Wayne McCormack on trial at Auckland District Court. McCormack was convicted of two cases of indecent assault against younger female staff and is now employed on a film with one. Photo / Dean Purcell
The disgraced Kiwi film heavyweight convicted of sexual offences who was revealed to be employed with his victim on celebrated Kiwi director Lee Tamahori's "swansong" film, has been removed from set after a formal complaint from the crew.
It is also understood the lead actor on film The Convert, Guy Pearce, has shown support for the crew's objection to having the offender on set.
The owner of a multimillion-dollar horse-wrangling business, Wayne McCormack — who has been described as running a "monopoly" within the New Zealand film industry — was convicted of two charges of indecent assault against younger female employees in 2020.
"There's been so much crap around this guy, and he's done so much damage, but it's not just him," a crew member told the Weekend Herald this week.
"[He's] taken the fall for our industry, and the thing is, he's been allowed back in. That is the appalling thing, like 'oh just wait a year or two and it all gets swept under the carpet again'."
The Herald exposed on October 8 that McCormack had been employed as horsemaster on The Convert with one of his indecent assault victims.
While the two were not on set together on The Convert - his indecent assault victim only became aware McCormack would be present in person on set after she had signed up to work on the production.
The victim subsequently made sure she would not visit the set at all during her primarily remote job on The Convert in order to not run into McCormack.
Following the Herald's October 8 report, it has emerged the crew on The Convert wrote a formal complaint letter to the producers of the film, that McCormack not be on set for the remainder of the shoot - which began across various locations in the North Island in early September.
One crew member revealed to the Herald the "gist" of the letter to The Convert producers.
"The majority of the crew are in support, for the reason that Wayne's presence has had an impact on, not only his past victims, but also negatively being felt on set which in some cases is resulting in people not feeling safe and not feeling able to carry out their jobs to the best of their abilities," the crew member claimed.
"In saying that, there are a small number of people who are supportive of Wayne and the production's efforts to give him a second chance. We respect that but we also respect, support and stand in solidarity with victims who come forward as a result of sexual harassment. With this in mind, we ask that he not be on set at all, but we are happy for his team to undertake all the work he won't be able to carry out."
McCormack's lawyer did not respond to the Herald's request for comment for this article.
Is not entirely clear to what extent lead actor on the film, Guy Pearce, was involved in objecting to McCormack's presence on set, but the crew member on The Convert described him as "having very good politics".
It's also understood Pearce bought ice cream for all the crew after their formal complaint to the producers.
The NZ Film Commission, a funder of The Convert, said in a statement that they had a face-to-face meeting with the film's producers on October 13 about McCormack's employment.
"We are aware they are talking to cast and crew about the situation and providing multiple channels for them to raise concerns," the NZ Film Commission said.
"We are aware there have been active discussions about Mr McCormick's presence on set for the remainder of the shoot. The NZFC is not the employer therefore we are not involved with these discussions. The NZFC was informed on 11th October that McCormack will not be on set for the next two upcoming main shoot dates."
Producer on The Convert, Robin Scholes, confirmed to the Herald this week that McCormack had "completed his work on set" but would not answer questions put to her around the formal complaint letter from crew or the various meetings last week.
"Our complaints procedure is confidential, so we cannot provide the other confirmations you are seeking," Scholes said.
Scholes also claimed "we are aware of the identities" of the crew who spoke to the Herald.
The NZ Film Commission also told the Herald they requested that the producers of The Convert provide information to them about a "notifiable health and safety event" in the form of the decision to hire McCormack.
The Convert's producers told the NZ Film Commission the victim and McCormack had not been on set together, therefore there was no notifiable health and safety incident.
However, the NZ Film Commission told the Herald: "The NZFC is waiting for a formal response from the production. As financier, the NZFC would expect to be updated and notified of all information regarding the issue".
Equity NZ union director, Denise Roche, advocated for the interested of Kiwi performers and said they were "pleased that the issue on The Convert has been resolved satisfactorily by having the person convicted of assault removed from the set".
In March, the Herald reported McCormack was still reaping the rewards of his former Auckland-based horse wrangling/stunt business via a company set up in his wife's name after his January 2020 convictions.
In that time, this new company - NZ Film Horses Limited - worked on the billion-dollar The Lord of the Rings TV show, Jane Campion's Oscar-nominated Power of the Dog, teen drama Mystic and hit children's series Sweet Tooth.
McCormack is credited as "Horse Master" on the online movie database IMDb page for The Convert.
The Herald has also obtained numerous photos of McCormack working on set, as well as a copy of a daily call sheet for crew on the set of The Convert, in which both he and one of his victims from his 2020 conviction are listed.
There is also evidence of wardrobe items assigned to McCormack to appear in shots on film as a stuntman/extra for The Convert.
The director of the production - currently being filmed in Auckland - is Lee Tamahori, whose credits include Once Were Warriors, The Sopranos and James Bond: Die Another Day.
One of McCormack's victims - now employed on The Convert - was working for him on a production being filmed in Queenstown. She was groped repeatedly in front of other crew during a wrap party about a decade ago and left the room to get away from McCormack.
McCormack then tried to get into her hotel room that night.
It's also understood the crew on The Convert were further aggravated by a public address to them, on October 11 following the Herald's article, from the producers and director Lee Tamahori in which they defended their decision to hire McCormack - describing him as "family".
"But this really shouldn't be about him [McCormack]… it should be about the producers not actually protecting the crew, and not listening to the crew, and just being absolutely tone deaf in trying to defend a sex offender," the crew member claimed.
"The number of times the producer kind of went 'well he was only done for a hand on a thigh…' and kept hammering that message and 'we believe in giving people second chances and we're a family' all that kind of stuff.
''Sexual harassment and sex offence charges are so soupy because you know... it's so hard to be charged."
The formal letter of complaint is understood to represent the feelings of about 70 per cent of the crew on The Convert.
There was another subsequent meeting last week, following the formal complaint, involving the producers and Scholes in which a reconciliation of sorts was brokered with some members of the crew.
Scholes also claimed to the Herald that the crew on The Convert only experienced "significant distress and concern" because the Herald had initially reported McCormack and his indecent assault victim had been on set together.
The pair were never on set together - but only because McCormack's indecent assault victim made a concerted effort to never visit the set once she knew he would be there.
McCormack's' presence on set was not revealed to his victim before she signed onto the production.
However, a senior crew member who spoke to the Herald this week, not involved in the October 8 article, was clear that the upset was over McCormack's hiring in principle as a convicted sexual offender.
In the crew member's opinion: "It was almost kicking and screaming to get these bloody producers to try and… they're fine people and they're really nice people but it's just, they're not with the program".
"Some people haven't moved with the times with this stuff and the MeToo movement. They see the MeToo movement as media lynching and it's actually not that.
"What the crew did, they in solidarity with the victims, they said it's all very well that you producers and directors want to give Wayne a second chance, and we understand that perspective, but we also understand how hard it is to speak out about sexual harassment, and we stand in solidarity with the victims.
"So that was pretty powerful, there were lots of tears. But it was a real fantastic thing that the crew did that."
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