Why we’re about to see a LOT more of Theo James

He undressed in The Time Traveler’s Wife and Sanditon – and now Theo James is back at it in comedy-drama The White Lotus.

But this time, the British actor’s nude scenes went a bit too far — and the team behind them for the critically acclaimed HBO series had to tone them down.

James plays wealthy tech executive Cameron Babcock, who is vacationing at a luxury hotel in Sicily with his wife Daphne.

The 37-year-old said of the scene: ‘The first version we shot was way too much, so we made a more subtle version. They toned it down. It’s funny because we’re all a little naked because it’s a holiday show. It felt natural.’

James is aware that he is building a reputation for appearing naked and jokes that he has a clause in his contracts stating that he is ‘not allowed to do anything without being completely naked’.

His career began in appropriately vulgar style – his first major role was as Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in Downton Abbey, who died of a heart attack after a romp with Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery.

With a thriving career, he is now part of the ‘new Primrose Hill set’ – a group of actors, including Claire Foy and Matt Smith, who live in the trendy north London enclave that was once the playground of Jude Law and the brothers Gallagher from the original 90s set.

James – full name Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis – is married to Irish actress Ruth Kearney, who starred as Jess Parker in Primeval. They met at the Bristol Old Vic Theater School.

In 2015, James, who grew up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, became the brand ambassador for Hugo Boss fragrances for men. A year later, the actor – the son of a business consultant and NHS employee – traveled with refugee agency UNHCR to Greece, where he met Syrians who had fled the civil war in their country. He has been a supporter of refugee rights ever since.

• The second season of The White Lotus starts tomorrow night at 9 p.m. on Sky Atlantic.