The actor whose character makes a sexual joke about the Princess of Wales in a new Amazon Prime series has broken his silence on the “hoo-ha”.
In Citadel, an action-thriller starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, the male lead character played by Madden asks crime boss Balduino Basto for help breaking into the armed forces chief’s office, to which the mafia kingpin replies: “The chief of armed forces? You might as well have asked me how to get between the legs of the Duchess of Cambridge!”
There has been a fierce online backlash to the joke interpreted as being at Princess Kate’s expense. But Sen Moro, who plays Balduino Basto, believes the line spoken by his fictional persona has been blown out of proportion.
“Everyone is making a big hoo-ha about the line – it’s meant to be derogatory, it’s a metaphor,” Moro told Express.co.uk in an exclusive interview.
“People are vicariously getting upset on Kate’s behalf, that such a line should be said.
READ MORE: Princess Kate cruelly insulted by sexual barb from Amazon Prime’s Citadel show
“One of the things I had on social media was ‘how dare you say the line? Yes, you’re an actor. But you should have refused.’ I’m being directed by an Academy Award winner – what am I supposed to say? ‘Sorry I find that distasteful I’m not going to say the line?’ I’m an actor there to do a job.
“At the end of the day, I’m an actor paid to portray a character and, if it’s necessary for the character to say those lines, it’s not for me to judge. It’s for me to deliver, and I deliver what I’m paid to do.”
Moro said he was surprised by the reaction to the line given the series release date was nearly a month ago.
“I didn’t think there’ll be such controversy because the episode came out about three weeks ago,” he added.
Although Moro has been criticised online he is trying to look at the attention in a positive light.
“People are talking about me as an actor and it’s nice to be in the spotlight for doing a good job,” Moro said.
With episodes released on a weekly basis, Citadel tells the story of two spies with wiped memories attempting to stop a powerful crime syndicate.
The show’s Twitter account claims it is the number one programme on the platform in nearly 200 countries.
It is estimated the show cost over £200 million to make, making it one of the most expensive TV series ever made.
Do YOU have information about a scandal that needs investigating? Send your tips to zak.garnerpurkis@reachplc.com
