Jeremy Irons Worries Gay Marriage Will Encourage Incest
Jeremy Irons says he doesn't really have a "strong feeling" about whether gay marriage should be legalized-but he seems to have an argument against it.
In a recent interview with Huffington Post Live, Irons spoke slowly and deliberately as he wondered whether legalizing gay marriage would encourage incest.
"Could a father not marry his son?" asked the Oscar winner, 64, who argued that as it stands, incest only exists to protect society from inbreeding, and "men don't breed." Plus, he said, "If I wanted to pass on my estate without death duties, I could marry my son and pass on my estate to him."
And like others who have expressed concern over possible social ramifications of legalizing gay marriage, Irons, who said he doesn't "have a strong feeling either way," isn't sure how it will effect the institution of marriage as a whole.
"I worry that it means somehow we debase or change what marriage is," he says. "It seems to me that they're fighting for the name."
Still, regardless of what happens, the star of Showtime's "The Borgias" wishes everyone in domestic partnerships well.
"Living with another animal, whether it be a husband or a dog, is great," he said. "It's lovely to have someone to love. I don't think sex matters at all. What it's called doesn't matter at all."