Dominic West Interview About 'Indulging in Affairs' Resurfaces Amid Lily James Outing

A 2016 article in which Dominic West boldly stated that women should be "more indulgent" of affairs has resurfaced in the wake of The Affair actor's cozy weekend with co-star Lily James, which came amid a decade-long marriage to wife Catherine FitzGerald, with whom he shares three children. West's interesting thoughts on monogamy first appeared four years ago in The Evening Standard.

West told the reporter, "I mean, I think women should be more indulgent of affairs," adding, "I really do. It's daft to kick someone out over a fling. Isn't it? Everyone should turn a blind eye to men's behaviour between the ages of 40 and 50. Let it all blow over." Later in the interview, while discussing his days as a playboy prior to his marriage, the actor added, "That got a lot of things out of my system — hopefully. And now I just act it. There are a lot of sex scenes in The Affair. If [wife Catherine] was in something like that I would not be happy. But she's OK with it. She's cool."

Tuesday, after photos of West and James getting flirty and appearing to kiss were obtained by The Daily Mail, West, 50, and FitzGerald, 49, approached reporters outside their London home, kissing and handing out sheets of paper reading, "Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together. Thank you. Catherine and Dominic."

James and West, who are filming a BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford's novel The Pursuit of Love, were spotted in Rome over the weekend, riding a scooter together and cozying up at lunch with their manager, Angharad Wood, where they showed off their PDA at the table. West can be seen nuzzling James' hair as they kissed in the photos. The connection between the Cinderella actress and Chicago actor was reportedly established while filming their new project, which will stream on Amazon in the U.S. "They worked together in the past but seem to have connected in a special way since they started filming in England over the summer," a source told PEOPLE after their weekend outing.

James was last romantically connected to Chris Evans, having been spotted leaving a London club together and grabbing ice cream in the park back in July. However, neither party would confirm or deny a relationship. Prior to that, she dated Dr. Who actor Matt Smith from 2014 to December 2019.