Laura Linney recounts ghost sighting at 'haunted' theatre

Laura Linney is convinced she saw a ghost during a dress rehearsal for a play in New York.

In addition to her film career the actress has appeared in numerous theatre productions, including revivals of The Crucible and The Seagull.

But Laura admits one of her most memorable moments on stage had to be when she was preparing for the 1998 Broadway premiere of Joanna Murray-Smith's Honour at the Belasco Theatre, notoriously rumoured to be haunted, and allegedly encountered paranormal activity.

"Legend is that during final dress rehearsals, that's when the ghosts come out," she said during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Wednesday (26Jul17). "I had forgotten this and I was doing a play with Jane Alexander, and I turned to (her) and I looked up to the upper balcony... (Which you) can only get in from the outside - and those doors were locked. And I looked up and there was a woman standing in the front row looking over, with a blue dress and blonde hair. And I just thought, 'Well, hello.'"

After sighting the figure, the Love Actually star took a second and looked at her co-star Jane. But when she glanced back to the balcony, the woman was gone.

"I didn't say anything to anyone for a while... I went to the house manager and I said, 'Joe, I think I saw a ghost.' And he went, 'Male or female?' I said, 'Female.' And he went, 'Blue dress, blonde hair?'" sighed Laura.

In spite of the spooky experience, the 53-year-old insisted she would happily return to the theatre and imagines it is probably not a bad location for spirits to exist.

"I wouldn't mind being a ghost at the Belasco," she laughed.

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