Russell Tovey talks The Pass
It must be very lonely and scary not being able to be the person you want to be
Russell Tovey joined Lorraine to talk about his new film The Pass.
The Pass follows the story of a closeted Premier League Footballer and presents three very different nights over a ten year period. On the night before his first big international game, Jason (Tovey) shares an unexpected kiss with team-mate Ade (Kene) amid pre-match tensions, and the emotional repercussions have an impact on the lives of both men across the next decade.
The film imagines the pain, passion and complexity of the lives of elite footballers who are always inches away from fame or failure, and wondering whether honesty is worth the price.
Speaking about sports stars and their sexuality, Russell said, 'It's the last taboo in British sport... that's going to be such a momentous and historical moment [when a high profile star comes out]. But when will that happen, who knows?'
Russell has enjoyed success both here and across the pond and has proved to be able to turn his hand to anything from comedy to serious drama. As an openly gay actor, Russell said this role appealed to him: 'I couldn't imagine not being myself. I couldn't imagine having to lie now and pretend to be someone else for the career I've got. I'm very lucky that I'm able to do that.'
This is not a niche film. There have been a lot of breakout films this year - The Danish Girl, Carol - these are getting it out into the mainsteam. I think this film will attract people who are interested in football and it's not just a 'gay film'
We also had some fun with Russell and gave him his very own Tovey Jug, courtesy of his old friend Sarah Hadland!
The Pass premiers tonight at the BFI Flare film festival on London's Southbank.