Luke Evans says he knows ‘several actors’ in Hollywood who chose not to come out
A Gaston spinoff is in the works but not with Luke Evans according to reports. (Getty) (FilmMagic)
Luke Evans has said he knows “several actors” in Hollywood who have chosen not to be out, admitting it “saddens” him that more people still feel unable to live openly.
In a recent Telegraph interview, the 47-year-old Welsh actor reflected on the pressures that can surround coming out, even for performers working at the highest level.
“It wasn’t easy being the only one who was out for quite a long time, doing the level of movies I was doing,” Evans said. “And I know of several actors in Hollywood [who chose not to be out].”
Evans added that he could not tell anyone else’s story, but argued the industry still makes it difficult for some people to be open. “Of course I can’t speak for any of them, and yes it saddens me that there shouldn’t be a whole smorgasbord of brilliant gay Hollywood actors, but it’s a very insular industry,” he said.
Why Luke Evans says some actors stay private
Evans also pushed back against judging someone else’s decision to keep their sexuality private.
“But you never know what a person has gone through. You don’t know what their family feels or how hard they’ve fought to get a career in the first place,” he said.
He suggested there is little guidance for performers weighing up what might happen after coming out. “No one comes up to you and says, ‘Oh, by the way, this is how you deal with [coming out]’ or whatever it might be. You’re on your own.”
Evans previously spoke about growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, and his decision to leave his home and the religion at 16 to pursue acting as a career.
“There were a lot of bullies in my school, and I was an easy target,” he said.
“I needed to find my identity, and I needed to be independent of my family, find my voice and be a happy, gay teenager.”
Bond rumours and more
In Evans’ latest interview, he also addressed if a gay actor could ever be cast as James Bond, saying he was “on the list for Bond for a good decade”. He said he took that as a sign it would not be an issue for a gay actor to be cast, but added he is “too old” for the part now.
Evans is known for roles including Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit film trilogy, Gaston in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017), Clash of the Titans (2010), the Fast & Furious franchise, and Dracula in Dracula Untold (2014).
This year, Evans finished out his run as Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which marked his Broadway debut. Evans also recently shared an emotional letter he wrote to Tim Curry near the end of his Broadway run as Dr Frank-N-Furter, weeks before Curry died aged 80.
His latest comments also follow earlier comments of his rejecting the idea that he ever hid who he was for work. In 2020, he denied speculation that he went back into the closet to boost his film career, calling the claims “not true” in an interview with Attitude magazine.
