Rosamund Pike Confronts Texting Audience Member During Inter Alia
Rosamund Pike addressed an audience member who was texting during an emotional scene in her West End play Inter Alia on Saturday. She expressed the difficulty of maintaining the performance's emotional impact when distracted, stating,
"When I feel that and see it, it's hard."
At the conclusion of the play at Wyndham's Theatre, Pike returned to the stage to remind attendees about theatre etiquette in a polite but firm manner.
She expressed hope that the person texting was a doctor and that their message was urgent, delivering an impromptu speech that elicited gasps followed by cheers from the audience.
"I just wanted to say for anyone going to the theatre, it's a huge thing that we're trying to give you. I am trying to tell you a story, and I'm feeling you, and I hope you're feeling me too,"
said the Saltburn and Gone Girl star.
Background on the Play and Pike's Accolades
Earlier this year, Rosamund Pike won the Olivier Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Jessica Parks, a London Crown Court judge balancing professional and family responsibilities.
Inter Alia, written by Olivier Award-winning playwright Suzie Miller, addresses themes of sexual assault and the injustices within the legal system.
Details of the Incident and Pike's Remarks
Pike also requested the audience refrain from filming her speech. She specifically addressed a section of the stalls where the distraction occurred during a critical scene.
"You know who you are and I'm not going to single you out,"
she said.
"Maybe it was very important, and maybe you're a doctor, and you're saving someone's life, and I hope you are, but we do see these, we do feel them.
I've got you, I feel like I've got to hold you all, so when I feel that and see it, it's hard."
Audience Reaction and Witness Account
The audience reportedly gasped during Pike's speech and expressed irritation and annoyance that someone had been using their phone, before applauding her intervention, according to the BBC.
An anonymous audience member who witnessed the incident praised Pike's response.
"At the end of Inter Alia, an incredibly moving and thought-provoking play, Rosamund Pike came back on stage alone.
I assumed she would announce a charity collection, as is common in West End shows. But we were stunned to hear her berate an audience member in the front of the stalls who had been texting throughout the final, most moving scene.
The audience was suitably appalled, although next to us a gentleman had an Apple Watch going off constantly and the couple behind me talked through the whole show."
The witness added,
"I am totally behind audiences filming the bows and indeed most shows actually footage on social media when they're tagged. But there is absolutely no excuse for a phone during a show - in an emergency you can simply leave the auditorium to deal with the issue.
I wholeheartedly applaud Rosamund for her speech, where she didn't directly identify the person, but did explain at length the impact on an actor if someone is on their phone. Sadly, I doubt this person will feel any guilt as we live in such an entitled world now."
The texting occurred during what the audience member described as "the hardest bit of the play," where a serious admission is made on stage.
Regarding the broader debate on phone use in theatres, the witness supported filming during curtain calls, noting that many productions already record bows and that for parents of child actors, such footage may be the only record of their children's West End performances.
Other Actors' Views on Phone Use in Theatre
Rosamund Pike is not alone in addressing phone use during performances. Actors such as Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman, and Patti LuPone have also spoken out against it.
Lesley Manville, who received an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2017 film Phantom Thread, told BBC Radio 4 last month that she finds it "insulting" when audience members take photos even during curtain calls.
"Take the digital out of it for just a moment,"
she said.
"Come on, it's theatre - let's preserve it!
We are all in this room, we are telling you a story, you're listening - clap or don't clap, but don't just stick your phone in our face. I find it insulting."
Juliet Stevenson's Support for Pike's Stand
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One on Monday, actress Juliet Stevenson praised Pike's actions, emphasizing the shared responsibility between actors and audiences to maintain the "illusion" of an "imaginative world."
She noted that a single phone going off can disrupt the experience for everyone, calling such disruptions "an act of extreme selfishness."
"It's very difficult for the actor because you feel not only is your own concentration very disturbed and you're pulled out of the fiction, but then you also feel you've got to try and pull the audience back as well, so you've got kind of two responsibilities."
