This is a crazy story: Thora Birch was fired from the production of Dracula she was supposed to star in because her stage dad Jack allegedly threatened a male actor in the cast. Dracula director Paul Alexander told the Times ’ Arts Beat blog:
Mr. Birch asked the actor why he was rubbing Ms. Birch’s back during the scene. The actor-whom none of the sides would name-said that he had been directed to do so as part of the scene. Mr. Birch objected, saying that the back rub was unnecessary, and told the actor to stop. (It is unusual for anyone other than a production’s director to instruct an actor.)
It’s not the first time Jack Birch has made headlines for lurking around Thora’s sets. Jack-who used to be in adult films- insisted on being present for the f ilming of Thora’s sex scenes in the movie The Winter of Frozen Dreams. “Jack Birch was on the set every day giving orders-even telling director Eric Mandlebaum where to place his camera so that Thora would look her best,” the New York Post reported in 2007. Thora began acting as a small child, so having her dad be her manager might have made sense when she was little - it could be hard for a kid to feel comfortable in such a grown-up job without a parent around. But Thora’s 28 now, and having her creepy father alienate her coworkers is a liability.
