"Sherlock" star, Benedict Cumberbatch, is set to star in a 12-week run of "Hamlet" on a London stage. Because the production is undergoing a technical preview, Cumberbatch addressed the audience outside the Barbican theater to stop filming during his performance.
According to BBC, the British actor confronted a crowd waiting for him by the stage door.
"I can see red lights in the auditorium, and it may not be any of you here that did that, but it's blindingly obvious," Cumberbatch said. "It's mortifying, and there's nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor being on stage experiencing that. And I can't give you what I want to give you which is a live performance that you'll remember — hopefully in your minds and brains whether it's good, bad, or indifferent — rather than on your phones," he added according to Entertainment Weekly.
He also said that he's not blaming his audience by making the statement, "This is just me asking you to just ripple it out there, in the brilliant beautiful way that you do with your funny electronic things."
Cumberbatch, 39, isn't the first actor to call out on fans, who use their mobile phones to record a live theater performance and forget about enjoying the play as it happens.The BBC report said that another British actor, James McAvoy, "scolded an audience" in 2013 during his performance of "Macbeth."
In 2014, Kevin Spacey stopped mid-performance and called out someone from the audience, whose phone kept ringing, according to People. Spacey had been doing his one-man show, "Clarence Darrow," in London at that time.
Another report from People noted that Neil Patrick Harris, who played the title role in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" on Broadway, also chided an audience member for interrupting his performance, but he did so while in character.
Meanwhile, Cumberbatch's "Hamlet" performance, which started last Wednesday, August 5, will be screened in movie theaters as well beginning October 15, reported Entertainment Weekly in another story.
Reviews for the play have been coming out since its first run. Radio Times said that it is "not what we were expecting from Benedict Cumberbatch - but only he could pull it off. The news out also called the play "the funniest version of the tragedy you will ever see."
The stage play also stars Sian Brooke as Ophelia and Ciarán Hinds as Claudius, according to The Independent.
Below is the full video of Cumberbatch addressing theatergoers.
