Action: Last News

Luke Evans speaks with GAY TIMES about his Jehovah’s Witness upbringing, memoir and paving the way for LGBTQIA+ representation in Hollywood.

WORDS BY SAM DAMSHENAS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATSY O’NEILL

“My story is, I hope, one of hope and inspiration—reminding others to keep going and believe that something better is possible,” says Luke Evans. The Welsh actor has just released his memoir, Boy from the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey, an intimate account of how he reconciled his sexuality with his Jehovah’s Witness upbringing, eventually leaving the faith, and ultimately becoming the world’s first openly gay action star. Evans shares with GAY TIMES that he “wasn’t expecting” such an “unbelievable” reaction to his memoir from readers who have experienced similar trauma. “My DMs have been flooded with beautiful, painful, heartwarming, and inspiring messages from people all over the world—many of whom have gone through something similar, haven’t come out, or live in countries where they can’t be their true selves,” he says. “I’ve kind of given them a voice.”

Evans’s journey from self-discovery to Hollywood trailblazer has also defied expectations within the industry. Since his breakout role as Zeus in Immortals (2011), Evans has shattered boundaries for an openly gay actor in a “straight-dominated industry,” taking on a series of iconic, macho roles—from Owen Shaw in the Fast & Furious franchise (2013-2017) and Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit trilogy (2012-2014) to Disney’s egomaniacal (hunk) Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (2017). “It was clear to everyone that I, a gay man, was playing these big action characters, straight masculine characters,” he explains, “and everyone just seemed to get on with it and not care, which felt great.”

Following the release of Boy from the Valleys, Evans expands on the themes of identity and representation that run throughout his memoir. He reflects on how a groundbreaking queer production helped pave the way for his hetero-hero status, and shares

Luke Evans