The White Lotus star Jason Isaacs admits ‘I said the wrong words’ after nudity remarks
He admitted using 'the wrong words in the wrong way'.
The White Lotus star Jason Isaacs has admitted regret over his controversial male nudity comments, acknowledging that he said the ‘wrong words.
The Harry Potter legend had criticised the fevered speculation around his wearing a prosthetic penis as he bared all in a recent episode of the HBO series, in which he stars alongside Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Jason, 61, plays dysfunctional dad-of-three and shady businessman Timothy Ratfliff in the third season, and at one point, his character lets all hang loose – baring all as his dressing gown flops open in front of his mortified children.
Following what’s been branded the season’s most shocking scene so far, Jason faced speculation over whether he had used a prosthetic during filming, including on CBS Mornings with Gayle King.
‘A lot of people are debating it. It’s all over the internet,’ Jason said, before describing the question as a ‘double-standard.’
He continued: ‘I’ll tell you why, because the best actress this year is Mikey Madison at the Oscars and I don’t see anyone discussing her vulva, which is on television all the time and I’m not talking about Swedish cars.
Jason played shady businessman and dad-of-three (Picture: Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved)‘I think it’s interesting that there’s a double standard for men, but when women are naked, Margaret Qualley in The Substance, no one would dream of talking to her about her genitalia or her nipples or any of those things.
‘So, it’s odd that there’s a double standard,’ he added.
He’s now taken back his comments – which faced backlash – telling Variety: ‘I said the wrong words in the wrong way. I used the phrase ‘double standard,’ which I didn’t mean at all.
‘There is a [different] double standard — women have been monstrously exploited and men haven’t.’
His comments sparked backlash (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)He said he has been trying to deal with questions about his nude scene ‘lightheartedly’ and wanted to ‘brush it away’ from being the focus of the series.
‘It came out wrong, and I was tired — I’d done so many interviews,’ he said.
‘I absolutely should not have mentioned those two actresses, whom I respect enormously. Mikey Madison I’m a massive fan of.
‘My point wasn’t that men have had a harder time than women — that would be absurd.
‘Women have had a monstrous time on camera forever, and I hope to God that is changing.’
He said he was a ‘massive fan’ of Anora star Mikey Madison after saying ‘her vulva is on television all the time’ (Picture: Chelsea Guglielmino/FilmMagic)He added that he batted off the question ‘very poorly’ and said that one of the reasons male nude scenes are included in The White Lotus is to ‘redress the unfair balance’ of nudity on screen.
Each season is set in a different branch of the fictional hotel chain, with this third instalment taking place in Thailand, where Tim is vacationing with his wife and three children.
It’s been far from a relaxing time so far, with shady businessman Tim facing bankruptcy and even jail time back home. He’s turned to pills to relieve the stress – and spent much of the last two episodes in a zonked-out state.
