more takes than necessary. Some directors just overshoot. Sometimes they feel like they didn’t get the performance or want to try another angle or things like that. He overshoots, and the days are longer, therefore giving more opportunities to snap at people.”

Fred Savage
20th Century

Savage has faced similar on-set behavioral allegations before. In 1993, Savage, along with Jason Hervey, who played his older brother on The Wonder Years, faced their first lawsuit regarding inappropriate behavior. He was 16 at the time when costume designer Monique Long claimed the two actors verbally and physically harassed her.

In 2018, Grinder series costumer Youngjoo Hwang filed a lawsuit against Savage, claiming he physically assaulted her on the set. Hwang alleged in her lawsuit that Savage “violently struck” her in the arm three times and yelled “Do not touch me with your hands!” after she brushed away flakes of dandruff from his suit.

The lawsuit further states:

“Defendant Savage was known to intimidate, bully and torment female crew members while they were doing their job duties by yelling things like ‘I’m not a dog, quit f**ng following me!’ ‘Don’t ever even f**ng look at me anymore,’ and ‘Get the f**k away from me’.”

The legal matter was settled and dropped. On Monday, Hwang’s attorney who represented her in the lawsuit, Anahita Seda, told Page Six that Savage’s latest accusations and firing has been “a long time coming.”