Theo James Calls Fatherhood Terrifying, Tackles Toxic Masculinity

has described having a son amid the rise of the manosphere as 'terrifying', as he weighed in on how the disturbing online network was harming young men.

The actor, 40, is dad to a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son with his wife Ruth Kearney and shared his fears about how easily boys were 'lured' by ideas of toxic masculinity because 'the easiest thing to do is to latch onto something'.

The manosphere promotes anti-feminist beliefs, masculinity and misogyny and was the subject of the recent  documentary exploring the impact of high-profile social media personalities such as HSTikkyTokky and Andrew Tate.

These influencers make money through manipulating their followers by offering them a 'cheat code' to 'win at life' and get rich at the same time, while they then cash in through paid-content and promoting online trading schemes. 

And sharing his thoughts about the trend's pervasive influence on men, Theo opined that a lot of it was down the way in which today's society was becoming increasingly defined by money and status over relationships and morality.

Appearing on Josh Smith's Great Chat Show podcast, he said those who espoused the idea that society has become biased against men and that women are to blame, were actually just deeply insecure and hiding behind 'meaningless bravado'.

While he warned that the realisation that they were just seeking a way to avoid 'a deep emptiness' would come, as he stressed the importance of men being open about mental health.

Asked about how the nanosphere was negatively impacting men, The Gentlemen star said: 'It's a lot about deep seated insecurity, ultimately.

'Men who feel they need to be performative or misogynistic, it's about them not feeling good enough essentially, but it's hidden with meaningless bravado.

'And then on top of that is what we've reached at the moment, this cataclysmic capitalism where you have everyone now rewarded by wealth.

'Capitalism is the dominant force and you are celebrated, no matter what you are, if you're stinking rich and driving around in flash cars. And that has been epitomised with Trumpism and everything that goes with that.'

Theo confessed he felt particular worry about how this trend would continue as the father of a little boy, and what that would mean for him when he grew up. 

'It's terrifying having a son because people get lured into this idea very easily,' the White Lotus star said. 

'And you don't have to be, as people like to say "hyperwoke", but it's about a base level of empathy and some semblance of morality and I think now that isn't cool, is it? It's not cool to talk about those things, it's cool to be like "F**k you! I earn loads of cash, bring it on motherf***er".

'But at the end of the day there is a deep emptiness within that, as we all know, and eventually all those people will find that out, if they haven't already. 

'The bottom of the bell curve is waiting for all those people, because that happens to everyone, but particularly people that throw themselves into empty commercialism and toxicity in that way.'

He also got candid about the pressures of being a leading man in an industry obsessed with physicality, saying the idea that men have to be really muscular and go to the gym a lot was so central to the manosphere, because it served as a means of 'forming identity'.

'Body image is a problem,' Theo said. 'Obviously women have dealt with it for thousands of years and continue to do so.

'But with men there's this toxic masculinity thing about forming identity through your body and you have to be bigger and more muscular. 

'There's obviously this epidemic with steroids and performance enhancing things, with younger and younger kids. And it's not just movies and TV, but it is part of that.'

He went on: 'A lot of toxic masculinity comes down to unclear identity, they feel untethered, reduced. I think the misogyny comes from lots of successful strong women around them, they don't know how to deal with that.

'They're confused by who they are or who they should be, so the easiest thing to do is to latch onto something and money, going to the gym a lot and telling people to go f***k themselves - that's easy.

'That's an easy win, but the ramifications of what it does to a generation of men is the trickier part.'

It comes after the Divergent star admitted working in an industry where a greater degree of is placed on youth made him fearful as he approached his fortieth birthday in December 2024.

'I thought I didn’t give a sh*t, but then when I turned 40 it was kind of more existentially seismic than I thought,' he told Sunday Times Style in November.

'This industry - not only this industry but the world we live in - is more and more visual. People, everything, is filtered. It’s definitely something that plays on your mind. 

'But I think people like to see history in someone’s face and someone’s personality. So literal and metaphorical lines on the face are interesting because they tell a story.'

Theo has been tipped as one of the frontrunners to be in the running to be the next James Bond, after Daniel Craig's exit.

He and  - who stars opposite him in new film Fuze - have been named as the top two contenders to play the iconic spy.

However, he previously admitted that he didn't think that he would be good for the part and that he was ill-prepared for the huge fame and pressure that came with the role.

Addressing the rumours, Theo - who is of Greek decent - told The Guardian: 'Everyone's interested in [Bond] because it's a big part of British cultural identity, but that probably wouldn't be me.

'I do think there are better people for that job. And, honestly, it would be terrifying: if you do that, there's no going back. You're opening Pandora's box there.

'You have got to be willing to live a very different life and have a different life for your family. And that would be pretty tricky. Plus, my mates would take the p*ss out of me. Because they always say, "Bondopoulos – the Greek Bond."'