Life Imitates... Art?

Aero-News has learned British actor Bruce Payne, known to movie audiences for roles in such films as "Passenger 57" and, well, "Never Say Never Mind: The Swedish Bikini Team" was arrested November 30 in London for a disturbance onboard a Virgin Atlantic flight from the US.

Payne, 47, was held by police when the flight landed at Heathrow Airport. The official charge was for "threatening behavior," according to the London Evening Standard.

The actor allegedly became engaged in a heated argument with a fellow passenger who refused to turn off his cell phone when instructed to do so by cabin attendants.

"Officers boarded an inbound Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles to Heathrow after the captain radioed ahead regarding the behavior of a passenger," a police spokesman said. "[Payne] was arrested and bailed pending further inquiries."

Payne accepted an official caution from London police last week for "using threatening behavior." He will face no further disciplinary action, according to a police spokesman.

Agent Gordon Gibertson, who represents Payne, told the Evening Standard his client had denied the charges and the incident was little more than a misunderstanding.
 
"There was a heated exchange. A steward then became involved and there was verbal banter," Gibertson said. "There were a few misunderstandings and things escalated from there."

Gibertson added Payne, who played a terrorist in "Passenger 57" (above), has faced problems from other passengers in the past, who "are unable to separate fiction from reality and who get nervous."

FMI: www.virginatlantic.com