tongue tied

Russell Tovey details slipping tongues with straight co-star in steamy ‘AHS: NYC’ sex scene

By · Updated on January 26, 2024
Image Credit: ‘AHS: NYC,’ FX, Pari Dukovic Photography

Among the many thrills of American Horror Story‘s “gayest season yet” is the fact that NYC gives hunky Russell Tovey a chance to shine as a closeted detective who likes to get his freak on with other guys.

After catching our attention with roles in projects like Looking and Quantico, AHS: NYC marks Tovey’s first appearance in Ryan Murphy‘s long-running horror anthology. But the actor feels right at home in this very sexy season as Detective Patrick Read—even if we’re not sure that we can entirely trust his character.

In a new interview with Marc Malkin for the Just For Variety podcast, Tovey opens up about filming this wild, unpredictable, and sex-filled season, and it sounds like he had a lot of fun. (Almost as much fun as we’re having watching it.)

Related: It turns out the actor behind AHS’s mysterious ‘Big Daddy’ mask is quite the big daddy

Specifically, the actor recalls shooting one intense make-out scene with straight actor Zach Meiser—one that included some (consensual) whipping, and a surprising bit of tongue:

“There is an anxiety that kicks in that you go, ‘This is a straight guy, I’m a gay guy, openly, and we’re going to be kissing now,’” Tovey says. “And we did it and then his tongue slipped in and then they cut and he went to me, ‘I just slipped my tongue in there…Is that alright?’ I said, ‘If it’s alright with you.’”

And that was just the tip of the tongue iceberg, as Tovey’s co-stars French technique led to even more committed roleplay:

“The next time we did it, I was like, ‘This guy is up for it! This guy’s committed. I absolutely love this, let’s go for it!’ So then we are like eating each other’s face, tongue in each other’s face. At one point I thought, ‘I’m going to spit in his mouth. No, don’t do that. That’s too much.’ I had to hold back. That’s when you get in trouble.”

Don’t you just love it when actors commit and give us authentic, ultra-hot on-screen makeouts?

 

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But it’s just another day’s work for Tovey, who confesses he’s made a habit of roles that ask him to “make out with a lot of people.” So much so that he’s starting to worry about his dear old mum, who loves to support his work:

“My mom, bless her, has seen me have sex in multiple ways and she’s seen me die hundreds of times. I feel sorry for her that she’s seen sex and death through my eyes a lot.”

Related: Meet the hunky stars of ‘American Horror Story’s’ 11th season, which may be its gayest yet

Really, the whole interview’s a blast, as Tovey talks about everything from how Murphy offered him the role in AHS: NYC to why he came out so early in his career. He even admits he used to get pressured to pin back his ears when he first started working in the industry, to which he defiantly would respond: “They’re my trademark! I’ve never had an issue with my ears.”

We like you just the way you are, Russell! And so do American Horror Story fans. Below are just a few of our favorite thirsty tweets about Tovey *ahem* work in the current season of NYC:

The final two episodes of AHS: NYC will air on FX November 16 (and will simultaneously stream on Hulu).

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