Placido Domingo: Opera star faces new accusations of sexual misconduct
Placido Domingo, one of the world’s biggest opera stars, is facing new sexual harassment allegations, three years after a string of similar claims curtailed his career.
The accusations against Domingo, 81, were made by an unnamed Spanish singer in a television programme broadcast in Spain on Sunday.
Domingo, a Spanish tenor and baritone, is best known for performing with Jose Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti as “The Three Tenors” in the 1990s.
Domingo (L) performed as part of The Three Tenors with Jose Carreras (C) and Luciano Pavarotti (R) in the 1990s
In 2020, an investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) concluded that Domingo had behaved inappropriately.
At the time more than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff said they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behaviour by Domingo towards women at different opera houses over the last three decades.
Domingo originally disputed the investigation findings, saying he believed that “all of my interactions and relationships were always welcomed and consensual”.
He later said he respected the women’s decisions to speak out and that he was “truly sorry for the hurt I caused them,” adding: “I accept full responsibility for my actions”.
The latest claims were made on Spain’s La Sexta television channel, with the anonymous singer appearing as a dark figure.
She said Domingo allegedly asked to touch her at a theatre in Spain in the early 2000s. On another occasion, she said he tried to kiss her.
“One of the first things they tell you is don’t go up in the lift alone with Placido Domingo,” she said.
She added: “The first time that I felt unease was when we were rehearsing. He [Domingo] told me in front of everyone: ‘Listen, can I put my hand in one of these lovely pockets of yours?’ I was wearing trousers with an embroidered back pocket.
“I had a bad stomach because I thought, ‘What can I say to [Domingo] in order to carry on normally? If I tell him no, there will be consequences and if I say yes, I don’t even want to think about it’.”
She said she did not report Domingo to her bosses or the authorities, explaining: “He is Domingo. He is untouchable. He should not be, but I am in the shadows.”
Sky News has contacted Domingo’s representatives for comment.
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After the 2020 accusations became public, several opera houses around the world cancelled Domingo’s appearances.
He also resigned as the general director of Los Angeles Opera and withdrew from performances at New York’s Met.
No criminal case was brought to court over any of the claims.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo in January 2022, Domingo said he felt he had been convicted in the court of public opinion because he did not speak out and denied harassing anyone.
After a year and a half away from the spotlight, Domingo performed in a charity concert in Spain in June 2022.
He has performances scheduled across the world throughout the first half of 2023 and will be conducting a sold out special event in Muscat, Oman, this evening.
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John David Washington says he felt like he had to conceal his desire to act because of the external expectations of him being the child of Denzel and Pauletta Washington.
He tells Sky News it took some time for him to pursue an acting career, choosing football instead to assert his “independence” and create his own “identity” separate from his famous family.
“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life… but I was hiding it,” he said.
“I had to conceal that passion based on my relationship to the world and more specifically, my folks being in the industry, so I chose ball.
“I loved ball, but I was sort of hiding my love for the arts under a helmet – literally an American football helmet – and so when I wanted to become an actor, when I decided to pursue it, that was a big shock to some people.”
The 40-year-old actor says when he decided to pursue an acting career, he kept the decision quiet.
“Some people didn’t know I was even pursuing it professionally until I got a job,” he said.
John David with fellow actor Danielle Deadwyler. Pic: David Lee/ Netflix
Since switching to acting, John David has starred in a number of notable roles including the protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman and Joshua in The Creator.
He also led the stage revival of the 2022 Tony-nominated play The Piano Lesson on Broadway alongside Samuel L Jackson.
“He [Jackson] originated the role [I play] in 1987 at Yale with Lloyd Richards and August Wilson,” John David said.
“So it was of great importance for us to learn from both he and Michael Potts about August Wilson. It was a great blessing for me, I think, for all of us to have him present on set.”
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The Piano Lesson is the third August Wilson play to be adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington’s production company Mundy Lane Entertainment.
It is part of a pledge made by the Gladiator II actor to make all 10 of the playwright’s works into films.
The Netflix project is directed by another Washington family member, Malcolm, and stars most of the cast from the Broadway revival.
The Piano Lesson is Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut. Pic: Katia Washington/ Netflix
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the film centres on a family heirloom, a piano, that is etched with the carvings of their family history made by their enslaved ancestor.
Malcolm says he started reading the play for the first time during the pandemic and immediately wanted to be involved in the film adaptation.
“I think with this movie, reclamation of story and identity is so central to the theme and it’s something that’s central to my life where I both acknowledge the fertile ground that I was raised on and who I am today.
“That’s what Wining Boy [played by Michael Potts] really is trying to do, he’s trying to build on that legacy, so that’s a story that really resonated with me.”
The filmmaker added: “I take all the gifts that my ancestors laid in front of me, and I’m trying to build something for the next generation to pass down – all of their gifts, plus mine to the next generation and let them build on it.”
Malcolm has dedicated his directorial debut to his mother, Pauletta Washington. Pic: David Lee/Netflix
Malcolm says his goal was to put family at the forefront of the production. By dedicating his feature debut to “Mama”, he is acknowledging the dedication and sacrifices that mothers make for the growth of their families.
“There’s so much pointing to my mother in particular, who inspired this adaptation so much. I see so much of her life in Berniece’s character [played by Danielle Deadwyler] – and that became a guiding light for me in this adaptation,” he said.
“As we made this thing and started reconnecting with our ancestors, my mum became like a kind of representative of them.
“She’s the matriarch of our family. She tells me about my grandparents and great-grandparents and the line that I come from, and I see them in her.
“And when the movie ends, I want people to kind of have that moment of reflection for their own lives. So in dedicating it to her, I was trying to dedicate it to all mums everywhere.”
The Piano Lesson is now available on Netflix.
Blockbuster Wicked has landed the largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue International.
The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop star Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, surpassed both Gladiator II and Paddington In Peru.
It has also had the largest opening weekend for a stage musical adaptation in the cinema chain’s history.
A boss for Vue International said it had seen a “sea of pink and green” over the weekend.
Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Released on Friday, Wicked is up 60% on Les Miserables’ opening weekend in 2012 and three times larger than the 2022 film adaptation of Matilda.
Founder and chief executive of Vue International Tim Richards said: “Vue has seen a sea of pink and green over the opening weekend of Wicked, which has shown continued high demand for the big screen experience.
“We saw record-breaking pre-sales for Wicked, followed by a chart-topping opening weekend – the biggest for 2024.”
The film is the first of two parts, with the second expected in November next year.
Wicked and Gladiator II – known together as Glicked – have reportedly failed to beat out Barbenheimer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, in its own opening weekend last summer.
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Glicked brought in £215m in worldwide ticket sales – with Wicked making the majority of that.
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