Earlier this week, fans of actor Andrew Scott were left furious over a question he was asked while attending the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards.
The 47-year-old Irish star attended the prestigious award ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday (February 18) to present the Best Animated Film award alongside his co-star Paul Mescal.
Prior to hitting the stage, Scott took part in a red carpet interview with the BBC's Colin Paterson. However, some viewers say that certain questions left the actor looking "visibly uncomfortable".
Watch Scott's controversial interview below:Paterson began by asking the Sherlock star whether he knew the Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan, to which Scott smiled and revealed that he did know the fellow Irish star.
However, Scott's face dropped when the interviewer brought up the now infamous scene in the popular movie, which shows Keoghan's character strutting naked through an empty house while dancing to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s pop hit 'Murder on the Dancefloor'.
"Can I ask your reaction when you first saw the naked dance scene at the end of Saltburn?" Paterson asked, which prompted the Spectre star to shake his head and respond: "I don’t want to spoil it for anybody."
Despite Scott clearly wanting to end the questioning, Paterson then added: "There is a lot of talk about the prosthetics… How well do you know him?"
Following this comment, Scott shook his head and walked away, as Paterson asked: "Too much?"
Over on social media, viewers took to X to slam the interview with one person tweeting: "This is frankly disgusting. Andrew Scott is there to support his multiple nominated film and THIS is what you ask? Then when he looks visibly uncomfortable the guy carries on. Truly horrid."
A second X user pointed out: "This is very creepy and weird, bbc man. You wouldn't ask a woman this question, why do you presume it's acceptable to ask a gay man? The man was clearly uncomfortable and yet he carried on? what the actual f***?"
And a third blasted: "This is appalling: presenter Colin Paterson 'interviewing' brilliant Andrew Scott, & asking about a fellow actor’s genitals (in a film Andrew is not even in). Because Andrew is also Irish, like Barry Keoghan? Because he's gay? Baffling & insulting to both of these talented actors."
The Guardian reports that the BBC did receive a number of complaints regarding the questioning, with the broadcaster since responding to the backlash with a statement.
Officials have defended the interview, but agree that one "specific question" was "misjudged".
"Our reporter [Paterson] began by asking Andrew Scott about the film he’d appeared in – All of Us Strangers – which was nominated for six Baftas," the statement begins. "He then moved on to ask about the popularity of Irish actors where Barry Keoghan, star of Saltburn, was mentioned. Saltburn is a film which has had cultural impact, with Barry Keoghan’s scene at the end gaining a lot of attention in particular – something the actor has addressed himself."
The statement then explains that the question was "meant to be a light-hearted reflection of the discussion around the scene and was not intended to cause offense".
"Saltburn writer and director, Emerald Fennell, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose song 'Murder on the Dancefloor' was used in the sequence, were also asked about the scene," the statement adds.
"We do, however, accept that the specific question asked to Andrew Scott was misjudged. After speaking with Andrew on the carpet, our reporter acknowledged on air that his questioning may have gone too far and that he was sorry if this was the case," the statement concludes.
Let us know what you think of the BBC's response in the comments section!
