Adam Sandler repeatedly grabbed The Crown's Claire Foy. Here's why people are so furious.

Actor Adam Sandler has been heavily criticised after he repeatedly rested his hand upon British actress Claire Foy’s knee during a televised interview, despite her attempts to brush it away.

The pair appeared on Friday night’s Graham Norton Show and Sandler, 51, was sitting next to the British actress, 33.

While telling a story, the Happy Gilmore actor rested his hand upon Foy’s knee. She smiled, squirmed and brushed it away – laughing at the awkwardness while looking at the audience – but he didn’t take the hint, resting it again in the same place.

The Crown actress looked visibly uncomfortable. And in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, viewers expressed their dislike of the situation on social media.

One Twitter user, Michelle Marsh, said Adam Sandler appeared to have “no social awareness of how awkward he seemed to be making Emma Thompson and Claire Foy.

Ohh Claire Foy was not up for being pet by Adam Sandler. Quite right too! #GrahamNorton

— Graham Thomson (@grahamt11) October 27, 2017

Claire Foy replacing Adam Sandler’s hand onto his own knee rather than hers, was the perfect “haha dont touch me again” move #GrahamNorton

— Gwyneth Jane (@gwynethjane_) October 27, 2017

Fellow actress Emma Thomspon – who has been extremely vocal in calling out the “endemic” sexual harassment in Hollywood following the Harvey Weinstein scandal – was also on the couch.

At one point Sandler rested his hand on her knee, too.

A spokesperson for Sandler said it was simply a "friendly gesture" and some viewers pointed out he had touched Dustin Hoffman's knee during an interview on Jimmy Fallon's talk show earlier this month, The Independent reports.

A spokeswoman for Foy has since said Sandler had caused her "no offence", Metro reports.

Nonetheless, a month ago, Sandler's actions might have gone unnoticed. And while he was not ill-intentioned, this comes at a highly contentious time. In recent weeks, dozens of women have spoken out about sexual assault and harassment in showbiz, with allegations levelled against producer Harvey Weinstein, director James Tobak and photographer Terry Richardson. The world's shock has now turned to anger.

So with all of this in mind, we only hope that the men of Hollywood are listening.

LISTEN: The Harvey Weinstein saga unpacked.