Buffy, Pythagoras Theorem and dead dads with Harriet Rose

I think the headline says it all.

WORDS BY SAM DAMSHENAS

In her 2022 cover story with GAY TIMES, Harriet Rose shared that her life’s aim is to “talk about queerness in every scenario possible”. Since then, she’s gone viral for defiantly declaring her lesbianism on the BRITS red carpet, treated Aquaman beefcake Jason Momoa to his first lesbian date, and had her hickey hanky-panky outed by her KISS co-workers.

“I just want to have a fun time, be silly and bring a bit of light,” says Harriet, a lesbian. “When I used to manifest and do vision board stuff, it said, ‘I really want to make people happy, to make people smile and laugh.’ I believe that’s what I was put on this earth to do.”

This year, Harriet is continuing to be the “silly sausage” the world of presenting needs and deserves on The Masked Singer: AfterMask, which marks her first-ever major solo gig (!). Additionally, she is set to host the red carpet for the BRITS *and* MTV EMAs, and is continuing to slay radio with Kiss FM.

Harriet discusses all the above with GAY TIMES, as well as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pythagoras Theorem and dead dads. Quite an uneventful interview, really, so we also had Harriet reflect on when she was hashtag-pranked by Mission: Impossible star Pom Klementieff. Hopefully there’s something in here for you!

Hello there Harriet, I always forget you live in Walthamstow.

Oh my god, it’s you. Why are you stalking me?

I lived there for four years, how did we never cross paths?

I have a restraining order out against you.

That makes sense. Your setting looks eerily similar to my old living room, where are you?

I’ve owned my house for ten years, so I don’t think you were living here.

I see.

Unless you were here without my knowledge…

It was me nicking your underwear.

I knew that was you. You’re not really gay are you?

Nope. I am a hetero… sexual.

I’m loving the Buffy jumper.

Harriet, I can’t even talk about the revival because it’ll take up the whole interview. I’m so scared. Excited, but terrified.

We’re all scared. Willow better be full-blown dyke-energy in this new series.

Bring Tara back from the dead. Whatever, just do it.

I mean, they can do that because they can do anything.

We need to divert, sadly, because this will become Harriet Rose’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer interview with GAY TIMES.

We’ll do it when we next see each other.

So, how is your 2025 going? I saw your January dump about it feeling like it was 16 months. What did you get up to?

I had a lovely January because The Masked Singer has been on and it’s been so wonderful to see everyone’s reaction to AfterMask. The fun we’ve had, seeing that play out, has been really nice. At the same time, I’ve had to hibernate a bit because I’ve been redoing my flat. I’ve been living in one pair of pants for a month, and that’s been stressful. But, it’s funny because one day I’m like, ‘I can’t find a clean pair of knickers because I can’t use my washing machine,’ and then I’m on telly the next day. That’s been a funny, dysphoric yin-and-yang that I’ve been dealing with. I’m just feeling very grateful. I’ve got an extremely exciting year ahead and I’m like, ‘…what?!’ I’ve been doing this career for a long time, and January is usually the scariest time in the industry, and it’s been the most relaxed January I’ve ever had because I’m actually working.

@iamharrietrose So i got pranked by #SimonPegg and #pomklementieff for the new #missionimpossible movie ???????????? #prank ♬ original sound – Harriet Rose ????️‍????

It’s been wonderful to see all the incredible work you’ve done since your 2022 cover with us, from presenting on KISS to The Masked Singer and, of course, the Mission Impossible junket, which I watch at least once a month…

Keep your eyes peeled! You never know if there’s going to be more of that to come.

How do you navigate interviews since that, without thinking you’ll be the victim of another prank?

I’ve got major PTSD! You know me, you know me personally, and I love that stuff. I enjoyed how mental it was and how confused I was. There’s something about being in an interview that isn’t going well that’s thrilling, and it very rarely happens to be honest because most people are fun and nice. I’m the kind of person where, if you’re a person who doesn’t like making new friends or meeting new people, I’m going to make you my friend. So, I take that energy into interviews where someone’s being a little bit not forthcoming or interested. So, in that Mission: Impossible interview my adrenaline was so high. I was just chuffed that it was a prank. But now, if anyone ever tried to be horrible to me in an interview I’d be like, ‘Oh, it’s a prank!’ What if they’re just a dick? It’s not happened yet, fingers crossed.

When Pom [Klementieff] starts hashtagging I lose my absolute shit.

I was trying to stop myself from laughing. She was so serious. Pom is an amazing actress, and a very nice person by the way. Imagine if I was just talking to you now and I was like, ‘Sam, January has been so hashtag blessed for me. I’ve been hashtag hibernating.’ I thought she was being fucking serious! So I was just like, ‘You love a hashtag, don’t you?’ I used to get in trouble for it at school, saying what I’m thinking, but it seems to work in my line of work. I will say, that is one of my favourite things that’s ever happened in my career. It sounds weird, but it made me feel special as well. I love that team. They’re so cool.

I’ve shown it to everyone I know.

I love you for that. Thank you for enjoying my inner turmoil, and then my external joy. My agent said they were like, ‘Shall we hint to Harriet what’s going to happen?’ and she was like, ‘No, she will take it in her stride.’ When [Pom] said her dog had been beaten to death by a millennial, she seemed very angry, and I was like, ‘This can’t be fake, this can’t be a joke.’ Because you wouldn’t make a joke about your dog being beaten to death by a millennial.

Major congratulations on your success with The Masked Singer: AfterMask. How does it feel to have your first major solo gig?

It’s unreal. My only goal from when I was starting out as a presenter was to have my own show, and do what I wanted with the guests. When we were filming I was just like, ‘Let’s do the best job we possibly can.’ Then when it came out my girlfriend said to me, ‘Babe, I didn’t realise what a big deal this is.’ I didn’t, either, because I’m quite self-deprecating. I was like, ‘It’s just this small thing, it’s not really a thing, don’t worry about it.’ Now I can say, ‘Oh my fucking god, I did it.’ I’m not religious, but I prayed to the universe for my whole career [for a solo hosting job]. I’m so grateful to ITV and Strong Watch Studios.. I just feel, as a person who struggled for their whole career, that I finally believe I am good enough.

I’m sure it’s just the Millennial in me, but it’s still so mega to me to see you in all your chaotic, out-and-proud queerness in so many spaces that are quite… hetero.

I was having this conversation the other day about queerness in media with Simon Jones. He was like, ‘You’re gay in straight media’ and I didn’t think about it like that. That’s a big deal. I’m openly lesbian in straight media, and I’m so lucky to be able to do that. I used to get really stressed seeing incredible icons in the queer community who are really educated and make such a difference in educating their followers about queer issues. I realised I’m not that person because I don’t have the educational scope they do, but what I do have is the ability to be the silly sausage version of that. You need a bit of everything.

All forms of visibility are important. Your lesbian date with Jason Momoa, for example? It was quite groundbreaking to see a macho-hetero, box office draw like Aquaman on a date with a loud camp lesbian.

Yeah, it was. I would say it’s one of my favourite ever interviews of all time. He was unbelievable, so charismatic, funny and brilliant. The minute I said I’m a lesbian he did not stop joking about it like, ‘This is the best day I’ve ever had with a lesbian.’ I just want to have a fun time, be silly and bring a bit of light. When I used to manifest and do vision boards stuff, it said, ‘I really want to make people happy, to make people smile and laugh.’ I believe that’s what I was put on this earth to do. Also, probably to annoy quite a lot of people. But, as long as we’re laughing more than being annoying, then that’s a good balance. That’s another thing I do in interviews, as well, I like playing with the shit sandwich – and it’s not really a shit sandwich, but it’s like, fun, serious fun. So, if I have something serious [to talk about] then I’ll slap it in the middle. I have no fear in going from talking about my dead dad to the time I couldn’t flush a poo down the loo.

I genuinely believe I’ve said that exact sentence before in reference to my own dad dead and troublesome toilet habits.

Amazing. We obviously live the exact same life. You are stalking me, aren’t you?

I’m actually upstairs.

Oh yeah, come on down then. No, I think you’ve got to have the light and shade, and if you have a dead dad as well, then you understand that. I don’t know if you come from the same perspective, but the majority of dead dad people I meet, you do laugh about it, especially if you were young. Otherwise you’re going to spend every single day of the rest of your life crying, and that’s not fun.

 

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A post shared by Harriet Rose (@iamharrietrose)

In your 2022 cover for GAY TIMES, you said your goal was to “talk about queerness in every scenario possible”…

That quote is used all the time, by the way! So just know your article’s been read a lot.

That’s lovely to know. So, do you feel you’ve achieved that?

I do. I’m grateful no one has gotten annoyed thus far. I love bringing it into different rooms, and I love the shock element of it. I guess it’s similar to talking about dead dads. It’s like, ‘Let’s talk about the thing you don’t understand. Let’s joke about it. Let’s be silly about it.’ I think it’s a good way to knock on the door and get it open by subconsciously drilling it into people’s brains. I do worry at the moment that in the world, we are so separated and it’s like, ‘If you don’t think like me, then don’t ever talk to me again.’ It’s like, ‘Can we talk about it? Can we see if we can meet in the middle?’ I wish we could all see some middle ground together, and I think a good way is to ask loads of questions: ‘Okay, why do you feel like that? Tell me more.’ Some people you just have to tell to fuck off. Some, you can explain stuff to.

I think we, as a queer community, aren’t what people who are scared of us think we are. That, by the way, counts for everybody. A lot of what happens in these scenarios, it’s about not understanding. In the same way you come to me and say, ‘What’s Pythagoras Theorem?’ I’m going to, in my head, panic because I haven’t got a fucking clue what Pythagoras Theorem is. I wasn’t listening at school. It’s my lack of intelligence on the subject that might make me fearful of it. Is that a weird analogy?

I get you. Just because we don’t understand Pythagoras Theorem, it doesn’t mean we’ll try to outlaw it.

Kill the Pythagoras Theorem! Ban it! Or, ‘No one can talk about Pythagoras Theorem because I don’t get it,’ What?

‘Harriet Rose on Buffy, dead dads and Pythagoras Theorem.’

You can see I’m really worried about Pythagoras Theorem. The point is, I’m happy for you to talk to me about it. It’s not my area of expertise, but I don’t mind if you want to explain it to me.

Babe, what are your plans for the rest of 2025? Your work goals? Your personal goals?

I want to have a cameo in a TV show.

Like a fictional drama?

My ideal would be an Agatha Christie show, because I love Agatha Christie so much. What else… I’ve never been on a big girl holiday, a grown-up holiday. I’ve done The Masker Singer, I’m about to host the BRITs ITV show. So now I need to think of something else that I need to do. I’d really like to do something with my hair. I’ve got naturally grey hair and I want to do a campaign about it. I talk to women all the time about it. I’m obviously quite young, but I’ve been grey since I was 16. People are always like, ‘Wow, you’re so brave!’ and I’m like… No, I’m not. It’s just that people forget that grey is gorge and not just for men. Then, obviously, I would love to host another TV show by the end of the year. But, I feel very grateful for what I’ve got. I don’t want to be asking for too much!

You absolutely should. Ask for it all.

I will.

The Masked Singer: AfterMask airs on ITVX and YouTube. 

The post Buffy, Pythagoras Theorem and dead dads with Harriet Rose appeared first on GAY TIMES.