Director From Lukas Gage Nightmare Audition Video Speaks Out - Apologizes For 'Unacceptable' Comments!

The mystery man has revealed himself!

As we previously reported, last week Euphoria actor Lukas Gage called out a “s**t talking director” who made derogatory comments about his “tiny” apartment. While he didn’t name names, there was a whole lot of speculation about who the director could be!

Well, someone’s detective work paid off because the culprit has finally been revealed: Tristram Shapeero, a British TV director who has worked on shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Never Have I Ever. In video obtained by TMZ, the veteran director first declined to apologize for his comments, saying “the context of which it was said, and the context of the meanings of the words, need to be properly evaluated.” He added:

“I don’t have any apology because I didn’t say anything bad. You have to look up the definition. It was three months ago.”

Even if the words themselves weren’t bad (debatable), it was DEFINITELY rude to be focusing on Gage’s apartment instead of his audition. Luckily, Shapeero decided to walk back his non-apology and offer his sincere regret for, and an explanation of, his words. In a statement for Variety, he wrote:

“First and foremost I offer Mr. Gage a sincere 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 evaluate performers against the part I am trying to cast. Lukas deserved better.”

Noting he and his colleagues have been “deeply moved by the passion of these young people under the extraordinary circumstances” while auditioning during the pandemic, he continued:

“I was using the word ‘poor’ in the sense of deserving sympathy, as opposed to any economic judgment. My words were being spoken from a genuine place of appreciation for what the actors were having to endure, stuck in confined spaces, finding it within themselves to give a role-winning performance under these conditions.”

Shapeero concluded:

“As I say on the video, I’m mortified about what happened. While I can’t put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube, I move forward from this incident a more empathetic man; a more focused director and I promise, an even better partner to actors from the audition process to the final cut.”

As far as apologies go, this is a pretty decent one, though we can’t forget he tried not to share any remiss the first time. Hopefully the director actually keeps to his promise — and we also hope that this whole embarrassing story serves as a cautionary tale to others. Remember everyone, sometimes instead of running commentary, it’s better to just keep your mouth shut! Especially on Zoom!

(Now only one question remains — is this the guy who told Emmy Rossum to twirl around in a bikini??? Because that would definitely require a whole OTHER apology.)

[Image via FayesVision/WENN & Yvette Nicole Brown/Instagram]