Poldark's Aidan Turner has reflected on the fan furore surrounding his topless photo seven years ago.
Snapped on set as the super-ripped Capt. Ross Poldark, the Dublin-born actor became a heartthrob across many a household, but how does he look back on that time now?
"Was it safer to make a big deal of this photograph because it was a young man?" he suggested to RadioTimes. "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."
Related: Poldark cast on why it's time to end the series – and the show's "uplifting" ending
In hindsight, could Turner (who played dwarf Kíli in The Hobbit trilogy) be onto something here?
Recalling an unsung hero from the shot itself, he went on to say: "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.
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"I always think of Jacquie Fowler and how she didn't make that photograph. She was right there, painting out a tattoo."
Related: Aidan Turner's The Suspect air date confirmed by ITV
Further along, the Being Human star addressed the reason why he was in particularly stellar shape for 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," Turner added.
Poldark is available on BBC iPlayer in its entirety.
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Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
