What’s on Binge: Theo James gets naked for new series The Time Traveler’s Wife

Theo James is more than built for the role in the new series The Time Traveler’s Wife, based on the 2009 film, about a guy who gets dumped naked in different time periods, writes Merryn Johns. WATCH ON BINGE.

Theo James first caught our attention as the hunky Tobias Eaton in the Divergent series and now he’s stepping into the shoes of one of Australia’s biggest talents: Eric Bana, who played Henry DeTamble in the 2009 feature film The Time Traveler’s Wife.

But James brings his own interpretation to the new HBO series, tapping into the softer side of a guy born with a genetic quirk that dumps him naked in different time periods. Let’s just say James is more than built for the role.

“I would say there are muscles on this guy’s body that I didn’t know existed,” says director David Nutter (Game of Thrones, The X-Files).

British actor Theo James at HBO’s New York premiere of The Time Traveler's Wife on May 11. Picture: Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The British-born actor, who has inspired a thousand online articles like “Theo James Photos That Will Basically Make You Pregnant” or “In Defense of Theo James’ Hotness”, takes it all in his stride.

“The nudity was such a key part of the story that it was never really a huge question,” he says. It was a logistical question. Sometimes it’s: ‘How are we going to achieve this in the middle of a Bronx street at 3am?’

“What I like about the conceit is that you make time travel an ailment, you make it an illness, you make it something that he has to live through so the rules are very specific: a defective chromosome, and the pseudo science, when he moves through time, he only takes his atoms with him.

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in the 2009 film The Time Traveler’s Wife. Picture: Supplied

“He’s not going to take his jumper and so he lands in a place completely naked and that means very, very vulnerable. He has no clothes, no way of defending himself, no wallet, no food, no nothing.

“Time travel is painful for him. It’s a massive exertion on his body. To me, the nudity was about danger, a dangerous shadow that’s forever looming over him.”

Sure, Henry is eye candy for his love-struck, plucky wife Clare Abshire, played by Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie.

But he’s also “basically a regular guy,” says Nutter. “And this is an emotional journey for him. We’re very focused on this ability – and some might say an affliction or disability – that he has to deal with every day and he basically does his very best at doing that.”

Rose Leslie and Theo James as Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble in a scene from The Time Traveler’ Wife now streaming on Binge.

And for those of us tired of portrayals of toxic masculinity, Henry is somewhat of a throwback.

“Henry’s a complete gentleman, and he’s dealing with somebody that he absolutely loves,” says writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who).

“So he will absolutely not put one foot wrong. Even with the child Clare, he denies that they’re together. He makes absolutely clear that he is a ‘friend’ from the future; only when she’s 16 he accidentally lets fly with the information in fairly extreme circumstances that they’re married.

“And of course at that point he gets into quite a hilarious dilemma. He’s 41 in episode four, she’s 18 and she’s saying, ‘Hey, come on, we’re married’. It’s funny.”

The Time Traveler’s Wife stars Theo James and Rose Leslie as a married couple dealing with time travel. Picture: Supplied

James agrees that the tables are often turned on Henry with Clare calling the shots.

“There’s a scene where an older Henry says to a younger Clare, ‘You know, the young kid you’ve just met, of course he’s not the guy that you want him to be because you’ve yet to help him become that man’,” explains James.

“The idea of a relationship, whether it’s marriage or a long-term relationship – it’s about the evolution of both of you within the framework of being together. I think of my wife, if she went back in time and met me when I was 25, she’d be repulsed by me.

“You’re not the same person. And I think the growth of a relationship over time is a big message in the show.”

James Theo as Henry DeTamble in a scene from The Time Traveler’s Wife on HBO/BINGE. Picture: Supplied

Writer Moffat agrees and says he crafted a show about “a clever but ordinary guy and his extraordinary wife. But they are real people. They talk like real people. They feel like real people. They just want to get home at the end of the day. They don’t want to go and conquer the universe or solve a crime. They want to get home and have dinner. curl up watching the telly and read a book. That’s what they want. And that’s all of us.”

The Time Traveler’s Wife is streaming now on BINGE, where you can also catch the movie with Eric Bana.