The White Lotus' Jason Isaacs has taken back his comments, after saying that there is a "double-standard" to how men and women are treated in the industry when it comes to nudity on screen.
Speaking to Variety, the actor admitted: "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"
He added that he had been trying to respond "lightheartedly" to comments about his recent nude scenes in the HBO series, and wanted to "brush it away."
"It came out wrong, and I was tired — I’d done so many interviews," he said.
It comes after Jason, who plays dysfunctional dad-of-three Timothy Ratliff, opened about his nude scenes and decision to opt for a prosthetic.
Appearing on CBS Mornings this week, the Harry Potter star said of his prosthetic: "A lot of people are debating it. It's all over the internet."
"I think it's interesting that there's a double standard for men, but when women are naked," he went on – referencing The Substance's Margaret Qualley and Anora's Mikey Madison – "no one would dream of talking to her about her genitalia or her nipples or any of those things."
While there's plenty to back up an argument that women on screen do actually face a lot of scrutiny when they strip down to their birthday suit, Jason continued to share his frustration that there's been more of a spotlight on his prosthetic penis than the scriptwriting and performances on The White Lotus.
"What is your obsession?" Jason responded when further questioned about the full-frontal scene. "Mike White [the show's creator] is a brilliant writer," he continued. "It's the best series on television for a long time. And what is the obsession with penises? It's an odd thing."
Isaacs has since apologised for name dropping the two actresses.
"I absolutely should not have mentioned those two actresses, whom I respect enormously. Mikey Madison I’m a massive fan of," he added to Variety.
"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 added that he answered 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.
The White Lotus season three continues on Sky Atlantic and NOW on Monday.
Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to representatives for Jason Isaacs for comment.
