Andrew Scott has revealed he once was forced to pause his performance of Hamlet, after an audience member opened their laptop.
The Irish actor, 47, took on the titular role in the famous Shakespeare tragedy in 2017 at the Almeida Theatre in London.
He won critical acclaim for his performance and garnered him a nomination for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.
However, Andrew has now revealed that not all theatre goers were as impressed with his rendition.
Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he recalled how one audience member memorably took out their laptop to answer emails mid-show.
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 1 Andrew Scott has revealed he once was forced to pause his performance of Hamlet, after an audience member opened their laptop (pictured during performance)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540311-12919553-image-a-129_1704214185999.jpg)
Andrew Scott has revealed he once was forced to pause his performance of Hamlet, after an audience member opened their laptop (pictured during performance)
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 3 The Irish actor, 47, took on the titular role in the famous Shakespeare tragedy in 2017 at the Almeida Theatre in London (pictured November 2023)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540335-12919553-image-a-130_1704214278011.jpg)
The Irish actor, 47, took on the titular role in the famous Shakespeare tragedy in 2017 at the Almeida Theatre in London (pictured November 2023)
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 5 Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he recalled how one audience member memorably took out their laptop to answer emails mid-show (pictured in Hamlet)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79539545-12919553-image-a-131_1704214300923.jpg)
Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he recalled how one audience member memorably took out their laptop to answer emails mid-show (pictured in Hamlet)
He said: ‘When I was playing Hamlet, a guy took out his laptop — not his phone, his laptop — while I was in the middle of “to be or not to f***ing be”.
‘I was pausing and [the stage team] were like, “Get on with it” and I was like, “There’s no way. I stopped for ages.
Andrew added that the woman beside the rude onlooker alerted him and caused him to finally put his computer away.
He concluded: ‘He had absolutely no doubts’.
It marks another incident in a rising issue of problematic audience members interrupting stage productions.
Richard Griffiths famously threatened to leave the stage during The History Boys in 2006, after a phone rang three separate times during his performance.
Addressing the audience, the late actor said: ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves. I am not going to compete with these electronic devices. You were told to turn them off by the stage manager, you were told it was against the law.
‘We’re going to start this scene again. If we hear one more phone go off, we’ll… quit this afternoon’s performance. You have been warned.’
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 7 Richard Griffiths famously threatened to leave the stage during The History Boys in 2006, after a phone rang three separate times during his performance (pictured in play in 2004)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540575-12919553-image-a-132_1704214357357.jpg)
Richard Griffiths famously threatened to leave the stage during The History Boys in 2006, after a phone rang three separate times during his performance (pictured in play in 2004)
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 9 James McAvoy brought a 2013 theatre production of Macbeth to a standstill when he noticed a member of the audience was filming his performance. The actor halted the show to berate the man and refused to continue until the camera was put away (pictured in 2021)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540915-12919553-James_McAvoy_brought_a_2013_theatre_production_of_Macbeth_to_a_s-m-140_1704214767341.jpg)
James McAvoy brought a 2013 theatre production of Macbeth to a standstill when he noticed a member of the audience was filming his performance. The actor halted the show to berate the man and refused to continue until the camera was put away (pictured in 2021)
The year before he ordered a woman to leave his performance of Heroes at Wyndham’s theatre, telling her: ‘The 750 people here would be fully justified in suing you for ruining their afternoon.’
In 2009, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig confronted a theatre goer who’s phone went off during their Broadway play, A Steady Rain.
Hugh stopped his performance to address the phone’s owner: ‘You want to get that? You want to get it? Grab it. I don’t care.’
As the ringing continued, the actor fumed: ‘Come on, just turn it off…Unless you’ve got a better story. You want to get up and tell your stories?’
His co-star Daniel then joined in, saying: ‘Can you get that? We can wait, just get the phone’.
James McAvoy brought a 2013 theatre production of Macbeth to a standstill when he noticed a member of the audience was filming his performance.
The actor halted the show to berate the man, and refused to continue with the play until the camera was firmly put away.
During her 2015 Broadway debut, Keira Knightley’s production of Therese Raquin was also interrupted after an audience member proposed to the actress.
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 11 During her 2015 Broadway debut, Keira Knightley's production of Therese Raquin was also interrupted after an audience member proposed to the actress (pictured in play)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540629-12919553-image-a-134_1704214470446.jpg)
During her 2015 Broadway debut, Keira Knightley’s production of Therese Raquin was also interrupted after an audience member proposed to the actress (pictured in play)
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 13 Patti LuPone famously snatched a phone out of one person in the audience's hand during her performance of Shows for Days in 2015 after they were caught texting (pictured in 2019)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540659-12919553-image-a-135_1704214531788.jpg)
Patti LuPone famously snatched a phone out of one person in the audience’s hand during her performance of Shows for Days in 2015 after they were caught texting (pictured in 2019)
Other attendees reported the man shouted at Keira and threw a bouquet of flowers towards the stage, while she attempted to remain in character.
Eventually security threw the heckler out in handcuffs while the play had a short break.
Patti LuPone famously snatched a phone out of one person in the audience’s hand during her performance of Shows for Days in 2015 after they were caught texting.
The phone was returned after the show, but Patti released a statement saying: ‘We work hard on stage to create a world that is being totally destroyed by a few, rude, self-absorbed and inconsiderate audience members who are controlled by their phones.
‘They cannot put them down. When a phone goes off or when a LED screen can be seen in the dark, it ruins the experience for everyone else — the majority of the audience at that performance and the actors on stage.’
Like Andrew, Benedict Cumberbatch was also taking on the role of Hamlet in 2015 when he complained about phones in the audience.
Addressing the spectators, he made an impassioned plea: ‘I can see cameras in the auditorium. It may not be any of you here but it’s blindingly obvious.
‘It’s mortifying and there’s nothing that’s less supportive or enjoyable as an actor on stage experiencing that.
‘What I really want to do is try and enlist you. I don’t use social media and I’d really appreciate it if you did tweet, blog, hashtag the s**t out of this one for me.
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 15 Like Andrew, Benedict Cumberbatch was also taking on the role of Hamlet in 2015 when he complained about phones in the audience (pictured in play)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540499-12919553-image-a-136_1704214542931.jpg)
Like Andrew, Benedict Cumberbatch was also taking on the role of Hamlet in 2015 when he complained about phones in the audience (pictured in play)
![Andrew Scott interrupts Hamlet performance when audience member opens laptop to answer emails: "I was in the midst of 'to be or not to f***ing be!'" 17 Lin-Manuel Miranda banned pop star Madonna from returning to see Hamilton after she 'did a lot of texting' while in the audience (pictured in play in 2015)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/02/16/79540529-12919553-image-a-137_1704214544895.jpg)
Lin-Manuel Miranda banned pop star Madonna from returning to see Hamilton after she ‘did a lot of texting’ while in the audience (pictured in play in 2015)
‘This isn’t me blaming you, this is just me asking you to ripple it out there in the brilliant beautiful way that you do with your funny electronic things. I’d really appreciate it.’
And it is not only ordinary attendees being called out for rude behaviour, with Lin-Manuel Miranda fuming at pop star Madonna for doing ‘a lot of texting’ while in the audience at Hamilton in 2015.
The musical’s creator and star reportedly banned Madonna from returning with star Jonathan Groff adding: ‘That b***h was on her phone. You couldn’t miss it from the stage.
‘It was a black void of the audience in front of us and her face there perfectly lit by the light of her iPhone through three-quarters of the show.’