James Norton 's stint on the West End may spark some major changes in how future audiences view shows, following nude pictures of the actor being taken while performing.
The Happy Valley actor, 37, is currently starring in a stage adaptation of cult novel A Little Life, which covers topics such as suicide, self-harm and paedophilia.
James strips off at one point during the show, with naked pictures of the star circulating on social media and in certain sections of the press earlier this month - despite Richmond Theatre handing out stickers for camera-phones and leaflets saying filming was not permitted.
Following the leak, experts predict theatre bosses could be forced to take drastic measures to prevent similar privacy breaches occurring in the future.
"I’d be very surprised if this latest incident doesn’t act as a trigger for it to become the norm for audiences to have to put their phones in lockboxes at shows starring famous people or with musical numbers that people want to film," Alistair Smith, the editor of the Stage newspaper, has mused.
Dr Kirsty Sedgman, the editor of the book series Audience Research and author of On Being Unreasonable, agreed the snaps of James were an "absolute violation of the unwritten contract between audiences and performers" that it could spark change when speaking with The Guardian.
A Little Life, which transferred to the Savoy Theatre after the pictures were taken, has a star-studded cast, including James, It's A Sin actor Omari Douglas and Bridgerton's Luke Thompson.
The book, the play's source material, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2015 and became a word-of-mouth hit, with the stage adaptation repeating the novel's success.
"Possibly the most upsetting, unflinchingly brutal and explicit play I’ve ever seen which is definitely not for the faint of heart. The entire cast soars and James Norton is an absolute powerhouse in this heartbreaking epic," one theatre-goer penned earlier this month after catching a preview of the play.
A Little Life lasts a whopping 3 hours and 40 minutes, which presents some challenges for lead star James due to his health condition.
James, who played murderous villain Tommy Lee Royce on BBC series Happy Valley, has type 1 diabetes and sometimes has to inject himself with insulin up to 15 times a day.
The star, who is tipped to be the next James Bond, previously explained how he always has a glass of orange juice to hand on film sets, just in case his blood sugar drops too low.
He continued to reveal that if he's doing a scene without his top on, there'll be a glucose monitor stuck out of sight on his bottom.
"Being in a play is complicated because I might be on stage for up to an hour-and-a-half," James explained. "If it's a period drama I'll ask the costume designers to create a hidden pocket where I can stash some sugar tablets."
"Then, if I start to feel shaky, I'll improvise: I'll wander upstage, throw three dextrose tablets in my month and then carry on with the scene. I've lost count of the number of times I've done that."
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