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A director who forgot to mute his microphone during a Zoom audition while criticizing an actor’s apartment has apologized, saying he was only sympathetic to the plight of art workers in the coronavirus pandemic.
Video of the incident went viral, sparking a wave of support for actor Lukas Gage and rampant speculation about the identity of the British-accented director.
That mystery has now been solved. Tristram Shapeero, who works in Los Angeles, wrote a confession and public apology on the Deadline website. As a television director, Shapeero’s credits include The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
“First of all, I offer Mr. Gage a sincere and unadorned apology for my offensive words, my unprofessional behavior during the audition, and for not giving him the focus and attention he deserved,” Shapeero wrote. “My job is to evaluate the performers in relation to the role I’m trying to play. Lukas deserved better. “
Gage, best known for his role on HBO’s Euphoria, posted the video on Twitter. It showed him getting ready to audition on Zoom, with the comment, “PSA: If you’re a shit-talking director, make sure you mute your shit at Zoom meetings.”
At the beginning of the clip, Gage is fixing his hair when a voice says, “These poor people live in these little apartments … like, I’m looking at his, you know, the background and he has his television and his, already you know … “
Gage tells the principal, “I know it’s a shitty apartment. So give me this job so I can get a better one. “
In his apology, Shapeero claimed that his words were not intended to insult Gage, but rather an expression of sympathy for the plight of actors struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic and their restrictions on public life.
“I was using the word ‘poor’ in the sense of deserving sympathy, as opposed to any economic judgment,” he wrote.
“My words were spoken from a genuine place of appreciation for what the actors had to endure, trapped in tight spaces, finding themselves within themselves to give a role-winning performance in these conditions.”
