Theo James Says Rise of Manosphere & Incel Movement Stems from 'Deep-Seated Insecurity' & 'Meaningless Bravado'
Theo James shares his fears over raising a son amid the rise of incel culture and the manosphere.
“It’s terrifying having a son, because people get lured into this idea very easily,” he said on the Wednesday (April 8) episode of John Smith’s Great Chat Show.
He and his wife Ruth Kearney share two children, a son and daughter.
Theo continued, “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.”
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The Gentlemen star noted that at the end of the day, there’s a “deep emptiness” for people who throw themselves into “empty commercialism” and “toxicity.”
He later notes that the “toxic masculinity” seems to stem from an “unclear identity.”
“It’s a lot about deepseated insecurity ultimately. Men who feel that they need to be performative or misogynistic,” The Divergent alum said. “It’s about, you know, them not feeling good enough essentially, but it’s hidden with with kind of meaningless bravado, right? Then on top of that is what we’ve reached at the moment, is cataclysmic capitalism where you have everyone now is rewarded by wealth…”
“They feel untethered, reduced. I think the misogyny comes from lots of strong, successful women around them,” Theo explained. “They don’t know how to deal with that. They’re confused by who they are or who they should be. So, it’s the easiest thing to do to latch on to something.”
And he lists things like money, “going to the gym a lot,” and “telling people to go f–k themselves.”
“That’s an easy win, and if it gets me money then bingo. But the ramifications of what it does to a generation of men is the trickier part,” Theo added.