In Russell Tovey‘s new film The Pass, he plays a closeted footballer struggling to come to terms with who he really is, haunted by the night he kissed a teammate.
“Being gay is not an option,” his character says in one scene.
In the real world of Premier League football, the situation is the same, if perhaps slightly less cinematic. While players have indeed come out — most famously Justin Fashanu, who tragically took his own life in 1998, and Robbie Rogers, who came out after he’d left the league to play in America — no current League player has ever revealed publicly that he’s gay.
On the prospect of a footballer coming out, Tovey told the Evening Standard: “I hope it happens within the next few years, it just takes one person to be brave enough to do it. Apparently there is a big sponsorship deal for the first big Premier League player to come out, a multi-million pound deal, but no one has picked it up yet.
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“They are going to be elevated to some level beyond what they are doing in sport and if you are the first person to do that then it is a terrifying prospect because of the attention that is going to get. Football crowds are so tribal, it’s gladiatorial, and they seize on any weakness their opponents show and sadly in football being gay is still seen as a weakness.”
Every promo shot we’ve seen of The Pass shows Tovey and costar Arinze Kene in their underwear, so at the very least it should make some closeted footballers that much more conflicted. We aren’t complaining.
The film has its premiere in London this week, kicking off BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival.
Marky
He needs to put the meat back on.
robho3
Can’t stand Russel and will never watch anything he is in.
Billy Budd
He is beautiful. I am gonna watch the movie.
Kangol
That Arinze Kene is the reason I’ll watch this. Too bad the sissyphobe also had to be cast in it.
Xzamilio
I wanna see some coffee and cream action, goddammit!!!
mz.sam
Nice!…can’t wait to see gorgeous Russell at on of this summer’s film festival.
GusBlogging
Can’t wait to watch the movie. However, I think he looked better when he was a bit more massive – but that’s def complaining on a very high level!! 😀
Gus from http://www.gus-guyblog.com
GC1985
Who?
I don’t care for some mediocre dude starring in some mediocre film. By the way, this sort of film was already done in the past.
JessPH
Love Russell. He’s also currently in the BBC series THE NIGHT MANAGER with the equally gorgeous Tom Hiddleston.
Billy Budd
I wanna watch Tovey being a bottom. What a dream it would be to see him bottoming for a hot black stud…
montydaman
Russell Tovey has sure grown up into a very handsome young man. And his acting abilities has zoomed! This new movie “The Pass” has its premiere in London this week, kicking off BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival! I wish I was there to cheer for him.
montydaman
Russell Tovey was a smash hit in “Looking”. He was a scene stealer!!