'Naked blue man' who starred in Olympics opening ceremony breaks silence over 'grossly offensive' Last Supper parody

27 July 2024, 23:43 | Updated: 29 July 2024, 09:27

The actor dubbed the 'naked blue man' after he starred in a bizarre segment of Paris' Olympic opening ceremony has broken his silence after receiving criticism.

French actor and singer Phillippe Katerine starred as the Greek god of wine Dionysus in a peculiar parody of Leonardo da Vinci's depiction of the Last Supper.

During Friday night's worldwide event, the famous painting showing Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles sharing a last meal before the crucifixion was reenacted with a group of drag queens and transgender models.

The artistic imitation appeared to offend many churchgoers, however, and was slammed by the Catholic Church in France.

But now Katerine has spoken out about the stunt, seemingly dismissing critics who believed the act to be blasphemous.

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Speaking to French outlet BFM TV today, Katerine said: "It wouldn't be fun if there were no controversy. Wouldn't it be boring if everyone agreed on this planet?"

But many were left confused by Katerine's role, with some on social media confusing him for "a smurf" or "Igglepiggle" from children's programme In The Night Garden.

Due to Katerine's rather scantily clad blue attire where he sat on a bed of giant platter of fake fruits and other foods, others eventually identified the Greek god of wine and pleasure.

The scene also starred Drag Race icon Nicky Doll, who has appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World and now hosts France's version of the show.

The depiction was still severely criticised by many including the Catholic church in France who criticised the segment, with the Conference of French bishops releasing a damning statement.

It read: "This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore."

But amid the perculari segment, a dazzling laser show that lit up the Eiffel Tower for two hours of unrelenting rain which ensured a sodden start for the opening ceremony.

The elements succeeded where alleged Russian spies and railway fires had failed, stealing the soul from the first Games opening ceremony to be staged outside a stadium in the 128-year history of the Olympic movement, sending fans and athletes scurrying for cover long before French president Emmanuel Macron declared the 33rd Games officially open.

Wholly appropriately given the weather conditions, water was at the centre of the audaciously-planned ceremony with 85 boats sweeping athletes from 205 delegations on a 6km journey down river from the Austerlitz Bridge to their disembarkation point outside the Trocadero.

Tugs, two-storey pleasure crafts and, in the case of Eswatini, a lurching speedboat, ferried the stoic competitors down the centre of the Seine. Forget the usual stories of condom shortages in the Olympic Village: this time, it could be seasickness tablets that are in short supply.

It is 100 years since the last Olympics were staged in Paris, and almost a quarter of a century more to the first in 1900, by all accounts a shambolic affair, in which competitors were plucked from the crowd, live pigeon-shooting was on the programme, and the winner of the long-distance hot air ballooning category was promptly arrested for landing in Russia without a passport.