Poldark star Aidan Turner has said he “didn’t feel objectified” when his famous topless picture sent fans into a frenzy.
The 39-year-old Dublin actor was shown working topless with a scythe in a field when he starred as the titular character in the BBC One historical drama, which led to a frenzy among the show's fans.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Turner said: "Was it safer to make a big deal of this photograph because it was a young man?
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"Would it have been handled the same way in the press if it was a young woman? I don't know. Possibly not.
"But I didn't feel objectified."
And Turner said he still remembers the day the photograph was created – revealing his make up artist was trying to cover a tattoo he had on his arm. It was a small design he got on holidays with pals in Tenerife, which he has since had removed.
"I do remember the day.
"The first thing I think of when I see the photograph is that they airbrushed out the make-up artist who was covering a tattoo.
"I always think of Jacquie Fowler and how she didn't make that photograph.
"She was right there, painting out a tattoo."
But he admitted the famous pic was never intended to be a publicity photograph as he revealed why he shredded for the role of Ross Poldark.
"I figured in my preparation that, given Ross Poldark was a very active guy, and the sort of diet he'd be on, it just felt right to get myself into that.
"He's a farmer, he's working, he's riding a horse all the time, he's a soldier. So it made sense to be in shape, but it wasn't something I focused on.
"And the shot, that was a behind-the-scenes photograph. It wasn't a publicity photo."
Turner, who stars as a clinical psychologist in new ITV drama The Suspect, also confirmed there are no plans for a Poldark return, despite not all the novels having been adapted.
In his new drama series, The Suspect, which is adapted from the novel by Australian crime writer Michael Robotham, Turner plays Doctor Joe O’Loughlin, who appears to have the perfect life but, after the death of a young woman and his diagnosis of early onset Parkinson’s, the truth begins to reveal itself.
Speaking about the project, Turner added: “A lot of the jobs (I’ve had) in recent years have been either fantasy or period or not contemporary. This felt different. And pretty refreshing, actually.”
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