Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union that represents theater actors and stage managers, spoke out after footage of Jesse Williams performing nude in the Broadway show “Take Me Out” was leaked earlier this week.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the creation and distribution of photographs and videos of our members during a nude scene,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association in a statement. “As actors, we regularly agree to be vulnerable onstage in order to tell difficult and challenging stories. This does not mean that we agree to have those vulnerable moments widely shared by anyone who feels like sneaking a recording device into the theater.”