Jason Isaacs Defends Duke University Pride Amid White Lotus Controversy
In a recent appearance on the podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe, actor Jason Isaacs revealed that he plans to continue showcasing his character’s Duke University pride, despite the controversy surrounding his character’s T-shirt in the hit HBO series The White Lotus. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Isaacs’ character, Timothy Ratliff, wore a Duke T-shirt in several scenes, including those in which he contemplated suicide.
Isaacs appeared on the podcast on Thursday, where he discussed his experience working on the show and his character’s affinity for Duke University. During the conversation, he discovered that Lowe’s eldest son, Matthew, is a Duke alumnus, which led Isaacs to joke that he would have worn a Duke T-shirt on the podcast if he had known. "I didn’t wear [a Duke T-shirt] today, if I’d known [Lowe’s son was a Duke alum,] I’d have it on now," Isaacs said. "But I am intending to wear them whenever there’s a camera around, so sorry, Duke. There goes my honorary degree."
The controversy surrounding the Duke T-shirt first arose when the university released a statement expressing its disapproval of the show’s use of its logo. Isaacs responded to the backlash, saying that the notion that his character’s T-shirt caused trouble for the university is "fanciful and ridiculous." He added that Duke should be more concerned about its real-life alumni than a fictional character on a TV show. "Someone at Duke decided that was really untoward and was not happy with the association," he said. "Other people online were pointing out that there’s real-life alumni of Duke to be far more worried about than a fictional alumni."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Isaacs revealed that he brought up the idea of wearing a Duke T-shirt to the show’s costume designer, Alex Bovaird. "I said, ‘Maybe he wears a Duke T-shirt to sleep in,’ so, we got a Duke T-shirt for me to wear when I’m sleeping in it," he said. Isaacs claimed that the team "got it cleared" for him to wear the apparel, despite Duke’s public disapproval. "I’m pretty sure they got it cleared because, as you know, you don’t ever go on television without getting all the logos cleared," he said.
The actor also discussed the reaction from fans, who have gifted him Duke T-shirts and praised his "Durham, North Carolina, accent" during a recent convention appearance. "I was in Virginia, and people drove from Durham, North Carolina, very sweetly, just to tell me that they thought my accent was accurate and I shouldn’t listen to the people who don’t know what a Durham, North Carolina, accent is," he explained. "And they brought me Duke T-shirts, so now I have a selection of Duke T-shirts."
In response to the controversy, The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Duke students to hear their take on the drama. Alex Berkman, a sophomore at the school, believes that while the show dealt with "very sensitive material," the university’s statement "br[ought] more attention to Duke than they probably would have wanted." He added, "The statement doesn’t actually do anything. … I think Duke was so concerned that it was going to give us a bad reputation, that’s why they released a statement." Berkman concluded, "To me, it’s never that serious. It’s television — it’s really high-quality television."
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the incident has sparked a larger conversation about the intersection of television and university branding. With the show’s success and the controversy surrounding the Duke T-shirt, it remains to be seen how universities will navigate the use of their logos and branding in future television productions.
The incident has also raised questions about the extent to which universities can control their branding and image in the age of television and social media. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the use of university logos and branding in television productions is a common practice, but the backlash from Duke University in this case suggests that some institutions may be more vigilant about protecting their image.
In any case, Jason Isaacs has made it clear that he will continue to showcase his character’s Duke University pride, despite the controversy. As he said on the podcast, "I’m pretty sure I’m going to wear [the Duke T-shirt] whenever there’s a camera around."
