The White Lotus star Jason Isaacs backtracks on genitalia "double standard" remarks

In a statement, the actor said: "The internet was having fun with whether I was wearing a prosthetic in my nude scene and so was I, but I wanted to avoid that being the only thing that I was ever asked about in connection with Mike [White’s] brilliant series, as it has been with other actors, so I thought maybe I just would just bat away the question with a joke if it came up. If it came up?!

"When so many people were insistent, it seemed weird and inappropriate that what they were actually insisting on was that they and the public really needed to know whether they’d actually seen my real penis or not. So bizarre."

He continued: "The point I then wanted to make, but made badly, is that women have been exploited and exposed and treated wildly inappropriately on and off screen forever and, even then, I’d never witnessed any woman being grilled so specifically about their genitalia.

"I shouldn’t have invoked any actresses or used the phrase 'double standard', which was just poor phrasing — there has long been a double standard around nudity on film and it’s not men who’ve suffered from it — in fact, it’s something White Lotus has been correcting! Somehow it either came out wrong or was misinterpreted."

Read more:

• Ted Lasso recasting major role for season 4 after series return confirmed
• Black Mirror director reacts to revelation that his episode inspired Severance

Isaac was under the spotlight after one of the more recent episodes of HBO's The White Lotus featured his character, Timothy Ratliff, in a full-frontal nude scene which took viewers by surprise.

Rumours and speculation continued to swirl after the episode aired as to whether Isaacs had used a prosthetic for the scene or not, and while that had been clarified, the actor spoke about the matter on CBS Mornings.

When pressed on the topic by host Gayle King, Issacs said: "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."

"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," he went on. "So, it’s odd that there’s a double standard."

He'd added when pressed further on the matter: "What is your obsession? Mike White is a brilliant writer, it’s the best series on television for a long time. And what is the obsession with penises? It's an odd thing."

The White Lotus is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.