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A BBC reporter drew backlash after asking actor Andrew Scott a series of uncomfortable questions at the 77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday.
On the BAFTAs red carpet, BBC entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson asked the “All Of Us Strangers” star if he knows Barry Keoghan, who was nominated for the best leading actor award for his performance in “Saltburn.”
“I know Barry, yeah,” said Scott, who is gay.
“OK, your reaction when you first saw the naked dance scene at the end of ‘Saltburn,’” Paterson prompted, as another person chimed in requesting “no spoilers please.”
Chuckling and shaking his head, Scott said he didn’t want to “spoil it for anybody,” but “it was great.”
Paterson went on: “There was a lot of talk about prosthetics. How well do you know him?”
Scott smiled and stepped out of the camera shot, apparently excusing himself from the conversation.
“Too much? Too much?” the interviewer asked.
One clip of the exchange, circulated on X (formerly Twitter), was viewed more than 2.3 million times. Critics called the questions “disgusting,” “appalling” and “loaded with stigmatising tropes.”
Welsh actor Callum Scott Howells, who received a BAFTA nod in 2022 for his role in the queer historical drama, “It’s a Sin,” tweeted: “who the f*ck have they dragged off the street to interview andrew scott and why is he my mate’s drunk dad at a party.”
Nicholas Pegg, a British actor who also appeared in that miniseries, noted that “the year is 2024.”
“Speaking as an actor who also happens to be gay, and who also happens to be a person, I can only offer solidarity to Andrew Scott, and to gay actors, and to actors, and to gay people, and to people,” he wrote.
The BBC did not immediately return a request for comment.
Scott and Keoghan, both Irish, have not appeared in any films together.
Scott was nominated for a Golden Globe earlier this year for his leading performance in “All Of Us Strangers,” a romantic fantasy film. He was not nominated for a BAFTA on Sunday, though the movie nabbed six nominations.
Cillian Murphy took home the Golden Globe in Scott’s category for his turn in “Oppenheimer.” He also beat out Keoghan at the BAFTAs Sunday; “Oppenheimer” swept the awards show with five wins and 13 nominations.