Gay-for-pay soap star James Sutton makes the leap to OF: “I feel desirable & that’s a really new feeling for me”
After 20 years on 'Hollyoaks,' Sutton wasted no time starting the revealing new phase of his career.
Mark
It was almost 20 years ago that British actor James Sutton made his debut on the beloved Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, playing teen John Paul McQueen who would soon grow into a series mainstay & a fan-favorite character.
That goes especially for the soap’s queer fan base, who’ve been rooting for John Paul ever since he shared a kiss with his best friend Craig Dean (Guy Burnet), a groundbreaking moment for positive gay representation on television in 1996.
Two decades and 796 episodes later, Sutton’s time on Hollyoaks finally came to an end this past February. The actor hadn’t exactly been shy about his interest in stepping away from the show, so it was written that John Paul would be moving to Switzerland to live with his & Craig’s son, Matthew-Jesus.
And honestly? That’s about as happy an ending as a gay’s going to get on a soap opera, so we’re just thrilled a trailblazing character like John Paul was able to leave town with his dignity in tact (and with a pulse).
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As for Sutton, who identifies as straight, he didn’t waste much time jumping to a new chapter of his life, announcing last week that he was joining the subscriber-based social media platform OF.
It felt like “a natural next step,” he shared in a press statement, adding: “It gives me the freedom to share more of who I am beyond the characters I once played and to connect with those fans that have supported me throughout my career.”
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“I mean, there are instances where there’s clothes being ripped off and stuff, which I’m more than happy to get involved with. I don’t mind getting down and dirty.”
While that’s all well and good, OF is best known for its spicy content, so you’re probably wondering if by sharing more of himself” he meant “sharing more of his body,” especially with subscriptions starting at $15.99 a month.
And as it turns out: yes—with some caveats. “Very often undressed,” Sutton writes in his bio before clarifying, “Underwear, gym content, and the chat. No full frontal, but I show off as much as I can get away with.”
He’s already given the rest of the world a taste of what’s in store with some gorgeous new shots on Instagram wearing nothing more than some black briefs and showing off his ripped bod. That’s some rock-solid ab-vertising if you ask us!
Speaking with PinkNews, the Sutton sees the move to OF as a natural extension of the brand he’s been building for himself, which is focused on “health and fitness and mindset, identity, male mental health.” This just happens to be the easiest way to help the content he was already producing reach a wider audience.
Of course, he’s well aware that a healthy portion of that audience might be gay men—the same gay men who have grown up watching John Paul on Hollyoaks over all these years.
“I’ve always taken my small contribution to the LGBTQ+ community, especially the gay side of it, very, very seriously in terms of my work on Hollyoaks and the character, about playing the stories that I’ve told,” he shares, acknowledging the impact of playing a multi-dimensional gay role on such a long-running show. “I’m very, very blessed.”
On whether or not certain fans might be disappointed his OF isn’t more revealing, Sutton says he doesn’t think anyone will leave disappointed, promising “value based content” right along plenty of images of his physique.
And why shouldn’t he show off? At 43, the actor feels more confident & sexy than ever, which he admits is a point that took him a lot of work—both physically and mentally—to get to.
“I think I did one topless scene in my whole tenure on Hollyoaks, because I just didn’t feel comfortable with it, Sutton reflects. “I never took pride in any real aspect of my life. And now that I do, I feel sexy, I feel desirable, and that’s a really new feeling for me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing that off alongside the sort of practices and the reasons behind why I do now.”
You know what? If James Sutton is happy, then we’re happy. Especially if that means he’s going to show off a bit for us. And in our minds, John Paul is happy living his post-Hollyoaks life in Switzerland, too. Hell, maybe he even started an OF page of his own!
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