Rhys Ifans was arrested for allegedly pushing a female security guard at the Comic-Con International festival on Friday.
The Welsh actor who stars as villainous scientist The Lizard in upcoming superhero movie The Amazing Spider-Man was being “aggressive and belligerent” at the world famous comic book convention in San Diego, where he was a surprise guest, and he also apparently shoved an official when the guard blocked one of his entourage from entering a backstage area.
“He was aggressive and belligerent. He was berating everyone from the security staff to the United States of America. He was cited and released, which is a non-custodial misdemeanor arrest,” said Lieutenant Andra Brown, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Police.
The Mr. Nice star who was celebrating his 44th birthday on the day of the incident was still allowed to participate in the panel, which also saw his Amazing Spider-Man costars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, as well as director Marc Webb speak to promote the forthcoming Sony movie, which is based on the Marvel comic book series.
A Sony spokesman said in a statement, “Rhys Ifans was detained by Comic-Con security after a brief incident backstage prior to and immediately following The Amazing Spider-Man panel.
“Police were notified and a citation was issued to Mr. Ifans, who deeply regrets this incident.”