Earlier this week, former Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor In A Play for his portrayal of Darren Lemming, a gay and biracial baseball player, in the Broadway play, Take Me Out.
The same day that the Tony Award nominations were announced, controversy arose when images of Wiliams in a full-frontal nude scene from Take Me Out on stage leaked online.
The leaked images sparked controversy, considering Broadway attendees are specifically told to turn their cellphones off and prohibited from taking images or videos.
Recording nude scenes from Broadway shows is especially considered a violation of the sanctity of the program and the actors’ portrayals/roles.
In an interview with Andy Cohen on 'Watch What Happens Live' to promote Take Me Out, Williams was asked by about his decision to take on a play that requires nudity.
“It’s a body, once you see it, you realize it’s whatever, it’s a body!” he said during the interview. “I just have to make it not that big of a deal.”
He continued, “I’ve learned in my minutes of theater, don’t try to read into it because it just creates more insecurity. I’m told it’s quite insane. It’s the first (time), so I’ve got nothing to compare it to and I won’t be scared of anything after this.”
'Take Me Out,' which marks Williams' Broadway debut, also stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Brandon J. Dirden. The play, written by Richard Greenberg, is now playing at The Hayes Theater until June 11.
Watch the interview below:
