The Oscar nominated actor Paul Mescal said he confronted a female fan who groped him outside the theatre where he was performing.
He told ES Magazine that the woman “put her hand on my ass” as he posed for a photograph with her outside the Almeida theatre in north London.
The Irish actor had been starring in a critically acclaimed production of the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire.
“As we posed for it, she put her hand on my ass,” he said. “I thought it was an accident, so I like [moved away] but the hand followed.
“I remember tensing up and feeling just, like, fury. I turned to her and said: ‘What’re you doing? Take your hand off my ass.’”
He said “the last thing” he wanted to do was “call somebody out in front of the theatre – it’s uncomfortable for everyone involved – but it was really not OK. It was so gross, creepy.”
Mescal, 27, went on to describe his experience of fame and said: “97% of it is really nice – then 3% is somebody, like, grabbing your ass.”
It comes amid growing reports of rowdy and abusive behaviour from audiences, with the UK’s largest theatre operator Ambassador Theatre Group working with producers to temper any ad campaigns that could encourage bad behaviour.
Popular shows will be encouraged to avoid phrases such as “best party in town” and “dancing in the aisles” after reports of rowdy and abusive behaviour.
Mescal, from Maynooth in County Kildare, won a clutch of best actor nominations this awards season after starring in independent coming-of-age film Aftersun.
His breakout role came when he played Connell in the BBC’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, starring opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones.
A Streetcar Named Desire, in which he stars opposite Patsy Ferran, is transferring to the West End’s Phoenix theatre from March after a successful run at the Almeida.
However, the play’s first week of performances at the Almeida in December were cancelled when the injured Lydia Wilson withdrew from the role of Blanche. Its press night was also delayed but it went on to receive positive reviews.
Mescal previously hailed Streetcar’s “formidable cast and creative team, led by the exceptionally talented Rebecca Frecknall” and called it his favourite play.
Of its transfer to the West End, he added: “It’s wonderful to be able to share it with a wider audience.”
