Gillian Anderson Faces Fans Distracting Her During a Theater Performance

- Gillian Anderson has joined the list of Hollywood stars who criticized the behavior of some theatergoers; a video posted on social media showed the actress asking fans not to distract her due to their repeated seating in the front row during her play in the West End area of London. While Anderson was signing memorabilia for fans outside the Soho Place theater, where she stars in the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" alongside Bill Crudup, she was heard telling a group of women: "You can't sit in the front row."

The fans - who were out of the camera frame - could be heard apologizing to the star of the series "The X-Files." One of the women then told Anderson that her performance as "Martha," a wife struggling with frustration in her marriage during the 1960s, had made them "cry a lot."

But Anderson firmly responded, saying: "I don't care about that; you can't sit in the front row. It's very distracting." The actress, who has also become a writer and activist, seemed to laugh a little as she addressed the women, saying: "You can't come 20 times and sit in the front row; that would drive me crazy."

The video sparked mixed reactions on social media; some supported Anderson's request and considered it reasonable for an artist performing a play, while others described her as disguising her support for her fans. Anderson responded by posting a statement on social media to clarify her position, starting her message by saying: "The circulating video shows me talking to women I have known for over 20 years; so please don't say anything negative to or about them."

She added, referring to the auditorium that seats over 600 people: "We are very happy to present this show, but for those in the front row, please be aware that we can all see you in this close space, and sometimes your presence there can be a bit distracting." She concluded her message by saying: "That's all. Let's continue the show, with all my love to everyone and my thanks to everyone who will attend."

Anderson is the latest addition to a long list of prominent artists who have complained about audience behavior in theaters. Last September, actress Cate Blanchett paused for a moment to ask the audience in London not to take photos during the performance of "Electra/Persona."

Blanchett said: "There are few places on this planet right now where we can simply be together and live the moment with our full presence." She added: "I ask anyone who is filming the performance to stop, as filming spoils the experience for the next group of attendees who will come to watch the show and share the moment with us."

In April, star Cynthia Erivo, the lead in the musical "Wicked," stopped a performance of her solo play adapted from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" at the Noël Coward Theatre in London, where she was performing all 23 roles, after noticing an audience member apparently filming the show from their seat. The following month, actress Rosamund Pike, star of "Gone Girl," took the opportunity during the audience's applause at the end of the performance to reprimand an attendee whose identity she did not reveal, as she noticed he was texting on his phone during the emotional final scene of her play "Inter Alia" at the Wyndham's Theatre in London.