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Jeremy Irons: 'I should've buttoned my lip' over gay marriage

Jeremy Irons would like a do-over. After putting his foot in his mouth in an interview earlier this month in which he seemed to suggest that gay marriage could lead to incest, the opinionated "Borgias" star is now expressing unqualified support for same-sex couples' right to marry."I think gay marriage is wonderful. I think any reason that holds anybody together in a relationship is great. If
Jeremy Irons.
Jeremy Irons.Alastair Grant / Today

Jeremy Irons would like a do-over. After putting his foot in his mouth in an interview earlier this month in which he seemed to suggest that gay marriage could lead to incest, the opinionated "Borgias" star is now expressing unqualified support for same-sex couples' right to marry.

"I think gay marriage is wonderful. I think any reason that holds anybody together in a relationship is great. If it works as glue, if it makes you feel better, if it makes you feel you love your partner more, it's great," Irons told the BBC this week.

NEWS: Jeremy Irons' controversial gay marriage incest comments: Could a father not marry his son?

During the sit-down, Irons admitted he hadn't really formed an opinion on gay marriage when he offered up his musings.

"I'm quite interested in what (gay marriage) does to marriage, which is why we were having this very bizarre conversation," the 64-year-old actor remarked.

In that "bizarre conversation," the actor suggested to The Huffington Post that gay marriage might complicate laws concerning inheritance.

"Could a father not marry his son?" he asked at the time. "There are laws against incest."

Jeremy Irons responds to uproar

The actor subsequently posted an open letter stressing he's not "anti-gay" and admitting that he doesn't have a "strong feeling either way" about the issue.

Now, Irons says he's been "badly informed" about the subject.

"I actually don't know the difference between a civil partnership, which we have in this country, and marriage, which is what the government just voted on. I don't know what the difference is," the Oscar winner told the BBC. "I felt I should've buttoned my lip."

PICS: Stars who've come out as gay

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