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Taron Egerton is no longer starring in the West End play Cock.
The producers of the play said in a statement on Saturday that Egerton, 32, has dropped out of the project less than a month after initial performances began due to “personal reasons.”
“Joel Harper-Jackson will take over the role of M in Mike Bartlett’s razor sharp, hilarious play Cock until the end of the run,” the statement began. “The part was originally played in this production by Taron Egerton, who has had to withdraw from the production due to personal reasons.”
“Joel understudied the role and has been playing the part of M for the past ten days while Taron was absent from the production having tested positive for Covid,” the statement continued, referencing Egerton’s recent bout with the coronavirus.
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Elsewhere in the statement, which was shared on Instagram, Cock costar Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) said of Harper-Jackson: “Joel is an immense talent and we couldn’t be luckier to have him on board. I am proud to continue sharing the stage with him.”
Director Marianne Elliott, meanwhile, added, “Joel is an absolute hero. He is a brilliant and gifted actor and stepped into the role at extremely short notice. Audiences have been standing and cheering and so am I.”
Egerton’s run with the West End play was been met with many challenges. Last month, the Rocketman star fainted and collapsed onstage during the inaugural performance of the play at the Ambassadors Theatre in London.
After Egerton fainted onstage, the production of the show was stopped and a doctor in the audience assisted the actor, according to the Independent.
Following a 40-minute break, director Elliott then appeared onstage and told the audience that Egerton was “absolutely fine” and that castmate Harper-Jackson would take over for the final 15 minutes of the show.
The next morning, Egerton shared a statement on his Instagram Story, saying he was “completely fine” but suffering from a “slightly sore neck and a bruised ego.” Egerton also expressed his gratitude to those who were around him when he fainted. “Thank you to the amazing team at the theatre and my wonderful cast mates for being so lovely,” he wrote.
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Not long after the incident, Egerton then tested positive for COVID-19, the show’s producers shared on Instagram at the time, which forced him to miss a slew of performances.
“Taron Egerton has unfortunately tested positive for Covid,” the official Cock Instagram account shared in a prior post. “In accordance with the production’s health & safety protocols, he will now isolate and we expect Taron to return to the show next week.”
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Cock follows a gay man named Josh (Bailey), who questions his sexuality after he falls in love with a woman named W, complicating his relationship with his boyfriend, M. The play officially opened March 15 and will run through June 4.
A representative for Egerton did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
