The trial between Sophia Paulidou and Manos Papayianni is currently underway at the Court of Appeals, following Paulidou’s accusation of severe physical assault by her fellow actor. Today (15.05.2025), Sotiris Kalyvatsis, who was present during the incident, testified in court as a defense witness for Sophia Paulidou. According to Kalyvatsis, the violent episode occurred when Manos Papayianni asked Sophia why she didn’t deliver a particular joke—prompting an exchange that quickly escalated into insults and threats.
Kalyvatsis recounted how Papayianni became enraged upon hearing Paulidou’s sarcastic response, leading him to storm upstairs to her dressing room. A loud noise followed, and Kalyvatsis found Paulidou lying on the floor, screaming, while Papayianni stood nearby claiming he wanted to scare her. He described Papayianni as behaving irrationally, running upstairs like a madman after Paulidou closed her door forcefully.
Further testimony revealed that the next day, when discussing the incident with others involved, Papayianni denied hitting Paulidou but admitted to pushing her. The police were called by Paulidou herself, though Papayianni hid from them under instructions from theater management. Several witnesses corroborated seeing Papayianni grab Paulidou by the neck and throw her down. In subsequent meetings, tensions remained high, with Papayianni accusing Paulidou of fabricating the story for publicity.
This case has sparked significant attention within Greece’s theatrical community, highlighting issues of workplace violence and gender dynamics in the arts sector.