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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/25/director-neil-armfield-geoffrey-rush-creepy-king-lear
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| Director Neil Armfield denies telling Geoffrey Rush he was being 'creepy' | Director Neil Armfield denies telling Geoffrey Rush he was being 'creepy' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Geoffrey Rush was never told he was being “creepy” during a scene of King Lear with female co-star Eryn Jean Norvill, the director of the play has told a Sydney court. | Geoffrey Rush was never told he was being “creepy” during a scene of King Lear with female co-star Eryn Jean Norvill, the director of the play has told a Sydney court. |
| Neil Armfield led the 2015 Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear at the centre of Rush’s defamation case against the Daily Telegraph. | Neil Armfield led the 2015 Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear at the centre of Rush’s defamation case against the Daily Telegraph. |
| Considered Australia’s leading theatre director and a longtime friend and associate of Rush’s, Armfield gave evidence that he never told the actor a scene in the play involving Norvill was becoming “creepy and unclear” and that he did not witness the actor being inappropriate with her. | Considered Australia’s leading theatre director and a longtime friend and associate of Rush’s, Armfield gave evidence that he never told the actor a scene in the play involving Norvill was becoming “creepy and unclear” and that he did not witness the actor being inappropriate with her. |
| Rush is suing the Telegraph over a series of articles published at the end of November and beginning of December in 2017 alleging he behaved inappropriately during the production. | Rush is suing the Telegraph over a series of articles published at the end of November and beginning of December in 2017 alleging he behaved inappropriately during the production. |
| The Telegraph is arguing a truth defence on the basis of evidence to be given by Norvill, who played the role of Cordelia in the production. | The Telegraph is arguing a truth defence on the basis of evidence to be given by Norvill, who played the role of Cordelia in the production. |
| The trial has previously heard an allegation that during a scene in which Norvill’s character lay dead on the stage, Rush, playing Lear, had traced his fingers down Norvill’s body and over the side of her right breast. | The trial has previously heard an allegation that during a scene in which Norvill’s character lay dead on the stage, Rush, playing Lear, had traced his fingers down Norvill’s body and over the side of her right breast. |
| Rush denied the claim during his own cross-examination, but on Thursday the Telegraph’s barrister, Tom Blackburn SC, pressed Armfield on the allegation. | Rush denied the claim during his own cross-examination, but on Thursday the Telegraph’s barrister, Tom Blackburn SC, pressed Armfield on the allegation. |
| Armfield said he had “no memory of that as an action”, and also denied that some time after the preview performance he told Rush the scene was becoming “creepy and unclear” and that Rush should be “more paternal”. | Armfield said he had “no memory of that as an action”, and also denied that some time after the preview performance he told Rush the scene was becoming “creepy and unclear” and that Rush should be “more paternal”. |
| “You were concerned at a development in the way Mr Rush made contact with Ms Norvill in that final scene,” Blackburn said during his cross examination of Armfield. | “You were concerned at a development in the way Mr Rush made contact with Ms Norvill in that final scene,” Blackburn said during his cross examination of Armfield. |
| “Something had developed [and] the motions he was using were becoming unclear in some way. Indeed creepy.” | “Something had developed [and] the motions he was using were becoming unclear in some way. Indeed creepy.” |
| “No, not at all,” Armfield responded. | “No, not at all,” Armfield responded. |
| “You gave Mr Rush a note to that effect didn’t you? [That the] motions were becoming creepy and unclear,” Blackburn said. | “You gave Mr Rush a note to that effect didn’t you? [That the] motions were becoming creepy and unclear,” Blackburn said. |
| Armfield responded again: “I’ve already said I have no memory of such a note.” | Armfield responded again: “I’ve already said I have no memory of such a note.” |
| The director also said he did not remember giving Rush a note to be “more paternal” during the scene. | The director also said he did not remember giving Rush a note to be “more paternal” during the scene. |
| “We were always searching for ways for it to be a classic paternal image; that’s sort of fundamental to the scene,” he said. | “We were always searching for ways for it to be a classic paternal image; that’s sort of fundamental to the scene,” he said. |
| “[But] I don’t remember saying ‘you need to be more paternal’, I don’t remember saying what you’re doing is leading us in the wrong direction as an audience.” | “[But] I don’t remember saying ‘you need to be more paternal’, I don’t remember saying what you’re doing is leading us in the wrong direction as an audience.” |
| During his cross-examination of Rush, Blackburn asserted that during rehearsals for the production Rush had made “groping” and “hour-glass” gestures towards Norvill, often sticking his tongue out and licking his lips in her direction. | During his cross-examination of Rush, Blackburn asserted that during rehearsals for the production Rush had made “groping” and “hour-glass” gestures towards Norvill, often sticking his tongue out and licking his lips in her direction. |
| Armfield told the court he had not seen Rush act in that way, and denied ever hearing him make “jokes or comments” or any “sexual innuendo” about Norvill’s body. | Armfield told the court he had not seen Rush act in that way, and denied ever hearing him make “jokes or comments” or any “sexual innuendo” about Norvill’s body. |
| On Wednesday, Rush said he may have told Norvill she looked “yummy” during rehearsals of the play. | On Wednesday, Rush said he may have told Norvill she looked “yummy” during rehearsals of the play. |
| However, Armfield said he hadn’t witnessed Rush describe Norvill that way. | However, Armfield said he hadn’t witnessed Rush describe Norvill that way. |
| “I’ve heard the word ‘yummy’ used by Patrick White to John Gaden; it was his nickname for him. [But] I didn’t hear Geoffrey Rush describe Eryn Jean as yummy,” he said. | “I’ve heard the word ‘yummy’ used by Patrick White to John Gaden; it was his nickname for him. [But] I didn’t hear Geoffrey Rush describe Eryn Jean as yummy,” he said. |
| Earlier, Armfield said he’d known Rush since 1979, describing him as “an internationally important actor” whose reputation had been “profoundly” impacted by the Telegraph articles. | Earlier, Armfield said he’d known Rush since 1979, describing him as “an internationally important actor” whose reputation had been “profoundly” impacted by the Telegraph articles. |
| “I’m not on social media and tend to avoid gossip [but] have been very aware of this kind of cloud hovering over him,” he said. | “I’m not on social media and tend to avoid gossip [but] have been very aware of this kind of cloud hovering over him,” he said. |
| “He kind of closed down as a kind of personality and there is I think unbelievable and gross damage which has been [done] by [the] publishing of these allegations in the Telegraph.” | “He kind of closed down as a kind of personality and there is I think unbelievable and gross damage which has been [done] by [the] publishing of these allegations in the Telegraph.” |
| Norvill did not speak to the Telegraph before the articles were published, but is due to give evidence later in the trial. | |
| Rush is seeking aggravated damages against the Telegraph, and on Thursday his barristers called a number of character witnesses to speak to the actor’s reputation and emotional state before and after the Telegraph articles. | |
| Australian film and television producer Robyn Kershaw – known for her work on Looking for Alibrandi and the comedy series Kath & Kim – described picking Rush up from the airport in Los Angelos before an awards ceremony. | |
| “When I saw him at the airport he was hiding behind a pillar totally like a child, it was a very traumatic thing because I hadn’t seen him since before the publication of the articles and it was a reality check for me about the physical trauma Mr Rush had undergone,” she said. | |
| The trial continues. | |
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