Aidan Turner has never felt "objectified".
The 34-year-old actor has been at the centre of a debate about "double standards" this month, ever since topless stills of him in his titular role as Ross Poldark in BBC’s ‘Poldark’ were published.
But Aidan – who has starred as the redcoat captain since 2015 – agrees that if the tables were turned and male viewers were lusting over a woman, they would more likely be criticised than if it were the other way around.
He told ‘Newsnight’: "It seems like there is a double standard, yeah, it does seem that way. But I try not to get involved in [that debate].
"I’ve never felt objectified. I think sometimes other people want to feel that for you, which can be quite a strange thing.
"These photographs were stills from the show, so in context it makes sense.
"When you pull them out and stick a photograph on the front page of a national newspaper, it becomes something very different."
The actor can’t understand why ‘Poldark’ has been picked out, when rival shows such as ‘Game of Thrones’ air "far more nudity".
He said: "We’re not doing anything in our show that … I mean, ‘Game of Thrones’ probably has far more nudity, or ‘Vikings’, or any of these shows, than we would have.
"So I never quite understood why our show was picked in particular, or why these images were concentrated on more so than any other shows, or other images of actors who’ve gone topless for any sex scenes…"
Last month, Aidan admitted he’s convinced ‘Poldark’ will end "next year."
The star crushed hearts across the nation after he said that the programme probably won’t get another instalment after the fifth series in 2019.
He said: "I think next year might be the last one, certainly for a while. There’s a huge gap in the books, about 15 years."
And the handsome star has no interest in "ageing up" to move the story along faster, but he’d be willing to revisit it in 10 years’ time when he’s a decade older.
He added: "I wouldn’t age up, I’d come back in 10 years. I’d revisit it the right way."
Aidan Turner: I’ver never felt objectified
