Options ("*") button while video first buffers will not pause video / odd display

I'm using a roVideoScreen with an HLS video.   Normally, when you press the Options ("*") button while playing the video will pause and you can select captions.  

But if you press the button during the initial buffering, the video will continue to buffer and then play in the background underneath instead of pausing.

Is there a workaround to preventing this behavior?