This is the wild moment Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli shoved climate change activists out of the theatre midway through his Broadway performance of An Enemy of the People.
On Thursday night, three environmental activists from the group Extinction Rebellion halted the show by shouting 'no theater on dead planet' during the beginning of the second act.
One protestor was then seen being escorted out of the theatre by cast members, including Imperioli, who shoved and dragged the rebel up the stairs - all while remaining in character.
In a video posted on X, formerly know as Twitter, a protestor is seen walking on to the stage while stars Imperioli and Jeremy Strong, who plays Kendall Roy in Succession, were in the middle of performing a rather tense scene.
'I am very, very sorry to interrupt your night and this amazing performance. I am a theater artist,' the rebel shouted before being escorted offstage by security.
The protestor continued: 'The oceans are rising. It will swallow this city and this entire theater whole. I am putting my career on the line because we are not doing anything about this crisis. The water is coming for us!'
'Go back to drama school!' Imperioli yelled in true gangster fashion.
Strong, still in character retorted loudly 'let them speak.'
Imperioli then left the stage and helped to shove the activist up the stairs and out of the theater. When the final activist was kicked out of the theatre, the majority of the room applauded.
Imperioli posted a response to the incident on Instagram, suggesting that while his persona might not agree with the demonstrators, he still values science.
'Tonight was wild….no hard feelings extinction rebellion crew,' he wrote. 'Michael is on your side but mayor stockmann is not. Much love.'
A statement released by the climate change group said: 'Today's action highlights the failure of governments and corporations to treat climate and ecological breakdown as the crisis it is.'
