Jason Isaacs Calls Out Fixation On Male Nudity In White Lotus With Comparison To Anora
Jason Isaacs has been at the centre of a heated debate following his full frontal nude scene in the latest season of The White Lotus.
In the scene his character, Timothy Ratliff, accidentally exposes himself in front of his children. Since then the question on everyone’s mind has been whether Isaacs wore a prosthetic penis, and despite confirmation from co-stars Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook to TV Insider that it was indeed a prosthetic, the actor remains frustrated with the ongoing attention.
Isaacs expressed his disappointment during an appearance on CBS Mornings, pointing out a perceived double standard. “A lot of people are debating it. It’s all over the internet,” he noted.
He claimed and compared this to the lack of discussion around female nudity.
“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 [the screen] all the time,” he said. TBH I’m not sure we watched the same movie (Anora).
“It’s interesting that there’s a double standard for men,” he continued.
“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.”
The reaction to Isaacs comments have been mixed. On the one hand some people agree with the actor about the supposed double standards. “Jason Isaacs is calling out the double standard!” said one X user.
“I mean he’s right though,” said another.
On the other hand, some users have pointed out that women do get asked if they are using prosthetics.
“The way Mikey [Madison] got tons of criticism for that Anora movie in general LMAO what a horrible example,” said one X user.
“What he’s saying makes no sense [‘cos] people literally question if actresses are wearing prosthetic boobs or not (which Margaret [Qualley] was wearing),” said another.
Isaacs believes people don’t genuinely want to know the behind-the-scenes details of such scenes, especially when female characters are also depicted naked. He questioned the fixation on male genitalia, saying, “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.”
Nivola and Hook shared that filming the scene was funny, with Isaacs being enthusiastic about using the prosthetic. Hook recalled, “He was very excited to do it,” while Nivola added, “He’s like, ‘It’s my fake dick scene today!’”
Despite the apparent lightheartedness on set, Isaacs remains puzzled by the public’s fascination with the topic.
Lead image: Getty Images
