In a candid and wide-ranging interview, one of Britain's most prolific actors, Russell Tovey, opens up about his career, his role as a visible gay man, and his fears for the future of LGBTQ+ rights. The 44-year-old star, known for his powerful performances and advocacy, reflects on everything from his secret life as a geek to the current political climate.
From Stage to Screen: A Prolific Career
Russell Tovey's career has been nothing short of stratospheric. Since his breakout role as Rudge in Alan Bennett's The History Boys at the National Theatre in 2004, he has become one of the most recognisable faces of his generation. Recently, he has balanced major American productions like Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story: NYC and Feud: Capote vs the Swans with critically acclaimed UK work.
This year, he delivered a powerful performance as former Met police deputy assistant commissioner Brian Paddick in the drama Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. He also stars in the surreal BBC sitcom Juice and the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, set to launch on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on 7 December.
Tovey describes his approach to selecting roles as a balance. 'The best way of mastering a career is big, small, small,' he explains, referring to a strategy of alternating between high-profile projects and quieter, more intimate work.
Advocacy and Authenticity in the LGBTQ+ Community
Tovey has always been clear about the importance of his visibility as a gay man. He speaks openly about growing up under the shadow of Section 28 and the AIDS crisis, a time he associates with deep personal shame. This history is why he is so proud of his latest film, Plainclothes, set in 1990s New York during a period of police entrapment of gay men.
Alarmingly, the film's themes have found a contemporary resonance. Shortly after its New York premiere, a story emerged about US police using an app to arrest men in Penn Station bathrooms. 'Two hundred men have been arrested,' Tovey reveals, 'and a proportion of those have been sent straight to ICE facilities with no trial.' He sees the film's role as 'humanising what people are trying to demonise.'
His sense of responsibility extends to the broader LGBTQ+ community, where he is concerned about infighting and transphobia. 'As a community, we really attack our own,' he says. 'United we stand, divided we fall... We have to kick outwards instead of punching inwards.' He believes the current wave of transphobia is a cyclical form of scapegoating and suspects 'now is the worst time in history for trans people.'
Politics, Hope, and the Future
The political landscape, particularly the rise of Reform UK, has Tovey worried. He recently joined the Green Party, drawn to their slogan. 'Make hope normal again – is what we need,' he states, echoing the words of Harvey Milk. 'We have to have hope. We're on this really horrific curve but we will come out the other side eventually.'
He rejects the label of 'role model', preferring the term 'possibility model', coined by Laverne Cox. He likens visible LGBTQ+ figures to lighthouses: 'These beacons, that are shining a light going, 'This way!''
This perspective is shaped by his own childhood, secretly reading magazines like Attitude to find glimpses of a queer life. He is thrilled that shows like Heartstopper now offer young people a vision of hope he never had. 'They don't consider death whenever they meet someone and go to bed with them,' he observes. 'It just doesn't enter their mind and that, to me, just seems so healthy.'
To deal with his own past, Tovey has undergone therapy and is a strong advocate for it, suggesting 'everyone should have therapy when they leave school.'
The Man Behind the Roles: Geek, Collector, and Dog Dad
Beneath the polished exterior lies a self-confessed nerd. Tovey enthusiastically reveals that his early stage roles were all in plays beginning with 'H' and his characters' names all began with 'R'. 'My life changed when I came out,' he smiles, 'but my life also changed when I came out as a geek and a nerd.'
His childhood passions included collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils, and he owned a metal detector. Today, that collector's instinct is channelled into art. He co-hosts the successful Talk Art podcast and is an avid collector, with a particular passion for ceramics.
At home, his life revolves around his 13-year-old French bulldog, Rocky, who is deaf, has one eye, and uses a pushchair. 'He's been my best friend in the world,' Tovey says fondly. 'He's seen me through so much.' In many ways, Rocky is his own personal lighthouse, a constant companion through the storms of life and a thriving career dedicated to truth, both on and off the screen.
