Speaking in Tongues Star Ian Hart Reportedly Attacks Audience Member

British actor Ian Hart is making headlines, but not for his acting. The performer may face charges after allegedly lunging at an audience member during curtain call of the West End's Speaking in Tongues. According to the U.K.'s Times, the Harry Potter actor became irate when audience member Gerard Earley got to his feet during the cast's bows and began to applaud Hart. The actor then went off on a rant as dramatic as the play that had been presented.

After screaming at Earley for talking during the show (which Earley denies), Hart reportedly lunged at the ticketholder before being restrained by ushers.

“I was very scared. He was standing up and leaning over me,” Earley told The Times. “I felt threatened when he started screaming and I couldn’t make out what he was saying—he was pretty feral at that point.”

Hart, who works consistently in TV and film, recently admitted to Broadway.com that he does not enjoy the life of a stage actor. When asked what his reservations about theater were, the star replied, "I don't enjoy the relationship between the audience and the actor—or let's just say that my brain isn't wired up in terms of the response an audience gives you. I just think [after a performance], there you go, finished now, so for me it's just arduous."

Hart is a well known character actor who appeared as Professor Quirinus Quirrell in the first Harry Potter film and dozens of additional flicks, including The Hours and Times, Backbeat, Robinson Crusoe, Snitch, The End of the Affair, Killing Me Softly and Unhinged.

Andrew Bovell's Speaking in Tongues, now playing at the Duke of York's Theatre and co-starring John Simm, weaves a dark story about adultery and betrayal. Hart plays three roles in the production.

Producers of the production have not commented on the incident.