He’s so vers! The best gay roles of Russell Tovey’s career (so far)

There are only two certainties we can rely on in such turbulent times: 1.) Water is wet and 2.) If Russell Tovey’s in something, we’ll be watching.

In that sense, it’s comforting to know that in next big release, Plainclothes, the out actor will continue his tradition of playing gay roles, starring as a man named Andrew who’s seduced by Tom Blyth’s undercover cop in a ’90s mall. 

It’s not like Tovey just takes on the same part again and again, however. Queer people aren’t a monolith and the expanse of roles Russell has played across his career is undeniable confirmation of that. From Pride and Feud to Looking and Quantico, no two gays with Tovey’s face are the same. 

In approaching queer roles with his own lived-in authenticity, Russell continues to prove that playing gay doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to be typecast. “There are billions of queer characters around the world,” Tovey pointed out recently to Rolling Stone, “So how the hell can I be pigeonholed?” And he’s right to say so. It’s not like anyone criticizes Tom Cruise for playing straight all the time (especially with a name like that).

As one of the few actors to consistently play gay and talk about that process over the past two decades, Tovey cemented himself as a trailblazer of queer representation long before the rest of the industry felt comfortable enough to follow in his footsteps. Plus, he’s hot, proving that you really can have it all. 

To celebrate Russell’s extremely versatile talents, acting and otherwise, let’s take a look at every major gay role he’s played on screen so far (and check back in a year to see that number triple if his run so far is anything to go by).  

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Pride (2014)

Based on a true story, Pride follows youngMark Ashton (Ben Schnetzer) on his mission to support families affected by 1984’s Welsh miners protest with help from a group queer activists. Tovey just pops up in a short cameo where he plays Tim, an ex who bumps into Mark on a club stairwell bathed in bisexual lighting. During their brief encounter, Tim kisses Mark on the lips and wishes him well before going back to a presumably “straight” life outside. 

In a film full of moving moments, this one-minute scene is particularly painful to watch knowing that Tim can’t be free in the way that Mark is. And just like that, Tovey makes an impact even bigger than that considerable chest of his in just the span of one minute. 

Looking (2014 – 2016)

HBO’s Looking is one of the seminal texts, a cultural touchstone for homosexuals everywhere, but gays of a certain age especially. The writing was honest, the acting was gorgeous, and the cast was exceptional at making us fall for these often selfish, sometimes unloveable men. 

Kevin was arguably the worst out of the bunch, so it was to Russell’s credit that so many fans of HBO’s Looking continued to root for him even after he treated Patrick (Jonathan Groff) so badly. Their chemistry was undeniable throughout, and that’s true when Kevin had a boyfriend in Season One and also when the pair started a relationship of their own in Season Two. Watching him return one last time for Looking: The Movie, it’s hard to say what makes us cry more: that final goodbye Kevin shares with Patrick, or saying goodbye to the series as a whole.

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Quantico (2015 – 2018)

Tovey joined ABC procedural Quantico in season two as Harry Doyle, a former MI6 agent who worked at The Farm as a CIA recruit. This charming and flirty addition probably wasn’t much of a stretch for the charming, flirty Russell, except it turned out that there was more to Harry than meets the eye as his story progressed throughout Seasons Two and Three. 

In an interview with TV Guide at the time, Russell spoke on the initial ambiguity around his character’s sexuality, pointing out that “he would use sex to get information.” You know, like government secrets or guessing the colour of your underwear. “As it goes on, Harry is definitely gay—his orientation is definitely more towards the men and the boys. I think he will use sex with women to get information but his definite persuasion—what he goes home and thinks about—is men.”

Just like Harry, we, too, think about men when I get home from work, which makes him perhaps the most relatable character Tovey has played to date.

The Pass (2016)

Straight sports might be the gayest thing of all—gayer than gay sex in fact! That’s essentially the premise of The Pass, where two young football players make a different kind of pass at each other in a hotel room one night. What happens next follows them through the next ten years of their lives as they navigate stardom and the lies that come with it.

Is it a coincidence that Russell’s hottest movie is also his best? Actually yes, because what stands out most, even more than the tension, is Tovey’s acting opposite co-star Arinze Kene. Together, their nuanced performances elevate what could have been a simpler two-hander into something more expansive than the story’s theatrical roots might suggest. Don’t pass up on watching this one if you’re yet to see it for yourself. 

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The Flash / Legends Of Tomorrow (2017)

If you didn’t go all in on The CW’s Arrowverse a few years back, the following sentence might require a touch of Googling to fully understand… But, essentially, Tovey popped up in DC’s “Crisis On Earth-X” crossover as a light-powered superhero named The Ray fighting fascists in an alternate reality where we lost WWII.

Russell in spandex is always cause for celebration, but what’s especially remarkable is that The Ray shares a cute kiss with Wentworth Miller’s superhero Citizen Cold, making this one of the first ever same-sex snogs between two gay superheroes on TV.

Reflecting on the scene’s impact with Digital Spy, Tovey said, “You’re seeing iconic comic book characters that so many people project onto, behaving in a way that you are maybe feeling. If your hero is having the same feelings that you feel for another man, then what an endorsement that is.”

The Good Liar (2019)

The Good Liar stars Sir Ian McKellen as a con artist who runs into some trouble when his plan to steal Helen Mirren’s money goes awry. There’s a truly wild twist at the end which is… well, it’s a lot, but from that twist also comes the revelation that Russell’s character isn’t straight, as we’ve been led to believe up until that point.

Ok, Stephen doesn’t exactly play a big role in the film, and it’s probably not particularly surprising to discover Tovey’s playing gay again, but still, it’s nice to see his character put his arm around another cutie at the end. In a just world, every film would end like that, regardless of what the story is about or whether Russell is even in the movie. Just let him turn up and give a guy a kiss before the credits roll! It doesn’t have to make sense.

Years & Years (2019)

Put together two of TV’s gayest, most successful Russells and what do you get? Only one of the greatest shows of the past decade. In Years & Years—which charts life in a fictional UK over the span of 15 years—Tovey plays Daniel Lyons, a housing officer who seemingly has the perfect life. But after he meets a handsome refugee named Viktor, Daniel eventually leaves his husband and family behind for a new love that ends in tragedy.

Six years after a show’s been on the air, we’d usually assume everyone has seen it and spoil away, but not enough people watched Russell T. Davies’ magnum opus when it was first released, and the twist in question is a real doozy. Just know that Tovey gives the most heartfelt performance he’s done in… years (badum-pshh!), or perhaps ever, in a show that’s only become more relevant in the years that followed.

American Horror Story: NYC (2022)

Even with both gay actors and characters, the gayest thing about the first ten seasons of American Horror Story was Jessica Lange. But then Season 11 made queerness integral to the story where gay men were being offed my a masked madman, all while a new virus ravaged the community in ’80s New York City. Among the many gays involved, Tovey played the lead role of Detective Patrick Read with a pornstache that could lead us anywhere, quite frankly.

While the majority of you might have tapped out when Lange did, real ones know that Season 11 was (almost) a return to form for AHS. A huge part of that was down to Russell who embodied his character—and that era—to perfection. It makes for a great double bill with Al Pacino’s Cruising, by the way, and by “double-bill,” we mean an extremely intense, exceedingly thirsty day of binging.  

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Juice (2023-)

Based on Mawaan Rizwan’s Edinburgh Fringe show, Juice is the rare queer comedy that doesn’t really care about acceptance. Or at least, not in the traditional sense. Jamal “Jamma” Jamshidi’s family already love him for who he is, and so does Guy, the older therapist boyfriend played by Russell. If anything, it’s Jamma who can’t accept happiness because he’s too busy avoiding his commitment issues to move forward. 

Tovey plays the straight man, as it were, to Jamma’s cartoonish lead, and he does it so well that you can’t help but wonder why he hasn’t taken on more comedies before. But with season two on its way, we at least have more Juice lined up if nothing else.

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (2024)

After American Horror Story: NYC, Tovey reunited with producer Ryan Murphy for a different kind of horror story. Namely, the true story behind Truman Capote’s feud with the Swans, former friends from high society who became determined to seek revenge on the legendary writer.

Russell plays John O’Shea, Capote’s abusive lover who kept his wife and three children around to prove that he’s not really gay at all. Ahem. While the series dragged around the midway point, Tovey’s performance did not, livening up every scene he was in with an unsettling tension that was worlds removed from his usual roles.  

Suspect: The Shooting Of Jean Charles de Menezes (2025)

In yet another horror story that’s all too real, Russell played Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick in Suspect, which takes place on the day police officers took the life of an innocent man in London. 

Paddick was Britain’s highest-ranking openly gay police officer in July 2005 when a series of bombings and attempted bombings triggered a manhunt that led to the unjust loss of Brazilian national Jean Charles de Menezes.

In an interview with The Mirror, Tovey spoke of his unique connection to Brian. “I came out very early in my career and was advised along the way not to consider it, but I went against that advice… I understand what it means to be gay in the public eye and what people can write about you.”

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