Why we’re about to see a LOT more of Theo James

He stripped off in The Time Traveler’s Wife and Sanditon – and now Theo James is at it again in comedy-drama The White Lotus.

But this time the British actor’s nude scenes went a little too far – and the team behind them for the acclaimed HBO series have been forced to tone them down.

James plays rich tech executive Cameron Babcock, who is on holiday in a high-end hotel in Sicily with his wife Daphne.

James plays rich tech executive Cameron Babcock, who is on holiday in a high-end hotel in Sicily with his wife Daphne

James is aware he is gaining a reputation for appearing nude and jokes that he has a clause in his contracts stipulating he is ‘not allowed to do anything without being completely naked’

The 37-year-old said of the scene: ‘The initial version we shot was way too much, so we did a more subtle version. They toned it down. It’s funny because we’re all kind of naked a lot because it’s a holiday show. It felt natural.’

James is aware he is gaining a reputation for appearing nude and jokes that he has a clause in his contracts stipulating he is ‘not allowed to do anything without being completely naked’.

His career took off in suitably raunchy style – his first big role was as Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in Downton Abbey, who died of a heart attack after a romp with Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery.

With a career now thriving, he is now part of the ‘new Primrose Hill set’ – a group of actors, who include Claire Foy and Matt Smith, who live in the trendy North London enclave once the playground of Jude Law and the Gallagher brothers of the original 1990s set. 

With a career now thriving, he is now part of the ‘new Primrose Hill set’ – a group of actors, who include Claire Foy and Matt Smith, who live in the trendy North London enclave once the playground of Jude Law and the Gallagher brothers of the original 1990s set

James – full name Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis – is married to Irish actress Ruth Kearney, who played the leading role as Jess Parker in Primeval. They met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

James – full name Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis – is married to Irish actress Ruth Kearney, who played the leading role as Jess Parker in Primeval. They met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

 In 2015, James, who grew up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, became the brand ambassador for Hugo Boss fragrances for men. A year later the actor – the son of a business consultant and NHS worker – travelled to Greece with refugee agency UNHCR, where he met Syrians who had fled the civil war in their country. He has since been a supporter of refugees’ rights. 

• The second season of The White Lotus begins tomorrow night at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.