There are very few causes as important to fight as our changing climate and in a world with a population of 8 billion, how can one person make a difference? It is true that, in the words of Tesco, ‘every little helps’, however, the everyday person trying to save our vast planet can seem an impossible task. But what if they were a celebrity? Theo James, British actor who gained fame for the Divergent trilogy and most recently starred in the Netflix series ‘The Gentlemen’, has joined the battle for ocean conservation.
On the 8th of June 2025, it was announced that Theo James had joined the charity Blue Marine as an ambassador. Along with another celebrity ambassador, Stephen Fry, James appeared in a short film called ‘The Bottom Line’. The brief one and a half minute movie shed light on the ‘brutal truth’ of bottom trawling – a process where a weighted net is dragged across the seabed, decimating habitats and killing countless untargeted species along the way. ‘Up to 80 per cent of what is caught is discarded or destroyed.’
After having a heap of bycatch dumped on him in the video James stated that ‘it really drove home just how grotesque and devastating the practice of bottom trawling is’ but he hopes the publicity will ‘drive real change’.
He has also actively supported and promoted the Amorgorama initiative in Greece. In August of last year, a new presidential decree came into effect, banning all types of fishing in Amorgos year-round in three different areas and for two months in the Spring in another area. Their aim is ‘to regenerate marine life and secure the future of small-scale coastal fishing for decades to come’. They worked with many companies including Blue Marine to accomplish this, and James took to social media to praise everyone involved for taking action.
Theo James has loved the ocean ever since he was a child. Scuba diving since the age of 16, he was originally on the way to studying marine biology at university, before making a switch, however he never lost his passion for the sea. Seeing the damage over-fishing caused in our waters, he knew he had to take a stand. From actor to activist, Theo James continues to fight the good fight in protecting our oceans for the ecosystems that live there and for the future generations of humans that will rely on this amazing environment to survive.
