Alan Cumming admits surrendering his OBE was a “complex” decision.
The 58-year-old actor announced on Friday (27.01.23) that he will return the honor he received in 2009 for the “toxicity” of the British Empire.
Elaborating on his options, Allen thanked the “incredible” response to his decision.
He told PEOPLE: “I mean, first of all, I didn’t expect this much attention.
“It’s really positive. People really understand why it’s complicated, it’s complicated, it’s not black and white.”
The X-Men star added: “I tried to say that in my statement and people did respond to that. I think times change, things change and you change how you feel about something .”
Cumming received the honor from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in 2009, but after the death of Queen Elizabeth, he revealed after a period of reflection in a social media post marking his 58th birthday that he It was decided to return the award.
The Traitor host wrote: “The death of the Queen and the ensuing conversation about the role of the monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous people around the world really opened my eyes.
“Also, thankfully, times and laws have changed in the US, and the enormous benefits that the award did for LGBTQ+ causes in 2009 are now less effective than my misgivings about the toxicity of the Empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire).”
Allen continued: “So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my gratitude for getting it in the first place. I’m back to plain old Alan Cumming now. Happy birthday to me !”
