Feeling like watching some culture - give The Gilded Age a go...
We love us some period pieces, the odd bodice ripping steam-fest with sexy chaps involved in all sorts of romantic mysteries. From Pride & Prejudice to Poldark, the dashing rugged gentlemen have been getting us hot under the collar for years but gay sense or relationships were few and far between…until now.
The brand-new trailer for Downton Abbey – The New Era has dropped and there’s a hint of romance in the air for gay butler Thomas Barrow. His is something of a pseudo tragic story having sort of come-out-but-not-really in the first Downton movie back in 2019. Apparently, his storyline was going to be even more tragic according to the actor who plays him, Brit Rob James-Collier.
Hot butler action
Collier said in an interview: “Initially there was an extra scene that’s been removed where maybe the ending wasn’t as nice, and it was sort of like, tragical Thomas again. They made the decision, even though it was a great scene, to remove that and it was the wise decision. Because it’s a movie, it’s not as dramatic as the series because you can’t have two hours of drama and emotion. It’s Downton as we’ve never seen it before and you have to keep it focused and keep it happier to a certain extent.”
Thomas Barrow gets a cheeky snog in the first Downton movie
The sequel to 2019’s Downton Abbey movie is out on April 29 (UK) and May 6 (USA) this year and stars all the usual suspects including (OF COURSE) Maggie Smith on top form who has a mysterious storyline about a past romance. This time around there’s also a movie within the movie and is guest starring Dominic West who’s channelling some Rock Hudson vibes with a potential ‘rugged actor falls for butler’ arc coming our way.
Meanwhile on the other Julian Fellowes’ creation, The Gilded Age, they seemed to have cracked straight on with a gay storyline AND out a full-on bedroom scene in the latest ep. HBO’s The Gilded Age is basically Downton but set in NYC in the 1880s. It’s sumptuous and stars the awesome Carrie Coon and musical gay icon Christine Baranski who is definitely in the haughty snobbish Maggie Smith role. If you want a bitchy aside and some killer hats then Baranski is your lady. The costumes are amazing and the New York turn of the century setting is spot on as the city begins to grow.
Camp-tastic claws out
Even though we have pure campiness of Baranski, it’s a total gay treat to see her lovely yet put upon sister being played by none other than Sex and The City’s Cynthia Nixon. It’s easy to forget that she’s actually an excellent actress and she brings real heart to the part with more than a bit of sadness.
Jonathan Bailey showcases his hot bod in Netflix's Bridgerton
As for actual gay characters, from one of the main chaps (we won’t say who in case of spoilers) has a suspiciously hot man on the side whilst he knows he will need to get married to a woman at some point. There are bedroom scenes that put Downton’s gay storylines to shame and we were rather surprised to see such a gym honed hot buff bod at a time when modern day gyms were surely only in their infancy.
Last week the trailer for the new Bridgerton season 2 dropped and we were gagged to hot actor Jonathan Bailey now taking the lead as eldest son Anthony. This series focusses on his search for a suitable wife in the massive Netflix hit show.
Acting gay
Bailey has spoken in the past about coming out in real life and what it means to an actor these days, saying: “That actually there needs to be this sense that studios are hiring gay actors to play either gay actors or straight. There’s also this heteronormative, heterosexual understanding of sexuality. They want you to be gay, but not too gay.”
Show us your Cock! Taron Egerton to play gay in new gay play.
He might be playing straight on Bridgerton but he’ll soon be taking to the West End stage to star in the play Cock. Which also stars Rocketman’s Taron Egerton who I think we can all agree is a rather fit gentleman and we’d defo go to the theatre for a chance to see them snog.
West End Wendys
The play follows John (Bailey), who, despite identifying as gay and being in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend (Egerton), finds himself questioning his sexuality and self-imposed labels upon meeting who could be the woman of his dreams.
In a recent interview, Bailey said about the play: “It’s the story of a young gay couple who have been together for a number of years,” he said, “they end up taking a break – it’s very Ross and Rachel. One of them sleeps with somebody else and it transpires that that person is a woman. And what happens is they all try to get together and have a chat about it. It’s very, very funny and actually very moving”.