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Dame Maureen Lipman has branded an actor a “coward” after he pulled out of a London theatre production because of her involvement.
Gerard McCarthy withdrew from Right Before I Go after the veteran Jewish actress joined the cast, saying he was uncomfortable promoting someone whose political views were at odds with his own.
Lipman, 80, has now hit back at his decision, challenging the Northern Irish actor to speak to her directly and accusing him of “virtue-signalling”.
“I am asking for him to have the courage to face me and tell me what he thinks it is I should do, or think, or say,” she told The Times.
“I would like to reassure him that I will not be arriving with a star of David on my forehead, nor am I trying to argue him out of his point of view.
“He has to wake up and smell the grass. I have worked with actors for 60 years who often don’t share my politics. I don’t ask them, and they don’t ask me.”
Lipman said McCarthy was entitled to decide he did not want to work with her, but added: “But if he won’t meet with me, then he’s a coward.
“And if he doesn’t grow up, then he’s going to limit himself to working with just Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem for the rest of his career.”
McCarthy, known for roles in The Fall, Call the Midwife and Hollyoaks, announced last week that he would no longer appear in the production at Soho Theatre.
He said he had not asked for Lipman to be removed from the cast but had decided not to promote her involvement because of views she had “publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine”.
Lipman also questioned what had changed since July, when McCarthy attended the opening night of her play, Allegra, at Richmond Theatre and posed for photographs at the afterparty.
She said she understood he had subsequently praised the production and described her performance as “incredible”.
“So I would love to know what has changed in the last six weeks. Has he become radicalised, and by whom?” Lipman said.
“I am at a loss, but I would like to extend the olive branch and get a proper understanding of his problem with me.”
The actress also defended her position on Israel, saying: “I am simply a working woman of a certain age who believes that the state of Israel should be allowed to exist. I am an actor, not a politician. There is very little I can do to influence (Israeli prime minister) Bibi Netanyahu, nor would I want to.
“We know what the chant from the river to the sea means, but whether he does I don’t know.”
Right Before I go, written by American writer Stan Zimmerman, draws on real suicide notes and personal testimonies to explore the impact of suicide. Its London run at Soho Theatre takes place from 5 to 10 September, with Lipman due to appear on World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.
“I’m sure he shared the same reasons as me, so I am not quite sure how this virtue-signalling aligns with his values,” she said.
Lipman has faced protests over her support for Israel during recent theatre appearances. Pro-Palestine campaigners targeted performances of Allegra in Scotland earlier this year, while an image depicting her with devil horns and a pitchfork was circulated on social media.
Reflecting on what would have been a single performance alongside McCarthy, Lipman added: “It was just one day, it’s not like we are stuck in the wings for six weeks when he would have to inhale the stench (of) my views.”
Jewish News has approached McCarthy’s representatives for comment.
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