The White Lotus star Jason Isaac has apologised after his ‘absurd’ comments about his full-frontal ɴuᴅᴇ scene in the HBO series sparked backlash.
The British actor, 61, made a point of apologising to Oscar winner Mikey Madison, 25, after slamming what he claimed was a ‘double standard’ saying: ‘I don’t see anybody discussing [Mikey’s] vulva, which was on television all the time [in Anora]’.
Jason said he used the ‘wrong words in the wrong way’ after trying to ‘brush away’ the constant questions about his ɴuᴅᴇ scenes ‘lightheartedly’.
He told Variety: ‘There is a [different] double standard, women have been monstrously exploited and men haven’t. It came out wrong, and I was tired. I’d done so many interviews’.
After also name checking Margaret Qualley, 30, who appears ɴuᴅᴇ in The Substance, in his rant, he said: ‘I absolutely should not have mentioned those two actresses, whom I respect enormously. Mikey Madison I’m a mᴀssive 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.’
The White Lotus star Jason Isaac has apologised after his ‘absurd’ comments about his full-frontal ɴuᴅᴇ scene in the HBO series sparked backlash
The British actor, 61, made a point of apologising to Oscar winner Mikey Madison, 25, after saying: ‘I don’t see anybody discussing [Mikey’s] vulva, which was on all the time [in Anora]’
Jason said he used the ‘wrong words in the wrong way’ after trying his best to ‘brush away’ the contestant questions about the ɴuᴅᴇ scenes ‘lightheartedly’ (Mikey pictured)
He went on to say that he believed the show, which is known for it’s male full-frontal scenes, aims to ‘redress the unfair balance’ of nudity on screen.
Jason made his initial comments when he appeared on CBS Morning last week to promote the show.
Viewers have been curious to know whether a prosthetic was used for the instant when his robe falls open, flashing his on-screen family.
He evaded the question throughout his press day, which also included a stop at Good Day New York.
‘A lot of people are debating it. It’s all over the internet. And it’s interesting because the best actress this year is Mikey Madison at the Oscars. And I don’t see anybody discussing her vulva, which was on television all the time [in Anora],’ he posited while skirting the inquiry.
He elaborated, ‘I think it’s interesting that there’s a double standard for men. But when women are naked, Margaret Qualley as well, in The Substance, nobody would dream of talking to her about her genitalia or her nipples or any of those things. So, its odd that there’s a double standard.’
He acknowledged he was dodging the question, reiterating it was ‘because I don’t think that people really want to know how the sausage is made.
‘Genuinely, I think it would be odd when there are characters — and some of the women are naked in here — it’d be odd if you were sitting here. And you would never dream of discussing their genitalia, not for a second.’
He said: ‘There is a [different] double standard, women have been monstrously exploited and men haven’t. It came out wrong, and I was tired. I’d done so many interviews’
After also name checking Margaret Qualley, 30, who appears ɴuᴅᴇ in The Substance (pictured) he said: ‘I absolutely should not have mentioned those two actresses, whom I respect’
He continued: ‘Mikey Madison (pictured in Anora) I’m a mᴀssive fan of’
Despite co-host Gayle King pushing back and repeating twice that ‘I kind of do [want to know how the ‘sausage is made’],’ Jason refused to divulge details.
On Good Day New York, he was forced to confront the viral television moment again, this time with journalist Rosanna Scotto.
Read More White Lotus fans disgusted by ‘sick’ gay incest kiss between brothers Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola
Early in the segment she cheekily stated, ‘I’m not gonna go there. I’m not gonna mention that you had a bathrobe on…’
Isaacs interjected, ‘Let me ask you this: If you had a woman on here, would you be very keen on talking about her downstairs? Would you ever talk to an actress about it? I don’t think you would. I think it’s a terrible double standard.’
The conversation shifted as Rosanna pivoted to praising the Harry Potter star on his acting chops.
Jason has previously been keeping schtum on the attention-grabbing scene since its airing, telling Decider, ‘I think it’s digital. I wasn’t there that day’, in a bid to ramp up the mystery around the shoot.
But it turns out all is not as it seems, with his onscreen children, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook, revealing to TV Insider that he used a prosthetic to boost his package.
Sarah said: ‘It was really funny. He was very excited to do it. I think he took pride in the prosthetic.’
Jason made his initial comments when he appeared on CBS Morning last week to promote the show
While Jason has refused to entertain questions about his ɴuᴅᴇ moment, his onscreen children, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook (second from right and right) said he used a prosthetic
Sam added: ‘He’s like, “It’s my fake d**k scene today!”‘
Speaking about the scene, Jason expressed a desire to get his kit off in future acting performances.
‘Yeah, it is now in my contract for every show I do, so we’ll see,’ he joked.
‘It’ll get easier, hopefully.’
The awkward moment came after Ratliff matriarch Victoria entered their villa and mentioned that some of her Lorazepam pills were missing, unaware that her husband Timothy had been helping himself to her supply.
While the financier isn’t exactly a regular Lorazepam user, he had been quite stressed out after learning that he may be going to jail for a very long time due to his shady business dealings.