Actor Luke Evans has spoken about his experience as an out homosexual star in Hollywood action films early in his career.
The Beauty and the Beast star chatted with PinkNews after releasing his memoir, Boy from the Valleys: An Unexpected Journey, in which he describes “his humble beginnings in a quaint Welsh mining village to the dazzling lights of Hollywood” and growing up as a gay Jehovah’s Witness.
“There were no other openly homosexual actors in these action-packed, masculine, straight roles. “I was sort of cutting a path that I didn’t know how to navigate,” he explained.
“We did our best to stay focused on our work. Do straight actors ever have to do this? “No, they do not.”
Evans, who made his big break in 2010’s Clash of the Titans, described the situation as “strange” because he had been living openly in London for more than a decade “with a boyfriend and life, and a home and a fish tank, just living a normal life” when “all of a sudden, it was like, I had to [come out] all over again.”
He went on to explain, “I’d already done interviews about what it was like when I was 21, so I wasn’t going to dispute it. I wondered how many times I had to repeat it.
“There wasn’t anyone my age doing what I was doing; it was just me. Things have changed, and people are much more comfortable being openly gay in this industry. It’s terrific; things are changing.”
Actor Luke Evans, wearing a black top, sits in front of a pink background.
Welsh actor Luke Evans has made public appearances from the beginning of his career. Evans’ memoir, excerpted in The Guardian, describes how he felt “dirty” and “like [he] had a disease” due to homophobia at school.
The Our Son actress said, “I was bullied for being gay before I knew what it meant. The worst moniker was “jovey bender” since it linked two sides of my identity that could never be reconciled: homosexuality is not tolerated in the faith.
“It’s a really dark place to be as a child, knowing you’re ‘wrong’ but having no concept why or how to remedy it.
“I hated school. Some children are very intolerant, cruel little b**tards. Anything somewhat different about you makes you a target, and I was different in practically every manner imaginable.
The Boy from the Valleys: An Unexpected Journey is now available.
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