Claire Foy has revealed that she was ‘not offended’ when Adam Sandler touched her leg during an interview – despite it causing outrage among viewers.
As the fallout from the Harvey Weinstein scandal continues the comedian, 51, was criticized for his gestures during Friday night’s Graham Norton Show on BBC One.
The American actor was seen resting his hand on the knee of British Claire Foy, 33, leaving her looking distinctly uncomfortable.
Fans erupted on social media, slamming Sandler for his behaviour and said the Crown actress looked ‘uncomfortable’.
However, Foy has since come out and brushed off the incident.
A spokeswoman said: ‘We don’t believe anything was intended by Adam’s gesture and it has caused no offence to Claire.’
Controversy? As the fallout from the Harvey Weinstein scandal continues the comedian, 51, was criticized for his wandering hands during Friday night’s Graham Norton Show
During the incident, Foy made an effort to pat away Sandler’s hand when he rested it on her knee.
However, it went unnoticed by the comedy star, and he soon placed it back on her knee – much to her apparent awkwardness.
Emma Thompson, who was also a guest on the show, appeared to glare at Sandler throughout the awkward encounter.
The British star has been very vocal during the Weinstein scandal. She called the disgraced movie producer a ‘predator’ and said his behavior was ‘endemic’ in Hollywood.
Sandler, a married father of two, appeared oblivious to what was happening as he regaled the audience with a story.
To make matters worse, he also touched the leg of double Oscar winner Emma Thompson, 58, his co-star in the new Netflix film The Meyerwitz Stories.
Not comfortable? The American actor was seen resting his hand on the knee of British Claire Foy, 33, leaving her looking distinctly uncomfortable
Unaware: Unfortunately her efforts to pat away his hand went unnoticed, and he soon placed it back on her knee- much to her apparent awkwardness
Stunned viewers took to social media to voice their concerns about Sandler, star of The Wedding Singer and Grown Ups.
One viewer wrote: ‘Adam Sandler touching Claire Foy’s knee for no reason, she put his hand back, he then does it again, she looked rightly p***** off.’
Another said: ‘Felt very uncomfortable watching Adam repeatedly put his unwanted hand on the knee of Claire Foy.’
‘With all that’s happening did I just see Claire Foy looking a little distressed at Adam Sandler’s hands all over her knee?’, one viewer wrote.
Oblivious: Sandler, a married father of two, appeared oblivious to what was happening as he regaled the audience with a story
‘Felt very uncomfortable watching Adam repeatedly put his unwanted hand on the knee of Claire Foy,’ a viewer wrote
Emma, 58, recently said that Weinstein was at ‘the top of the ladder of a system of harassment and belittling and bullying’.
A representative for Sandler said the actor’s actions as ‘a friendly gesture’ that had been ‘blown out of proportion’
The funnyman made a similar gesture to Dustin Hoffman on the Jimmy Fallon show at the beginning of the month.
‘With all that’s happening did I just see Claire Foy looking a little distressed at Adam Sandler’s hands all over her knee?’, another viewer wrote
Producer Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company on Oct. 8 after The New York Times published an expose that detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations against him.
The Oscar-winning producer apologized without addressing any specific conduct, but has denied later allegations by several women that he raped them.
The New York Times also reported that Weinstein paid a financial settlement of $100,000 to McGowan in 1997 over an incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
Weinstein representative Sallie Hofmeister has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex. Police in London, Los Angeles and New York are investigating Weinstein, 65.
A spokesman for Sandler described the actor’s actions as ‘a friendly gesture’