By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Russell Tovey at the 2025 BAFTAs.
The actor is currently starring in the TV series Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
British actor Russell Tovey called out the recent ruling by The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that framed the legal definition of a woman as being based on sex.
Sign up for the Out Newsletter to keep up with what's new in LGBTQ+ culture and entertainment — delivered three times a week straight (well…) to your inbox!
While speaking with The I Paper about his new TV series Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes, the actor recalled his experiences coming out as gay at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When asked about the Supreme Court's ruling about the definition of a woman, the publication noted that Tovey got "visibly emotional."
The actor explained, "Derek Jarman said in the late 80s that if you wait long enough, the world moves in circles. There was blatant homophobia in the red-tops and the government. It was horrific. Then we had this great moment of openness."
"Now, the transphobia is horrific," Tovey added. "No feeling is finite. The world keeps spinning. You have to hope that it will turn around again."
While the 43-year-old actor wants to continue telling queer stories, most of his optimism comes from seeing LGBTQ+ youth — which he, and many others, refer to as the Heartstopper generation — feeling empowered and mindful.
"How lucky they are! How wonderful that is! Section 28 fucked me up," Tovey recalled. "Coming of age, realizing that I liked men at the same time as AIDS, I'd constantly mix sex and death. To have a generation that doesn't even consider death around sex blows my mind."
Nonetheless, Tovey remains committed to making queer art, and spotlighting art about historical queer figures, because he feels a "responsibility to pay homage to these heroes who have allowed me to be who I am today."
Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes is now streaming on Hulu.
Moises Mendez II is a culture journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. He covers internet culture and entertainment including television, movies, music, and more. For the last two years, he was a Culture Reporter at TIME Magazine. Before that, he was a freelance journalist and his work has appeared in The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Fast Company, and more. Moises holds a master's degree in Arts and Culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Moises Mendez II is a culture journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. He covers internet culture and entertainment including television, movies, music, and more. For the last two years, he was a Culture Reporter at TIME Magazine. Before that, he was a freelance journalist and his work has appeared in The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Fast Company, and more. Moises holds a master's degree in Arts and Culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
