COVER STAR: JOHN BARROWMAN
JOHN OF ALL TRADES
IS THERE A MORE MULTI-TALENTED ACTOR THAN JOHN BARROWMAN? THE OUT GAY STAR HAS PLAYED A DRAG QUEEN IN LONDON’S WEST END (LA CAGE AUX FOLLES) , A KILLER ON DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES IN AMERICA, AND THRILLS HIS FANS AS CARDIFF-BASED ALIEN HUNTER JACK TORCHWOOD. ADDED TO THIS IS HIS RECENT HOSTING OF PRIME-TIME SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT AND HIS NEWLY-RELEASED COMPILATION ALBUM OF HIS FAVOURITE SONGS. MICHAEL TURNBULL CATCHES UP WITH THE ECLECTIC ENTERTAINER TO DISCUSS THOSE TORCHWOOD SEX SCENES, GLEE RUMOURS AND BREE VAN DE KAMP’S FACE…
John, looking at your CV, it’s so diverse. Did you really used to read kids’ stories on CBeebies? I did. Years ago; it was for the re-launch of Jackanory. You can still watch them now on YouTube. I really enjoyed doing them. I played the characters and got to do all the voices. Wow! What is your proudest moment to date? To be honest, I get asked that a lot and I never answer it. It’s the same as ‘What sort of thing do you enjoy doing most?’ and I just don’t answer that either. If I did, people would just pigeon-hole me as that kind of a person. I have to tell you honestly, there have been so many proud moments in my career. Some have been totally overwhelming: in particular Tonight’s the Night. That show continues to affect me, emotionally. What I’m really proud of is that, because my company co-produces it with the BBC, our concept has been sold worldwide and we are now making dreams come true worldwide... that really throws me. There’s been a lot of talk about the gay scenes in Torchwood recently... Well, there was one episode that was edited and I agreed with them on that one. It was very sexual and although it wasn’t my decision, I went along with the producers. Talking about what’s happening now though, well, there was a scene where Jack was in bed with his love interest. There were a lot of complaints about it. I know people have a right to complain, but I don’t think they were complaining about the sex scenes. I think they were complaining about two men kissing, which is outrageous. On that show I was murdered, stabbed by about 25 different people, left hanging from a meat hook with blooding dripping into a basin,
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I was shot in the head twice… but no one complained about that! They say they were complaining about ‘gay sex’. But really what is ‘gay sex’ in comparison to ‘real sex’? I mean when gay men go to bed we actually do the same thing that everybody else does.
“What
is ‘gay sex’ in comparison to ‘real sex’? I mean, when gay men go to bed we actually do the same thing that everybody else does.”
You’re in the mainstream and grannies love you, but you’re still able to talk about sex and make the odd lewd comment. How do you get away with it? Well, I do have to correct you on one word because I don’t think I’m ‘lewd’. But I don’t really know how to explain it. The only thing I can say is that I know my audience; I know when I am able to push it and I know when not to go over the line. That may sound a little bit weird but I am also very honest with who I am. I never look at myself as being bad, dirty or wrong. Perhaps it’s because people know that I will not allow anyone to say that who I am or what I do in my bedroom is dirty. To be honest with you, the kids don’t care. The young people don’t care. Grandparents
don’t care because they are like ‘Who gives a fuck?’ They have lived long enough; they are like ‘Let people do what they want to do’. My whole thing with Torchwood is that people have the right to complain, but what I say is: figure out what you are complaining about, because we weren’t having blatantly graphic sex. We kissed, we touched each other and we hugged in bed on top of each other. But I guarantee you if it were two women in bed together and a bunch of straight men watching, they would have texted each other telling their friends to watch it. You’re viewed by many as one of the more positive gay role models on TV. I heard an interesting theory recently that suggested many gay men would rather idolise a straight woman than a gay man because they carry around a lot of self-loathing… Well, I only know from myself and the people I hang around with... but I don’t look up to female characters and see myself in them. But I understand that there are gay men out there that do. I am really happy if you say I am a role model to other gay men because I am trying to show that there are many different types of gay men out there. We have everything from butch, fey, queens, gym boys... everything. And I think it’s wonderful to let them see the diversity. But what makes me really proud is when I receive letters from teenagers who say how glad they are to see somebody on TV open and proud of who they are. Jesus, I sound like Oprah, and I don’t want to, but if what I am doing is helping a young man or woman out there feel comfortable with who they are and to not commit suicide, then that is a good job done.
I think it’s refreshing because you’re one of the few gay entertainers that haven’t been pigeon-holed...
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