Russell Tovey lands gay role in US television series about gay men looking for love
British actor Russell Tovey has taken on the role of a gay character in a US television series by HBO, after saying earlier this year that he thought it would be “more of a risk” to take on a gay role earlier this year.
The Being Human actor will play Kevin, a video game entrepreneur who made a large amount of money at a young age. The character is a close friend of lead role Patrick, who will be played by Jonathan Groff, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
HBO has commissioned the series titled Looking, which will have eight episodes, and will be set in San Francisco. It will follow lead character Patrick and two of his friends as they look for love.
Out.com says: “Just like its Girls and Sex and the City predecessors, this project features a group of friends as they try to find footing in a concrete jungle. But these boys are a bit older than their Girls counterparts, so here’s to hoping for less woe-is-me angst and more adult-driven trivialities.”
The character of Kevin will be the first gay character to be taken on by Tovey, who in May said he and his agent thought he was in a “unique” position as he is openly gay but until now has played only straight characters.
“Every character I play is straight, which is unique, my agent says, because it’s not really been done before that someone who is completely out is able to play straight roles. So for me to play gay it has to be something special, because it might actually be more of a risk. So I’m waiting for that role – I want it to be something that moves things forward.”
