Gillian Anderson, the acclaimed actor currently performing in London’s West End, faced backlash after a video surfaced of her addressing fans sitting in the front row during her show. The incident occurred outside the Soho Place theatre, where she is starring in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The Incident
In the video, Anderson can be heard 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." She further expressed her frustration by stating, "You can’t come 20 times and sit in the front row, it’ll drive me mad." The fans, who were not visible in the footage, responded with apologies, saying, "I’m sorry" and "I know."
Anderson's Clarification
Following the video's circulation on TikTok, the 58-year-old actor took to social media to clarify her remarks. She explained, "The video doing the rounds is me talking with women I go back over 20 years with – so please don’t say anything negative to or about them." Anderson emphasized her excitement for the show while also acknowledging the challenges of performing in an intimate venue:
