Welsh actor Luke Evans has given a big interview to Bustle magazine to promote his role in the new live-action version of Pinocchio.
The 43-year-old was asked a few questions relating to his sexuality. Given his acting skills, profile, good looks and age, Evans is a potential replacement for Daniel Craig, who has now given up his role as James Bond. Evans was asked if he thought audiences were ready yet for a gay Bond.
“I don’t know what the current temperature is with audiences, whether they care enough to worry about what James Bond does in the bedroom,” he replied carefully. “I don’t think it really matters at all to the character if I’m really honest.”
He went on to talk about how his recent filming for a lead role in the TV show Echo 3 had involved him training with Navy Seals. The show involves a lot of action sequences. The interviewer interpreted this, rightly or wrongly, as Evans demonstrating his suitability to play Bond.
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Related: Luke Evans enjoys Ibiza vacation with hunky new beau
Luke Evans to star opposite Billy Porter
Although evasive about 007, Evans was more forthcoming about one of his confirmed roles. He’s to play the partner of Billy Porter in the drama Our Son. The couple are divorcing and engaged in a custody battle over their child.
“It was emotionally one of the most traumatic things I’ve done,” Evans says of the project, which has completed filming. “The story is so real. It’s what people are going through the whole time, and it’s very relatable — not just to the gay community.”
He went on to say it’s great that more LGBTQ content is being made, and not just bio-pics about historical queer figures.
“We’ve seen some amazing films that definitely needed to be told — like Milk… Nowadays, there are also all these wonderful TV shows about the younger generations. They don’t have to be so sensational about a historical story about the fight that gay people have had through the decades. Of course, there is still room for those stories. There is also room for stories about everyday life.”
Bustle also states that Evans’ partner is Spanish graphic designer Fran Tomas. Queerty reported on this last month. Although neither Evans nor Tomas have confirmed it, photos of the pair have popped up on Instagram.
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Evans is guarded when it comes to saying anything about Tomas but says they “live between” Madrid and London. Evans is working on improving his Spanish and they talk mainly in English.
Asked about paparazzi shots of the pair recently on a beach in Ibiza, he replied, “If someone is hiding in a bush and taking a picture, as much as I would not like them to do that because it’s a massive intrusion of my privacy, what control do I have?”
Related: Actor Luke Evans shows off his pride month underwear
bachy
Please let’s not culturally appropriate Bond, too! Frankly I prefer my 007 to be 100% heterosexual – an unapologetic Kinsey Zero. I don’t even like how they’ve made him more “sensitive” to the #MeToo movement in recent films; it took away a lot of his “edge.” A big part of Bond’s charm has always been what a smirking, alpha playa he can be – kissing a drop-dead gorgeous woman one moment, using her as a shield for a spray of bullets the next.
That being said I do think there’s an audience for a movie featuring a beautiful but deadly drag queen assassin.
missvamp
i don’t think they were insinuating they would make bond gay. but with an openly gay actor playing bond, people make look at the character differently. so he may have to do some seriously butch roles leading up to playing bond, to make it more palatable for people to accept him playing bond. i think that’s patently stupid. he’s a great actor & dead sexy. anyone can play bond & should. idris elba should have took the role. bond doesn’t have to be white either. fck conventional casting.
dbmcvey
“We” would not be culturally appropriating anything. “We’re” not making the movie.
monty clift
Luke Evans and Billy Porter as a romantic couple?? That’s less believable than a gay Bond.
mz.sam
Oh hell yes!
Ronbo
Yes, the toughest most social-forward person in America probably doesn’t want to hang around with the person who can’t even own his sexuality in public.
Dick Gozinia
Thank you.
dbmcvey
Because?
inbama
I’d go with that delicious Theo James whose magnificent body and and absolutely kissable lips kept me watching HBO’s “Time Traveler’s Wife” in spite of poor writing and his dreary wife.
bachy
Oh yes, Theo James! Great suggestion! If you’re a Theo James fan, you might like Sanditon (2019). So The Time Traveler’s Wife sucked, huh? I’ve been wondering about it…
lolita
I agree Theo James would be perfect, but I can’t agree on Time Traveler’s Wife! He is the perfect combination of looks, screen presence and acting talent.
inbama
@bachy
The wife narrates and it’s a lot of whining.
Janes, however, travels through time and appears naked with increasing frequency as the show goes on. (One time he actually has sex with himself!), and the story does wrap up nicely. So all in all I’d say I enjoyed it, but not for lofty reasons.
dbmcvey
The narration of “Time Traveler’s Wife” drove me crazy. I had to quit after one episode.
Jim
I’m not sure, but hasn’t Bond become less sexual over the years?
Yeah Connery was a horn dog but then the moved to romance and now not really a love interest.
Originally Bond needed sex to sell, but we’ve now bought it and it’s not important anymore.
Paul2
I have always felt that Bond should at least be bi. As an undercover spy you never know who you have to seduce to get information.
linedrive
Luke Evans would make a fantastic Bond. I don’t think that means they’d have to change Bond’s sexuality. In fact, I’d hope they wouldn’t; Bond is straight, and that’s perfectly fine with me.
johncp56
Actuly Bond hinted he switched sides, Bi men are majorly hot!!! and strong
JRamonMc
There was a pretty steamy, sexually intense scene between bond and Mathieu Amalric in Quantum of Solace where Bond insinuated that he may have had a past.
johncp56
Luke Evans is a dream boat, for a gay man I like many types but a man that looks like a man is a very attractive thing to me, as for Bond going gay fo far to soon, Now! Bi would work slide in, remember they do not understand we are not all fem, as they see us, All said I,m weak for Luke E
Doug
Luke Evans is not James Bond material, and he’s certainly no match for Daniel Craig. I’m not sure I believe he’s even being considered.
Max
I’ve always envisioned Bond to not care about which sex he’s screwing with, particularly to get done the task that M has assigned him. he would look sexy, masculine. women would drop their panties at his whisper and men would grow weak under his spy-trained body.
Oranos
No, America is NOT ready for a gay James Bond. They weren’t even ready for a female GhostBusters ensemble, who got LOADS of hate mail just for being women. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in a fantasy world. In 20 years, yes, I can see that. The Millennials and Gen X, Y an Z will definitely go for that. But the conservative right (100 million strong – AT LEAST), will NOT. I can guarantee you that.
KellyRobinsonJr
James Bond is straight. But, Bond would definitely have sex with a man to save the World. Like they say… $20 is $20.
dbmcvey
This would completely freak out the fanboys.