Rosamund Pike has been applauded for calling out a theatregoer who had been using their mobile phone during a pivotal moment of her West End production on Saturday evening.
The Olivier Award-winning actress stepped back onto the stage at Wyndham's Theatre following the final curtain of Inter Alia to deliver an unplanned address about proper conduct in the auditorium.
Ms Pike accused the individual of ruining the connection between performers and spectators during what she said was a devastatingly emotional sequence in Suzie Miller's legal drama.
An attendee told The Times that Ms Pike "seemed genuinely upset" and suggested the texting had broken the bond she was trying to maintain with the audience throughout the 100-minute production.
Rosamund Pike called out the audience member over the weekend
|PA
Speaking directly to the crowd, Ms Pike explained the profound impact such interruptions have on performers attempting to immerse an audience in their storytelling.
"I just wanted to say for anyone going to the theatre, it's a huge thing that we're trying to give you. I am trying to tell you a story, and I'm feeling you, and I hope you're feeling me too," she told those assembled.
The actress gestured towards the stalls section where the offender had been seated, adding: "You know who you are, and I'm not going to single you out."
She sarcastically continued: "Maybe it was very important, and maybe you're a doctor, and you're saving someone's life, and I hope you are, but we do see these, we do feel them."
Rosamund Pike has starred in a number of Hollywood blockbusters as well as West End stage shows
|PA
Ms Pike's impromptu intervention drew applause and cheers from fellow audience members, with many subsequently voicing their approval online.
One theatregoer wrote on X: "It was an amazing show, but huge props to Rosamund Pike for calling out someone for texting. She took time during the curtain call to point out how unacceptable it is, especially during a pivotal scene.
"The actors are giving a live performance right in front of you. Put your phone away for a couple of hours."
Another social media user described the moment as "quite cool."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Rosamund Pike currently appears in Netflix's Ladies First
|PA
Talent agency PTC Management shared footage of the speech on Instagram, declaring their full support for Ms Pike's remarks and noting the scene in question was among the most emotionally demanding for the cast to perform.
Ms Pike's experience is the latest example of the mounting frustration among stage performers regarding audience behaviour in recent years.
Last month, Lesley Manville spoke out on Radio 4 against theatregoers who photograph curtain calls, describing the practice as insulting.
"Come on, it's theatre - let's preserve it!" the 70-year-old Phantom Thread actress urged, calling on audiences to "take the digital out of it for just a moment."
She added: "We are all in this room, we are telling you a story, you're listening - clap or don't clap, but don't just stick your phone in our face. I find it insulting."
Ms Pike joins other prominent actors such as Daniel Craig, Patti LuPone, Hugh Jackman and Benedict Cumberbatch who have publicly criticised poor theatre etiquette.