Whoa, when did Henry VIII get hot? Now we’re starting to understand how one of history’s most notable jerks managed to score six wives…
Of course, we’re being a bit facetious here, but leave it to Netflix to cast a six-pack-sporting hunk as Henry Tudor in their new show, Blood, Sex, & Royalty.
Billed as a docuseries, Blood, Sex, & Royalty dramatizes the life of Anne Boleyn, as told through handsomely shot reenactments and the occasional “talking head” interview from a real-life historical expert.
Admittedly, this glamorized history lesson wasn’t on our Netflix queues—that is, until a tweet from journalist Alex Abad-Santos alerted us to the fact handsome gay actor Max Parker stars in it…
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
there's a ya series/historical dramatization of anne boleyn on netflix now called blood sex royalty and they made henry the 8th hot with a dumptruck pic.twitter.com/rySw1NzXns
— alex (@alex_abads) November 29, 2022
Now, we’re not here to delve into whether or not—as Abad-Santos puts it—this Henry VII has a “dump truck” butt (No, that point is being hotly debated in the replies to the initial tweet). But we are here to appreciate the beauty of Parker, who does not look at all like historical portraits of the former King of England. Not that we’re complaining!
Exhibit A:
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Oh my! Consider us royally flushed.
Parker is a rising British actor, who first appeared in BBC dramas like Casualty and World On Fire before landing a recurring role in 2019 on Emmerdale, the English soap that’s been airing (in some form or another) since 1972.
And speaking of Emmerdale, earlier this year, Parker announced his engagement to his co-star, Kris Mochrie—who happens to play his brother on the soap. You know, we’re sure that, retroactively, that might make watching them together on Emmerdale feel a little strange. But just look how cute they are together IRL!
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Related: Soap actors who play on-screen brothers get engaged in real life
Outside of Blood, Sex, & Royalty, Parker can also be seen on Peacock’s bloody fun Vampire Academy series (which probably accounts for some of the, um, spookier pics on his Instagram feed). And, next, he’ll star in a British thriller film called Strictly Confidential opposite Elizabeth Hurley—its logline says it’s set in a “world of seduction, duplicity and betrayal,” so let’s hope for plenty of seduction from Parker!
We were also pleased to see that Parker partnered up with Red Hot—a sexy calendar devoted to “the world’s hottest ginger guys”—and their 2023 “Own It” calendar, which donates proceeds to a number of charities, including the Anti-Bullying Alliance. The photos are fire!
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But there’s plenty more to enjoy on Max Parker’s Instagram—let’s thread a few of our favorite shots below:
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Max Parker can be seen in Blood, Sex, & Royalty, streaming now on Netflix, as well as Vampire Academy, streaming now on Peacock.
dbmcvey
By the standards of the time Hengy VIII was considered very hot.
Henreid
If the authors of this article knew anything about Tudor history they would understand that Henry VIII – in the early years of his reign – WAS hot. He became king of England when he was 17. He was handsome and very athletic, and was considered to be an ideal example of Renaissance manhood. The trajectory of his life changed dramatically when he suffered a serious jousting accident at the age of 44. He lapsed into a deep coma that his attendants thought he would not survive, and he sustained a leg wound that became infected and ulcerated, and never healed. For the remainder of his lifetime he was in excruciating pain, and it was this debility that caused him to become the cruel and obese monarch we are familiar with from the latter part of his reign. But until his mid-40s Henry VIII was an attractive man.
abfab
the cruel and obese monarch…MAGA!
Kangol2
Yes, after this accident he did become a very large man. And not just cruel but also quite a brutal one when it came to his wives, the Roman Catholic Church, religious dissenters, etc.
Rugby8
The information you posted is good, and accurate.
However, it’d be much better if you weren’t so Condescending.
Seriously.
CatholicXXX
I’ll take binary every and any day of the week.
thebaddestbabby
does this guy claim to be non-binary? or is your mind just spitting out random thoughts like a sphincter spasmodically shitting out all the processed garbage you binge on?
SDR94103
“sphincter spasmodically shitting out all the processed garbage you binge on?”
HYSTERICAL
thebaddestbabby
thank yew, thank yew
bachy
Dude is so white I need sunglasses!
Chrisk
As most gingers are.
abfab
What colour are marieannes?
Rugby8
So???
Neoprene
I’ll give Queerty 20 dollars if they’ll stop using “thirsty” and/or “thirst trap” in their headlines. That would cover their payroll for a few weeks, I’d imagine.
Man About Town
I was just wondering: why in the world is the word “Unfortunately” in the title here??
Kangol2
Man About Town, read the entire sentence. The actor is making someone at Queerty shvitz about a historical English monarch who was, by the most objective standards out, quite cruel and brutal (and famously spendthrift and a major colonialist, annexing Wales and becoming the first King of Ireland, etc.), which is something most of us do NOT get “thirsty” about. I mean, there are people who are sexually aroused by Francisco Franco, Benito Mussolini, Pol Pot, etc., but most find these people and their actions so repellent they don’t get excited about them. Do you get the drift now?
ahpace24
Just for the record, Max’s character Luke, didn’t appear on Emmerdale until Kris’s character on Emmerdale had died so they were never in a scene together, both played each other’s brother, flashback or otherwise on Emmerdale.