Russell Tovey in Banished

One of the actors I love watching is Russell Tovey, gay, out and pretty versatile (in terms of his roles that is).

My husband and I watched him back in the Hetty Wainthrope mysteries, in Being Human (played a werewolf) and now of course he’s in Looking and is now cast in  Banished – an original British drama where he portrays James Freeman – one of the first convicts to be deported to Australia.

Originally he was a rather slight lad but has definitely grown into this new role by bulking up, building up muscles and is now an even more “yummy” sight.

Lately he’s been in the news due to a comment he made in The Observer:

“I feel like I could have been really effeminate, if I hadn’t gone to the school I went to. Where I felt like I had to toughen up. If I’d have been able to relax, prance around, sing in the street, I might be a different person now. I thank my dad for that, for not allowing me to go down that path. Because it’s probably given me the unique quality that people think I have.”

A lot of gay men were angry, feeling that because he’s glad that he’s not effeminate that he meant it’s bad to be.

On Twitter, he made a kind of “apology” but not enough for some.

“I surrender. You got me. I’m sat baffled and saddened that a mis-fired inarticulate quote of mine, has branded me worst gay ever”

His many fans on Twitter though, are generally putting it behind them and moving on.