bootylicious

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

By · 10 comments
Russell Tovey in a blue suit

Many gays can remember the exact moment a certain shirtless scene, fictional character, or celebrity gave them butterflies, made their heart flutter and stirred up something in their loins that their young impressionable selves never felt before.

Depending on your age, one’s gay awakening could have been things like the International Male catalog, Burt Reynold’s infamous centerfold, the pop group Menudo, Saved By The Bell, Chris O’Donnell in Batman, or maybe the trailer for Magic Mike.

For Russell Tovey, and many of his generation, it was the original British incarnation of Queer As Folk.

Released in 1999, the series broke ground for its frank depiction of a sexually active group of gay friends in Manchester, England.

The show’s first episode set the pace for what viewers could expect as Charlie Hunnam’s character, 15-year-old Nathan, receives his first rimjob from advertising executive Stuart, played by Aidan Gillen. The scene is available to view here.

During a new interview, Tovey described how as a teen the scene whipped up conflicting feelings as he was simultaneously enthralled and frightened by the sight of the two guys engaged in all the bootyliciousness.

“Then when Queer as Folk came on in the UK, it terrified me. I remember the first episode, there was a rimming scene. I was like, “What the f*ck is going on?” I had no idea what that was. It was terrifying, but so ‘wow!'” the 42-year-old Looking star told W Magazine.

“The show felt like a light shining. I’m going to look at that light. I’m going to head towards there because that seems like a safe ground and it’s going to explain all the things that are going on in me.”

He was not alone.

Russell T. Davies, who wrote and created Queer As Folk and went on to write It’s A Sin and Doctor Who, previously reflected on the scene’s impact and how it was not simply salacious.

“It was a very carefully selected scene, actually. It was a sexual experience that a young boy wouldn’t have even imagined experiencing, because these kinds of visuals just weren’t available back then,” Davies told Vice in 2015. “He would have sat in his bedroom wanking his head off thinking about men and sex and cumming, but probably would have never imagined being rimmed.”

He added: “It was pivotal. And, if you watch it now, it hasn’t dated. Every detail was gorgeous.”

The 2000 U.S remake of Queer As Folk recreated the steamy scene with Gale Harold and Randy Harrison.

Tovey also expressed the importance of not watering down representation to make it more palatable to mainstream audiences.

“I worked with Andrew Haigh on Looking and we were just talking about his new film [All of Us Strangers]. He’s able to show intimacy in such a way that you don’t see anything but everything’s happening. It makes it so universal,” the American Horror Story: NYC star told W.

“I want to tell stories that connect to as many people as possible, but I also want to go fu*king hardcore and talk about the piers and [photographer] Alvin Baltrop and all those stories.”

In addition to highlighting queer creatives on his weekly podcast Talk Art, Tovey recently teamed up with WeTransfer to produce Life Is Excellent, a documentary on late painter and poet David Robilliard, who tragically died from AIDS complications in 1988 at just 36. The documentary can be streamed for free here.

Tovey currently stars in the British series Juice and will next be seen portraying Truman Capote’s partner in the second season of Ryan Murphy‘s Feud anthology, FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans.

The eight-episode limited series is based on the bestselling book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer and also features Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Demi Moore, Chloe Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Molly Ringwald, and Tom Hollander as Capote.

FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans premieres Wednesday, January 31st on FX, with each episode available to stream on Hulu the day after its original broadcast.

Related:

Russell Tovey is still really upset that so many gays thought ‘Looking’ was boring

Despite starring a pre-‘White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett, ‘Looking’ was canceled after two seasons in 2016.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated