Kris Marshall has claimed he doesn't "feel objectified" when it comes taking part in nudity scenes. The 46-year-old, who is set to star in ITV's upcoming Jane Austen adaptation Sanditon, will soon be seen stripping off in the first episode, where viewers will watch him take on the role of Tom Parker, an enthusiastic financier trying to put Sanditon on the map. During a Q&A panel and preview screening, attended by HELLO!, Kris revealed: "I think times have progressed. I think the anti has been upped, from other shows."
© Photo: Getty ImagesKris Marshall with the cast of Sanditon
"I think it's something I embrace," he then explained after his character was seen running across Sanditon beach in the nude. "I don't really worry about it too much." Asked if the topic is different for women, he said: "Are there different standards? So what if there are. Is it the objectification of men when we've had the objectification of women for so long? Like I say, I don't want to say anything stupid and I continue to follow that up by saying something stupid, but I think it's all bit of fun."
WATCH: The first trailer for Sanditon has dropped
The eight-part drama also stars Rose Williams as Charlotte Heywood and her love interest Sidney Parker, who is played by Theo James. Show creator Andrew Davies, man behind Colin Firth's impromptu swim in his 1995 BBC version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, made sure Sanditon upped the ante by having three male leads take a naked seaside skinny-dip. "There's more male nudity these days because female nudity can be a contentious area," he commented. "But maybe, you know, the pendulum might swing back."
© Photo: ITVThe period drama will be coming to ITV soon
Jane Austen wrote the novel just months before her death in 1817, and she never got to finish it. The novel tells the story of the impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte, and her turbulent relationship with the charming, and slightly wild, Sidney. When a chance accident transports Charlotte from her rural hometown of Willingden to Sanditon, it exposes her to a whole new world. With Sanditon aspiring to be a new seaside town, it relies on many wealthy characters to help make it a commercial success, which results in many twists and turns in the plot.
MORE: First look at ITV's Jane Austen drama Sanditon
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
