Charlize Theron has called out a French TV presenter for kissing her interpreter without first asking for her consent.
The award-winning actor was appearing as a guest on French TV show Touche Pas A Mon Poste alongside Long Shot co-star Seth Rogen when the incident occurred.
As the interpreter, Nadia, approached Theron to translate what presenter Cyril Hanouna had said, he followed, grabbed her mic, and kissed her on the cheek without any warning.
You can watch what happened below:
Theron was quick to call Hanouna out for his actions, looking unimpressed and saying, ‘wow,’ before telling him to ask next time.
As per the Huffington Post, Hanouna then repeatedly asked Nadia, in French, whether she enjoyed the exchange while Theron looked at Rogen as though to check if he’d seen it.
Rogen, who was sat right next to his co-star, also appeared uncomfortable by what had happened and said, ‘easy’, before concurring with Theron’s statement and saying, ‘yes’.
A clip of the incident which was posted to Twitter shortly after it occurred has been viewed more than 1.38 million times since it was shared a few days ago.
The incident has sparked debate among many, with some saying Hanouna should have asked for Nadia’s consent and others saying consent wasn’t needed for a kiss on the cheek.
Many have praised Theron for defending her interpreter and for reminding the presenter that consent is vital and must be given before intimate contact.
One person, who was also an interpreter, thanked Theron and said she ‘really appreciates’ what she did, while another simply said, ‘you are so damn right!!!’ Yet another asked when Hanouna would be fired.
Others though, said Charlize was overreacting and explained that a kiss on the cheek is etiquette in France therefore no offence was meant by it.
This isn’t the first time Theron has spoken openly about the importance of consent, having previously talked about the #MeToo movement during Dubai’s Global Educations & Skills Forum in 2018.
As per the Independent, the actor said she remains optimistic that the film and television industry will improve its outlook and reaction to issues surrounding sexual harassment and assault.
Regardless of what was meant by the kiss, there’s no doubt the TV presenter will should twice next time he’s in that position.
Long Shot will be hitting our cinema screens on May 3, 2019.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).