“Take Me Out” Broadway company is making their strict law regarding phones more compulsory following the inexcusable leakage of cast member Jesse Williams‘ nudes.
It should be noted that the Broadway play is baseball-themed and centers around the matters of racism, class, masculinity, and homophobia in sports, thus requiring several actors to appear naked on stage.
Following Williams’ leaked nudes, the parent theater company Second Stage released a statement via Twitter, noting the violation of their no-phone rule and ensuring stricter policy enforcement.
“Take Me Out” Theater Company Increases Staff To Impose No-Phone Law
Second Stage’s public message began, “Second Stage Theater has worked to ensure the privacy of the “Take Me Out” company by creating a phone-free space with locked phone cases at all performances.”
It continued, “We are appalled that this policy has been violated and unauthorized footage of our acting company has been posted. It is deeply unfortunate that one audience member chose to disrespect the production, their fellow audience members, and most importantly, the cast in this manner.”
The company’s statement further noted that taking nude photos of anyone without consent was highly unacceptable and could result in serious legal penalties.
It took no time for the naked snaps to circulate the internet and Second Stage stated that that was a horrendous violation of trust between the actor and the viewers of the theater community.
Their message concluded, “We are actively pursuing takedown requests and ask that no one participates in the distribution of these images. Second Stage is also adding additional staff at the theater to enforce the policy.”
Several fans supported the rule and expressed similar horror at the violation of trust. However, a few noted that the policy might be challenging to implement.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Second Stage introduced a no-phone policy to protect the cast members prior to the play.
The policy required the audience to place their phones in secured cases as they entered the theater to prevent any taping of the actors during the scenes. The viewers later get access to their phones as they leave the theater.
Around the time the nude snaps began circulating online, Williams and his co-stars Michael Oberholtzer and Jesse Tyler Ferguson were nominated for a Tony Award.
Ferguson previously condemned the offender for the dishonoring act in a statement showing his disgust at the violation and reproaching those that made light of the situation.
The Actor’s Equity Association also expressed its disapproval through president Kate Shindle who emphasized the wrongness of violating actors’ consent and the theater’s exclusion rule.
Fans Went Bezerk Over Williams’ Nudes
According to The Blast, “Take Me Out” was Williams’ debut performance in the theater world, where he played the role of a gay professional baseball player in the early 2000s.
The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star became a trending topic following the nudes’ leakage, and fans were more concerned about the view of his manhood rather than his performance.
Williams and Ferguson appeared on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live,” where the 41-year-old voiced his thoughts regarding the audience’s reactions to his nude scenes.
He admitted that a non-reaction produced insecurity, but he was not a fan of reactions, and as a first-timer on stage, he tried not to read into the responses to avoid creating more insecurities.
The actor elaborated, “It’s a first, so I have nothing to compare it to, and I’ll be pretty… I won’t be scared of anything after this, that’s for sure.”
The ‘Band Aid’ Star Is Set To Reprise His Role On ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
After ten seasons, Williams exited the ABC medical drama series “Grey’s Anatomy,” but he will be returning for the season 18 finale to reprise his role as Dr. Jackson Avery.
— Second Stage Theater (@2STNYC) May 10, 2022
As The Blast reported, he left the show to explore various acting roles and venture out of his “comfort zone,” reportedly leading to his involvement in the Broadway show “Take Me Out.”
Not only will he be returning, but his co-star Sarah Drew will also make a comeback to play her former role as Dr. April Kepner, who was Dr. Jackson’s lover.
The movie stars will make a special appearance in the season 18 finale scheduled for May 26. However, there are not many details about their reappearance in the production.
Williams previously hinted that he would return to “Grey’s Anatomy” since his role was still alive on the show. He also mentioned that he and Drew’s character would still remain love interests in the new season.
