In a conversation with HuffPo Live Josh Zepps on Wednesday, Jeremy Irons discussed gay marriage and civil unions.
“Could a father not marry his son?” he asked. During the interview, the English actor worried that same-sex marriage would lead to fathers marrying their sons in an attempt to pass on estates without being taxed. Though, he explained “it’s not incest between men” because “incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don’t breed.”
“It seems to me that now they’re fighting for the name,” Irons said later. “I worry that it means somehow we debase, or we change, what marriage is. I just worry about that.”
Watch the bizarre interview at HuffPo.
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EricNYCity
How completely absurd! Why is he not worried about mothers marrying their sons?? He’s another homophobic turd.
2eo
For someone who has being completely irrelevant in his field since 1997 I fail to see why what he thinks matters, even slightly.
AEH
That’s such a bizarre logical leap. How did he go from gay marriage to fathers marrying their sons for estate stuff?
balehead
Is he losing it??
Cam
So he’s a bigot.
Fidelio
He’s like a Daniel Day Lewis gone terribly wrong.
jeff4justice
I’m sure he was in the movie Lolita to make a moral point and to not live vicariously though the character ; )
Lolita (1997 film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_%281997_film%29#Plot
Kieran
Hey Jeremy, worry about gay people being denied their basic civil rights in the Twenty-First century and stop pontificating like some pompous twit.
stfallon1028
Oh Scar, I expected more from you 🙁
ArthurTreacher
Well, now we know. Of course, his wholesome movies have done nothing to debase the culture.
Eric Auerbach
Well, that’s disappointing.
iBLOW
The reasons against gay marriage are so stupid they make me laugh really.
Taurox
Going by his logic. If their civil unions are the same as marriage only different in name. Then whats to stop a father having a civil union with his son for the exact purposes he states.
I am so confused sometimes with these people. It’s like the title “Marriage” is the last floating life raft before they die. Yet it doesn’t effect any of them in any way shape or form.
MuscleModelBlog.com
@Taurox:
Exactly. The “logical” arguments against marriage equality aren’t that logical at all…
Dakotahgeo
Some comments are just not worthy of time or rebuttal! I had thought Irons was more intelligent than his remarks make him out to be. Such a waste of firmament!!!
LadyL
Wow. In theory, even when we find the artist deplorable we should be able to appreciate the art. After this I don’t think I’ll ever feel the same again about Mr. Iron’s talent or body of work. Really disappointing.
DOFEK
You don`t have enough money for anyone to marry you fucking English ASS HOLE!!. AdamHomo
I heat English people long before it came cool.
Lisa4339
why don’t u watch the full video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx_VXceIeMM and then start to juage what Jeremy said!
this article is one-sided. PLZ listen what Jeremy said at the last in this vieo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx_VXceIeMM
boring
Starring in Dead Ringers = free pass for LIFE.
tookietookie
When he said “debase” is when he showed his true colors. I guess when they cultured the accent they forgot to grow a brain.
Joincny
@Lisa4339: No Lisa. He’s a horrible mean spirited little man.
Daniel-Reader
Besides the fact he shows his bigotry by not mentioning mothers marrying sons or fathers marrying daughters, I feel extra sorry for his actor son who will now be known as the guy whose father thinks about sleeping with him. Disturbing!
Dresden
@AEH: You wrote, “That’s such a bizarre logical leap.” Aren’t most arguments against marriage equality bizarrely illogical?
Kobayashi Maru
I didn’t really see this as bad. I heard a badly-worded commentary on how legalization of gay marriage would result in two men (and two women) getting married solely for financial or immigration reasons, just as straight couples have been able to do in the past and present.
Mofdgheb
His son Max is pretty good-looking, but….
dkmagby
Is he disturbed by the thought…or more excited at the possibility?
alexoloughlin
@DOFEK: I don’t agree with Irons, he’s entitled to his opinion even though I believe he’s wrong and his comments absurd, but why would that justify hating an entire people based on the incoherent rants of one individual? What exactly have they done to you and since when has it been cool to hate?
hf2hvit
Why is he so obsessed? Maybe he has fantasies of boinking his own son…
Lefty
He’s in some of my favorite ever films/TV series (Brideshead Revisited, Longitude) and he’s a great actor.
His comments here are not so much homophobic as just crazy. I can’t even understand his reasoning. A good example of why some people probably shouldn’t comment on politics in public – he doesn’t seem to have a particularly sophisticated grasp of what he’s talking about. The idea that gay marriage will lead to fathers marrying their sons is the sort of ludicrous unthinking objection that we’ve seen from someone like Michele Shocked, with her “priest will be forced to marry gay people at gunpoint” remark.
As others have said, it’s a real shame when you find out people you admire have views that are objectionable.
gwydion
I *used* to like you Mr Irons. Now.. well.. I think you’re a fucking idiot.
jwrappaport
Uh…Jeremys Iron.
Farben
Someone is high.
Darling Nikki
I think playing the pope in the Borgias has gotten to his head.
I am very disappointed and it is pretty surprising, considering some of his roles.
Mikado
Damages
Brideshead Revisted.
Many of his roles have such a homo-erotic undertone.
It’s very sad.
bobbyjoe
I was on the fence about sticking with “The Borgias” now that it’s about to begin it’s third season. Thanks to Mr. Irons’ comments about same-sex marriage, that decision is now much easier– I won’t be watching. I think I’ll write Showtime and tell ’em why. Jeremy Irons’ publicist must be soooo happy with the timing of this stupidity.
viveutvivas
It sounds more like dementia than anything he may have thought through.
Charlie in Charge
Don’t estates get passed down rather easily from father to son?
alexoloughlin
Queerty, my comment, No. 37 has been flagged as spam. My comments are pertinent to the Irons statement since he was interviewed to find out his opinion on civil unions and same-sex marriage. I hardly think that detracts from this conversation, in fact it’s relevant. I think it’s a question of Queerty acting the jerk.
Taliaferro
Irons is an actor. Actors recite lines someone else writes. They have to be told where to stand, how to move, what emotion to show. Why the heck do they, or for that matter, we, believe they can be an expert on anything? Irons’ life is not so pristine that he should give moral opinions on anything. He is a homophobic bigot, and also a has been actor.
chuck
Seems like he’s lost more than just his looks, he’s lost his mind…
Wilberforce
I’s just another example that actors are the second dumbest people around, just behind models.
Remember Celebrity Jeopardy on SNL? That was completely accurate.
Danny
Simple solution: eliminate all secular advantages for married people. Get the government out of peoples’ personal lives where the relationships involve consenting adults, however “adult” is defined legally. As in “tried as an adult”. If you can be tried and convicted as an adult, you should be able to vote, engage in sex, consume alcohol, whatever.
Charli Girl
He must have hidden fantasies of marrying his sibling or mother ….there is hetero marriage..Are mothers marrying their sons ,you FREAK????
Jimmy
IS HE ON DRUGS? NO SERIOUSLY….IS HE? BECAUSE WE CAN HELP HIM. CLEARLY HE IS NOT OF HIS RIGHT MIND.
ecllips
WOW, I can’t believe how many of you are so quick to jump on the “Hey let’s all hate this man” band wagon when I bet 98% of you have not even watched the full interview or done your research about this guy. If you were all on a jury everyone would be found guilty. Shame on you!! You are no better than the people who hate homosexuals for the simple reason they are homosexuals. They have their religion to fall back on as an excuse, but all you have is your nasty attitudes and hate filled hearts. At the end of the interview he states that he wishes EVERYONE who lives with another person the best of luck since it is the best thing ever, having someone to love. EVERYONE includes HOMOSEXUALS. Honestly some of the comments I have read on here are vile and down right disgusting! Way worse than what this man said. Queerty didn’t list the good things Irons said because they knew you hate filled gossip mongers would eat up the head line “Jeremy Irons Worries Gay Marriage Would Lead To Fathers Marrying Sons” Also they didn’t put more than a few paragraphs because they knew your attention span doesn’t last longer than that. And yes I am using YOU in the plural form to include all you “bigots”. I am a gay man and I don’t hate Irons for saying what he said. True, his idea was a little out there, but he is still a decent guy. Sorry for the harshness of my retort, but it seems most of you only know the language of HATE. So I had to word this harshly for you.
JerryBall
Could not we consider a washed up actor has transformed into a? pompous pariah if we change the name of what some actors do to social turd?
JerryBall
Somehow I have a feeling Irons did not think through what he is suggesting. A bit like idle chit chat in the Green Room, and not something one would seriously spout out about in a public forum…. He sounds more like a demented evangelist. Perhaps he is pumping up his mindset to play in a remake of “Elmer Gantry?”
Eiswirth
He disappoints me. I never figured him to be such an ignoramus.
carob
Don’t forget that Irons starred in some of David Cronenberg’s most homophobic films, such as Dead Ringers and Mr. Butterfly.