Russell Tovey Says He Was 'Frustrated' By Response To Gay Drama 'Looking'
Mon. May 8, 2023 7:07 AM by OnTopMag.com
In a recent interview, out actor Russell Tovey said that response to HBO's Looking "broke" him.
The 41-year-old actor played Kevin Matheson in the HBO drama about three gay friends living in San Francisco. The series ended in 2016 with a feature film after two seasons.
In the show, Patrick (played by Jonathan Groff) comes to the city in search of love and becomes involved with two men, barber Richie (Raul Castillo) and Kevin (Tovey).
Speaking with The Independent, Tovey said that he was disappointed by the response to the show.
"The critical narrative at the beginning was that nothing much happened in it," he said. "That it was too boring. But it was just real life!"
The actor remembered being recognized by locals while filming the show's second season in San Francisco.
"They'd say, 'You're in Looking! ...but I've not watched it, I've heard it's boring.' They hadn't even seen it! And it's about you, in your city, filming outside your coffee shop, and you're not even intrigued to watch it?"
"It really, really frustrated me," Tovey said. "It broke me, honestly. If that show came out now, it'd have a completely different response."
Tovey has also played gay characters in Years and Years, Pride, The Pass, and American Horror Story: NYC.
The 41-year-old actor played Kevin Matheson in the HBO drama about three gay friends living in San Francisco. The series ended in 2016 with a feature film after two seasons.
In the show, Patrick (played by Jonathan Groff) comes to the city in search of love and becomes involved with two men, barber Richie (Raul Castillo) and Kevin (Tovey).
Speaking with The Independent, Tovey said that he was disappointed by the response to the show.
"The critical narrative at the beginning was that nothing much happened in it," he said. "That it was too boring. But it was just real life!"
The actor remembered being recognized by locals while filming the show's second season in San Francisco.
"They'd say, 'You're in Looking! ...but I've not watched it, I've heard it's boring.' They hadn't even seen it! And it's about you, in your city, filming outside your coffee shop, and you're not even intrigued to watch it?"
"It really, really frustrated me," Tovey said. "It broke me, honestly. If that show came out now, it'd have a completely different response."
Tovey has also played gay characters in Years and Years, Pride, The Pass, and American Horror Story: NYC.
This article appeared at On Top Magazine and has been published here with permission.