Owning his mistake. Tristram Shapeero apologized for his “unacceptable and insensitive” remarks about Lukas Gage’s apartment after the actor’s Zoom audition video went viral.
The 54-year-old director revealed his identity and broke his silence in an open letter published by Deadline on Monday, November 23, days after celebrities railed around the 25-year-old Euphoria star.
“You probably don’t know who I am, but you’re likely familiar with my story. An actor, Lukas Gage, posted a clip on social media taken from a Zoom casting he and I had been a part of back in August. During it, an unmuted director makes reference to tiny apartments and ‘these poor people,’ referring to actors. The quick-witted Gage responds that he knows his apartment is ‘s—tty’ and that is why he needs this job so he could get a better one,” Shapeero wrote. “Despite what is probably wise advice: to say the least possible and let this pass, I have decided to come forward, take responsibility, make the apology Mr. Gage deserves and offer some background for my unacceptable and insensitive remarks. I am Tristram Shapeero, a 20-year veteran television director, half in the U.K., and the second half here in the U.S.”
Shapeero noted that Gage “deserved better” and offered him a “sincere and unvarnished apology” for his “offensive words” and “unprofessional behavior.”
He wrote, “I was using the word ‘poor’ in the sense of deserving sympathy, as opposed to any economic judgment. My words were being spoken from a genuine place of appreciation for what the actors were having to endure, stuck in confined spaces, finding it within themselves to give a role-winning performance under these conditions.”
Gage made headlines on Friday, November 20, after he shared a 29-second clip from his audition with Shapeero.
“psa if youre a s–t talking director make sure to mute ur s–t on zoom mtgings,” he captioned the video.
While Gage didn’t reveal the director’s name, the filmmaker can he heard admitting he’s “mortified” after slamming the actor’s living conditions.
Shapeero vowed to be better before he signed off his Deadline letter.
“While I can’t put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube, I move forward from this incident a more empathetic man,” he wrote. “A more focused director and I promise, an even better partner to actors from the audition process to the final cut.”
