9 hours ago
Russell Tovey Talks New Gay Role and the Homophobic Career Advice He Got as a Young Actor
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Out British actor Russell Tovey gave his thoughts about the gay police officer he plays in a new Disney+ four-part miniseries "Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes," as well as the advice he got early in his career to stay closeted.
Tovey portrays Brian Paddick, who was "Britain's highest-ranking openly gay police officer" when a series of bombings and attempted bombings took place in July of 2005, triggering a manhunt and leading to the tragic shooting death of an innocent man, Brazilian national Jean Charles De Menezes, by police, UK newspaper the Mirror detailed.
"He's someone I've looked up to," Tovey said of Paddick, who went on to become a politician. "I was happy he was someone within the community with good morals."
Explaining his resonance with Paddick further, the 43-year-old "Looking" actor added: "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 feel a real connection to Brian," the actor went on to say. " I understand what it means to be gay in the public eye and what people can write about you."
"Suspect" is a "tense and frequently shocking ensemble piece" that "details the before, during and after of the shooting, laying out the events that led to the misidentification of De Menezes," reported UK newspaper the Guardian.
Mistaking De Menezes for a suspect, police followed him into a subway car and shot him seven times in the head. "In the aftermath of the shooting, misleading information was everywhere," the Mirror recalled, "including claims that [De Menezes] had jumped a ticket barrier, that he was wearing a bulky coat or that he even ran from the police. None of it was true."
The series shows Paddick's disgust at the way the victim was being blamed. "It's like we're saying: 'Sorry we killed you, but it is your own fault,'" the Guardian quoted his character saying of De Menezes.
"I was shocked that 2025 will mark 20 years since the event – it's gone incredibly quickly," the Mirror quoted Tovey saying. "It doesn't feel like it was that long ago, but I knew there had been a lot of misinformation at the time."
Watch the preview for the miniseries below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
