Jeremy O. Harris, whose 2018 three-act production Slave Play ultimately scored a Tony nomination, is currently in custody in Japan in connection with drug-related allegations.
Per a report from Reuters, Harris was arrested on suspicion of violating the country’s Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act on Nov. 16 after a customs official found 780 milligrams of a crystal substance containing MDMA in one of his bags at Naha Airport. The report also cites a Tomigusuku police rep as confirming that Harris is still in custody, with the latest development coming Thursday (Dec. 4) when customs officials formally filed a criminal accusation with local prosecutors.
As of this writing, reps for the Zola co-writer and Emily in Paris actor do not appear to have given a public statement on the arrest. Complex has reached out to Harris’s reps, as well as to customs officials in Japan, for comment. This story may be updated.
Japan has notoriously strict drug laws, with Harris not the first familiar name to have been caught up in the country’s system. Paul McCartney, for example, made headlines around the world in 1980 (as discussed at length in Morgan Neville’s recently premiered Man on the Run documentary) when he was arrested in the country after weed was found in his luggage. The Beatles star was ultimately held for over a week.
As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out in their coverage of Harris’s arrest, he was originally slated to make an appearance at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia this month. The would-be appearance was focused on the launch of Erupcja, which Harris stars in alongside Charli xcx. Harris also co-wrote and co-produced the film.