The sight of a bucking bronco in the shape of a pink penis was too much for Hollywood actor and gay rights supporter Martin Sheen, prompting him to boycott a scene in the TV series Grace and Frankie.

He plays the part of Robert - who leaves his wife for Sol, the husband of her best friend. In the ‘Bachelor Party’ episode, screened earlier this month, Sheen is horrified when he spots the phallic prop on his lawn. He reacts angrily, “get that thing off the lawn!”

But in an example of art imitating life, it appears the actor was not actually acting in the scene. For he had told the sitcom’s co-creator, Marta Kauffman, that he would not appear alongside the penis. “I’m a prude,” he admits. “I would not participate. Such vulgarity. And I told dear Marta, the writer, it’s awful and it’s a bad choice. I was honest with her, and I’m glad I was. She looked at me and said, ‘Well that’s your opinion.’ And I said, ‘Yes it is, and I’m not participating in that sequence’,” says the 74-year-old actor, in an interview published in the Radio Times.

Film stars turning to TV Show all 9 1 /9 Film stars turning to TV Film stars turning to TV Matthew McConaughey From Dallas Buyers Club to True Detective (pictured) HBO Film stars turning to TV Billy Bob Thornton From Armageddon to Fargo (pictured) Channel 4 Film stars turning to TV Colin Farrell From Phone Booth to Fargo series two Getty Images Film stars turning to TV Martin Freeman From The Hobbit to Fargo (pictured) MGM Film stars turning to TV Halle Berry From Monster's Ball to CBS' Extant Getty Images Film stars turning to TV Vince Vaughn From The Wedding Crashers to True Detective series 2 Getty Images Film stars turning to TV Nicole Kidman The Hours star is set to co-star in a new TV series alongside Reese Witherspoon Getty Images Film stars turning to TV Reese Witherspoon The Walk the Line star is set to co-star in a new TV series with Nicole Kidman Action Press/Rex Features Film stars turning to TV Zach Braff The Garden State actor and director has plans to appear in a new comedy series Getty Images

He describes himself as an “an extremely liberal Catholic” with “great love and affection for people in the gay community.” The Hollywood actor, speaking of his latest role as a gay man, says it was “important to get this right” and not to “fool around.”