Tristram Shapeero Apologises For Viral Video 'Mocking' Lukas Gage's Apartment

What happened during the audition?

The director did not realize his microphone was not on mute, and said of Gage's living space: 'These poor people living in these tiny apartments. Gage then replied: "I do know it's a shitty residence".

In shock, but still willing to be in good grace with the director, Gage admitted that he knows his apartment is "s--ty" and pleaded for the acting gig so that he can get a better one.

That is when Gage chimes in to remind Shapeero that he is unmuted. "I am absolutely mortified".

In explanation, he talked about the audition taking place in August, the fourth month of lockdown, and as he did each audition, he felt "emotional" seeing "actors work so hard to win the few parts available" under the "extraordinary circumstances".

But after posting it on Twitter on Saturday, the video went viral - it was viewed more than 9 million times and has now received almost 300,000 likes and more than 30,000 retweets.

Mr Shapeero, a British television director who has worked on shows including The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has now come forward to offer "a honest and unvarnished apology".

The video now has over nine million views on Instagram alone, and Gage has received praise for his quick-witted, classy response.

Gage was met with an outpouring of support from fellow actors, including Billy Eichner, who wrote: "Actors are often (not always but often) treated like garbage and taken advantage of because "we're just lucky to have a job" and "we're gonna take the job anyway" etc etc".

What has the director said now?

The British director who mocked Gage during a virtual audition is Tristram Shapeero, Page Six reported. He did not want to address the matter directly with the outlet but did say the meaning of what he said and the word "poor" were taken out of context.

Wrote Shapeero: "First and foremost I offer Mr. Gage a honest and unvarnished apology for my offensive words, my unprofessional behavior during the audition and for not giving him the focus and attention he deserved". "My job is to judge performers towards the half I'm attempting to forged".

"I was using the word "poor" in the sense of deserving sympathy, as opposed to any economic judgment", he continued.

"I'm mortified about what happened", continued Shapeero, adding that while he can not change what happened, he will "move forward from this incident a more empathetic man. My phrases had been being spoken from a real place of appreciation for what the actors had been having to endure, caught in confined areas, discovering it inside themselves to present a role-winning efficiency underneath these situations". While I can't put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube, I move forward from this incident a more empathetic man, ' Shapeero stated.