Theo James on What He Really Smells Like

There are a variety of candles on Etsy that promise to “smell like” Theo James. They theorize that the star of The White Lotus season 2 could smell like “Atlantis whisper” or “hometown blue jeans.” But James really smells like a mixture of sea salt and lemon. I know this because he told me about his love for diving and the ocean (he had just gone swimming in it that morning), and because this is what his new job smells like. James is the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue fragrance: “I’ve actually always liked that fragrance before I had anything to do with it, honestly. It’s very timeless and fresh,” he reassured me.

The original perfume campaign has been reimagined with James and model Vittoria Ceretti, who cavort in blue Capri waters and white swimsuits just as well as their predecessors, models David Gandy and Bianca Balti. The brand’s best-selling fragrance line also now has a new edition called Capri in Love, which is more long-lasting (up to a purported 16 hours) and more intense (thanks to notes like patchouli and black pepper). ELLE.com talked to James about recreating the iconic images, how The White Lotus inspired his newest business venture, and his deep, deep love for the ocean.

What would you say is your most memorable experience in the ocean?

I’ve always loved the sea. 
I was obsessed with sharks as a young child. We used to go to Greece quite a lot, since I have some Greek heritage on my dad’s side. I free- and scuba dive as well, which I [grew up] doing with my brothers. But there was one holiday, when I was about 18—some friends and I were being “louty,” and went down to the beach to swim out to this island. We stripped off our clothes. We got there and were like, “Yeah, we did it!” There was a bell on this beautiful island. We saw some people over by our clothes and thought they were waving at us, so we started ringing the bell and waving back. Then we got back and realized they had stolen all our things and our wallets, so we had to walk through this town completely naked back to the hotel.

How would you translate ”louty” for people who aren’t British?

It would be like lack of culture. A little dodgy, drinking too much, and failing miserably at most things.

Do you have a favorite body of water?

There are so many, but I love the Mediterranean. I love the water clarity and marine diversity. I work with a charity called Blue Marine [that works to prevent overfishing], and Dolce & Gabbana decided to support them as well. With my own eyes, I have seen the fish and ecosystem populations plummet in the past 30 years; 90 percent of large fish in the Mediterranean are gone, which is insane. I go swimming with my daughter, and the idea that she sees a very different environment than I did as a child is depressing and scary.

Do you have a favorite ocean movie?

Jaws is a great movie, but then it led to the vilification of all sharks. I think Spielberg himself said that he regrets that, but it’s a beautifully made film. I liked My Octopus Teacher. It was an interesting rumination on our friendship with the ocean and having a connection to the sea. We lose that quite quickly in the world we live in.

If you could be any creature in the ocean, what would it be?

A sea snail. They have predators, but they lead a relatively laconic life. They get to see everything, both above and below the water. Unfortunately, if you were [to be] a shark, you’re going to get fucked. I don’t mean literally, but by the fisherman. There’s a great book called The Snail and the Whale that my daughter likes, which is about the little connections that creatures have with each other.

I also read you’re opening an Italian restaurant. What inspired that?

It’s in a little space close to where I live in Islington that used to be an old shoe shop and has beautiful, big windows. I’ve always liked the idea of doing something in the food space. 
I’m a terrible cook, but I love food and wine. A friend of mine who lives down the street already runs his own restaurant in town, and also wanted to do a local thing. He spent two years in Rome. While filming The White Lotus, we had a month shooting [in Rome]. My wife and I also got married in Italy, and I just love it as a country. We’ve found this really great chef from Milan who loves Roman food, particularly, so it felt like a good symbiosis. There’s a lot of shit cacio e pepe, but we feel like we might have cracked cacio e pepe for British Italian audiences. We shall see.

Who was the character you envisioned for the Light Blue campaign film?

Well, I did a whole backstory. No, I’m kidding.
Honestly, I didn’t. I felt like I had a good blueprint with the previous version. The David Gandy [campaign] had been so obviously iconic. You get the story from the environment. Vittoria [Ceretti] and I were on a tiny little boat. Gordon [von Steiner] shot on film while the sun was going down, and then we all jumped in the sea after for a swim.

The film is very Italian, but it has something quite rich about it. It’s this mixture of the sensory explosion of Capri, rocks, sea, food, and lemon—all these things smashed into one. Then, there is a kind of animalism; that’s where sex comes into it. It’s about the linking of two people in this heightened way.

Did you have to train in some way for this?

I did not eat much pasta. 
I’m not a spring chicken, so I vaguely keep in shape. But there’s a difference between vaguely keeping your shape and then suddenly wearing tiny white pants in front of 100 people filming you. But that’s part of that job.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.