Noel Clarke claims woman was ‘acting’ when describing alleged sexual misconduct

Noel Clarke has claimed that a woman was “acting” when she told him on a phone call that she felt “pressured” to be naked while the two were shooting a scene together, the High Court has heard.

Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct.

He denies the allegations, while GNM is defending its reporting as being both true and in the public interest.

At a hearing on Wednesday, the court was played a recording of a phone call between Clarke and an actress known as “Maya”, in which Maya says she was subject to comments and looks from Clarke and felt pressured to be naked during a scene.

On the call, Clarke asked her: “Did I make you feel weird?”

Maya replied: “Yes, it was an uncomfortable experience. We were rehearsing the romantic scene.

“I didn’t say anything to you. I felt pressured to be naked from you in that scene.

“I did not feel strong enough to put my foot down.

“You would be looking me up and down, talking about my body.”

Clarke said in court: “Of course she is acting, she is setting out things for four years later or what she’s going to say to the newspaper.

“I now believe, at that point, she was a primary conspirator and this phone call was her acting.”

Later in the call, Clarke apologised for making “subconscious looks”, adding: “I don’t want to dismiss your feelings at all. I definitely want to apologise to you.”

He continued: “Anything that I said that was in my mind banter, I’m sorry.”

He also asked Maya to keep the conversation private at the end of the call.

Cross-examining Clarke, Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, said: “This was you becoming concerned about your sexual misconduct being spoken about.”

Clarke replied: “If a man makes a remote misstep, he is done. So am I quite within my rights to ask to keep it private.”

The court also heard how an announcement stating that Clarke was to receive a Bafta was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and spurred the women who have made allegations into talking to the press.

After publication of the Guardian’s story in April 2021, Bafta issued a statement saying they had suspended Clarke’s award as well as his membership of the organisation.

At the hearing, Clarke said: “The people who had grudges and axes to grind could not bear to see me get that award.”

Philip Williams, for Clarke, previously told the court in written submissions that the actor “has clearly established the falsity of all of the allegations”.

The barrister continued that his client was “barely able to reply to the allegations” published by the Guardian and was “perceived as a criminal by all those who previously trusted and worked with him”.

Mr Millar said in his written submissions that the paper “did not simply accept what was said to it” and that “much time and resource was devoted to getting to the truth”.

He also said there is “ample evidence” that all the articles were true or substantially true.

The hearing before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to conclude in April, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.