Actor’s Home Swarmed By Police After Neighbors Mistake His Rehearsals To Be A Desperate Man’s Plea For His Life
Actor Simon Gordon must have had his most intense acting lesson last night. The English actor, who is set to appear in the movie version of the hit Carole King musical Beautiful, was swarmed by policemen at his flat in Hither Green, London, after neighbors mistook his rehearsals to be a desperate man’s plea for his life.
In a bizarre case of misunderstanding, the actor’s neighbors thought that Gordon was begging for his life while he was actually rehearsing for the role of Carole King’s husband in the forthcoming movie. Springing into action having overheard his desperate plea for forgiveness, a neighbor called the police. Unaware that someone had mistakenly interpreted his rehearsal as a call of distress, the actor was shocked to find policemen at his door late last night when they arrived in full force looking for a firearm.
According to the Daily Mail, there were at least 15 armed officers involved in the late night raid.
Simon Gordon shares his East London flat with three other West End actors. In the aftermath of the incident, the actor clarified that he was indeed rehearsing with housemate Joel Harper-Jackson — also an actor — when 15 men with automatic assault rifles surrounded his house. According to his description of the incident on Facebook, a few “casual snipers” had also taken their positions in his garden, waiting for the untoward to happen.
The actor said that the whole experience, while being surreal, was also enriching.
“It was an experience. We were rehearsing for a role. It gets a bit heated, the scene, and one of the windows was open. [It was] someone across the road who called – at least they’re looking out for us.”
According to reports, when the police raid began, the rehearsal had finished and the actor and his friend Harper-Jackson were watching the musical From Here To Eternity. Mr. Harper-Jackson answered the door and the officers rushed in and held both the actors in the living room while they foraged around the house looking for a firearm.
Gordon went on to say that he was completely puzzled to find policemen with snipers in his garden.
“They had sniper rifles in the garden, they came into the house and searched every room. One of the boys, Rory Taylor, came out of his room and was confronted by riot shields so he got the biggest fright. They backed him up into the living room as well.”
At the end of it all, however, the actor could see the funny side of the incident. He conceded that he wanted to ask the policemen for a selfie, but then decided against it.
“I felt like asking for a selfie, but it would have been rubbing salt into the wound after they came out for nothing. I really wish I had.”
Well, in any case, the incident will at least mean that actor Simon Gordon remembers to shut the window before rehearsing for a dramatic scene next time.
[Images via Wikimedia]
