PA
Laurence Fox claims that he was being considered to play Batman during his High Court trial, prompting a pretty NSFW word to go viral.
The Reclaim Party founder entered a witness box on the fourth day of a libel trial in London over an exchange on Twitter, now known as X, about a decision by Sainsbury’s to provide a safe space for black employees during Black History Month.
Fox called for a boycott of the supermarket in October 2020 and was called “a racist” by the drag artist Crystal, former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and actress Nicola Thorp.
The 45-year-old subsequently termed each of the trio as a “paedophile”, prompting the libel action by Mr Blake and the drag star, also known as Colin Seymour.
Mr Fox, who denies being a racist, is counter-suing the trio over their tweets and started his evidence in London on Monday morning.
In a 24-page statement, the Lewis star – who said he does not consider himself to be a “traditionally handsome or hunky” actor – claimed by 2020 he was earning at least £500,000 to £600,000 per year from acting.
However, Mr Fox said his “life was destroyed by what they did”, and that he had become a target.
He said he had a “vibrant and busy” work life before the tweets and before his acting agent Sue Latimer dropped him and was asked to audition for roles including Batman and Succession, and “multiple other Netflix, Disney+ and HBO productions”.
The claims have prompted a pretty NSFW word to go viral on social media.
Here’s a pick of what people had to say:
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