Russell Tovey & Tom Blyth have a gay romance on the way—about shocking true events from LGBTQ+ history

Out heartthrob Russell Tovey’s got an eyebrow-raising queer role on the way, and it’s one speaking to the long and often forgotten history of police forces’ “gay entrapment” tactics.

In other words, it’s going to be intense—but a crucial part of our community’s story we’re glad is being told.

Variety announced today that Tovey and Tom Blyth (best known as the young Coriolanus Snow in last fall’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes) have signed on to star in Plainclothes, a new independent drama from emerging writer-director Carmen Emmi.

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The film takes its names from the term used to describe when an officer of the law is not dressed in uniform, but rather their civilian or “street” clothes—often in a manner of disguise, or going undercover.

Set in the ’90s, Plainclothes is said to be inspired by true events, telling the story of a working-class police officer who is tasked with going undercover particularly with the focus of entrapping and apprehending gay men. But when he begins to feel something for one of his targets, the officer finds himself question who he is—both in and out of uniform.

While it’s not clear if there is a specific incident the film draws from, the history of gay entrapment is vast. Especially pre-Stonewall, it was not uncommon for police forces to assign officers—yes, often the most handsome among their ranks—to go undercover around popular gay social settings and hookup spots, luring unsuspecting men in and then arresting them for disorderly conduct, public indecency, or something along those lines.

Per The Atlantic, in New York between 1923 (when the state specifically criminalized male homosexual cruising) and 1966 (when pre-Stonewall gay activists convinced government officials to put an end to entrapment for cruising), over 50,000 men were estimated to have been arrested “for cruising in bars, streets, parks, and subway washrooms”—in NYC alone!

Of course, entrapment didn’t end in ’66, and its been employed in various forms all across the globe. Infamously, George Michael was arrested for “engaging in a lewd act” in a 1998 sting operation in Beverly Hills, and there have been reports of similar operations in Southern California as recently as the past decade.

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In Plainclothes, one can assume that Tovey and Blyth will play some combination of the officer and his target-turned-lover at the center of the story, but no further character details have been shared at this time. Variety reports the film is set to shoot in Syracuse, NY, though it’s unclear where it will actually be set—will Tovey and Blyth (both Brits) be playing American?

“Plainclothes is a heartfelt story that deals with internal conflict, family and the complexities of sexual identity in the face of societal and personal expectations,” producers Arthur Landon and Colby Cote share in a joint press statement. “We are excited to bring [Carmen Emmi’s] first screenplay life with this incredible cast.”

The potential for another tale of a “good cop” who has a moral reckoning and then goes on a redemptive journey sure does make us trepidatious, but for now we’ll stay optimistic that the team will approach the film with the care and nuance it deserves. These entrapment arrests have ruined plenty of innocent lives over the decades, so we’re hopeful it can help shine a light on a under-discussed part of our community’s history.

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Russell Tovey will never forget the first time he saw two men engage in anal stimulation

Russell Tovey will never forget the first time he saw two men engage in anal stimulation.