Gillian Anderson has come under fire after the actor was filmed telling a group of fans that they were “distracting” her by repeatedly sitting in the front row while she performs in London’s West End. The Sex Education and X-Files star was filmed outside the Soho Place theatre where she’s performing in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, telling a group of fans: “You guys cannot sit in the front row. I do not care; you cannot sit in the front row.
It’s so distracting.” Anderson, who is playing frustrated wife Martha in Edward Albee’s play about an unhappy marriage, then said: “You can’t come 20 times and sit in the front row, it’ll drive me mad.” The fans, who were not shown in the video, can be heard responding to Anderson’s comments with “I’m sorry” and “I know”. After the video was uploaded to TikTok, the 58-year-old actor shared a statement on social media in an effort to clarify her position. On with the show and love to everyone and thank you to all of those coming.” It’s not the first time this year an actor has made headlines with comments about theatre etiquette.
Last month, Cate Blanchett asked the audience of her National Theatre production Electra/Persona to put away their phones during curtain call. In May, The Pitt star Isa Briones told fans to stop yelling references to the medical drama during her Broadway musical Just in Time. And Kristin Scott Thomas, who is due to perform in The Cherry Orchard at the Harold Pinter theatre this month, told the Financial Times she witnessed an audience member eating “a ready meal in the front row once” – but said she still prefers theatre to screen acting, adding: “For me it is telling a story to live, breathing, coughing, eating people and trying to drag them along with you.
Which I find incredibly thrilling.” Other actors, including Andrew Scott, Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman, have spoken out about the decline in theatre etiquette. Lesley Manville told BBC Radio 4 earlier this year that she finds audience members who take photos during the curtain call “insulting”. It’s not just the performers who have complaints either.
Theatregoers at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest starring Kenneth Branagh took issue with a baby cooing and gurgling through the first half of a performance in June. The mother and baby were asked to leave the Stratford-upon-Avon theatre for the second half after audience members asked for refunds.
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