Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons has
walked back controversial remarks he made on the issue of gay
marriage.
In his original remarks during a
Huffington Post Live interview, Irons, 64, said that he
worried that such unions would “debase” marriage.
“It seems to me that [in England]
they're fighting for the name and I worry that it means somehow we
debase or we change what marriage is,” Irons said during a
Huffington
Post Live interview. “I just worry about that. I mean tax
wise is an interesting one. Because … you see, could a father not
marry his son?”
Irons went to say that it might be
possible for him to marry his son and “pass on my estate without
death duties.”
During an appearance on BBC's HARDtalk,
Irons told host Stephen Sackur that he should have just “buttoned
my lip.”
“I didn't have any opinion about gay
marriage,” Irons said. “I don't have much opinion about
heterosexual marriage. Except I sort of think it might possibly
protect children, make it easier for children. That's why I married
my wife.”
“Gay marriage is not something I have
any feelings about at all. I'm quite interested in what it does to
marriage. Which is why we were having this rather bizarre
conversation.”
“It changes it, doesn't it? I mean
marriage is about procreation, really. That's how historically it
has always been.”
“I was just rather amused by the idea
which I put forward. It had nothing to do with my feelings, Mike. I
think gay marriage is wonderful.”
“What had left me wondering is
whether you feel personally …,” Sackur started to ask.
“I'll tell you what I felt,” Irons
interrupted. “I felt I should have buttoned my lip. I was just
flying a kite.” (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)