by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Alan Cumming goes on to explain his reasoning behind returning a British honor he has held since 2009.
The Scottish actor, 58, who announced on his birthday on Friday that he was returning his Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire award, is telling PEOPLE more about the motive behind the decision while attending the AARP 21st Annual Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday.
Noting that the reaction to his move was “incredible,” Cumming says, “I mean, first of all, I never expected so much attention.”
“It’s been very positive,” he continues. “People really understood why it’s complicated. It’s complex. It’s not black or white.”
Adds Cumming, “I tried to say that in my statement, and people really responded to that. I think times change and things change, and you change how you feel about something.”
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Alamy stock photo Princess Anne and Alan Cumming
RELATED: Alan Cumming returns British honor awarded by Queen Elizabeth over ‘doubts’ over ‘Toxicity of Empire’
The honor was presented to Cumming in 2009 by the late Queen Elizabeth II as part of her birthday list, which recognized the star for his acting and campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights. Princess Anne presented him with the award at Buckingham Palace.
Upon revealing the news that he had returned the BLE, Cumming posted a message on Instagram announcing “something I recently did for myself”.
“The Queen’s death and subsequent conversations about the role of the monarchy and especially the way the British Empire benefited at the expense (and death) of Indigenous peoples around the world really opened my eyes,” The traitors host wrote. “Moreover, times and laws have thankfully changed in the US, and the great good that the 2009 award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause is now less powerful than the doubts I have about the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire).”
He continued, “So I returned my award, explained my reasons, and reiterated my great gratitude for getting it in the first place. I’m back to being Alan Cumming as usual. Happy birthday!”
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Cumming – who was honored at an inauguration ceremony – is not the first honoree to return or reject an award or recognition from the royal family. Some of those names include David Bowie (who turned down two awards: a Commander of the British Empire in 2000 and a knighthood in 2003), film director Danny Boyle (who turned down a knighthood in 2013) and The Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis (who turned down a CBE in 1952).
Moreover, Michael Sheen quietly handed the award back in 2017 after receiving it in 2009. “By the time I finished writing that lecture [about the relationship between England and Wales]… I remember sitting there and saying, ‘Well, I have a choice – I don’t give this lecture and hold on to my OBE, or I give this lecture and I have to return my OBE,’ Sheen related The protector columnist Owen Jones in 2020.
Alamy stock photo Alan Cumming and Princess Anne
Elsewhere at the Movies for Grownups Awards, Cumming chatted with PEOPLE about how season two of his new show The traitors will leave him with “more crazy things to wear.”
The competition show, which he hosts, is set in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands and sees contestants compete for a whopping quarter of a million dollars.
Cumming said there are also “lots and lots” of off-screen moments he wishes viewers could see on the Peacock programme, including Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville, Big Brotheris Rachel Reilly and Survivorby Stephanie LaGrossa.
“I mean, things happened that weren’t, probably not for mass consumption,” he says. “People panicked. People panicked at different points… But you know, you get the gist.”
