'Downton Abbey' Actor Says Gay Role Hurt His Career — But Is He Right?

Contents:

• THE ‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ MOVIE GAY BAR SCENE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY HISTORILLY ACCURATE
• THE ‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ MOVIE’S GAY STORYLE ALMOST HAD A DARKER ENDG
• 'DOWNTON ABBEY' GAY KISS EDED OUT GREECE
• DOWNTON ABBEY GAY SCENE CENSORED?!
• DOWNTON ABBEY'S THOMAS BARROW AND THE FUTURE OF THE GAY PAST
• DOWNTON ABBEY ACTOR SAYS GAY ROLE HURT HIS CAREER — BUT IS HE RIGHT?

THE ‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ MOVIE GAY BAR SCENE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY HISTORILLY ACCURATE

In the new film, Thomas Barrow (Robert Jam-Collier) gets to vis a gay bar lled Turton's. But once they're si, Thomas se that 's a secret bar filled wh gay men drkg, dancg, and generally havg a good time.

A Vice article about the history of UK gay bars not that 18th century spac for gay men to meet that were known as "molly ho" are well-documented, but that siar meetg spac existed long before that. Historian Peter Ackroyd told the Guardian 2017, "As a percentage of the populatn, there were as many gay bars 18th-century London as there are today. " In 1912, a bar lled The Cave of the Goln Calf, Bra's "first 'gay bar', as we know today", opened London, but was around for only two years.

THE ‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ MOVIE’S GAY STORYLE ALMOST HAD A DARKER ENDG

It wasn't until the Sexual Offens Act of 1967 that homosexual relatnships were crimalized, but that did not mean that there was full equaly Bra. As a gay man, Thomas stggl to fd anythg that even rembl a relatnship. "He was at last given a moment of romance, which after six years he's kd of earned, even then, didn't mean beg gay 1927 was easy, " he said.

Thomas Barrow, Downton Abbey‘s valet-turned-butler, whose dark journey durg the seri saw him take some wrenchg steps to try and “cure” himself of homosexualy, received a much more hopeful treatment the new feature film of the same name. The film, which troduc Barrow to a world he has never seen before, a clanste unrground social scene where gay men n openly nnect, where he's led by Richard Ellis (Max Brown), part of the royal entourage that has e to vis Downton. Engler also spoke about the gay storyle wh Indiewire, about some of the choic that were ma when pictg the 1920s gay scene, particular the gay ‘speakeasy' that gets raid.

Said Engler: “In pictg that world, that gatherg that he go to, we had to fd a way to tell that didn't feel anachronistic even though there's almost no rearch that one uld actually do about a place like that bee there was no gay bars York 1927. There's people of lor gay bars, and there's guys who go to the gym and are mcle-y gay bars. Greek state televisn me unr fire om the untry's ma opposn party and crics for edg out a gay kiss on Monday's primetime premiere of popular Brish perd drama "Downton Abbey.

'DOWNTON ABBEY' GAY KISS EDED OUT GREECE

"This is of urse an obv se of censorship, an extreme act of homophobia and discrimatn which unfortunately, after what has been happeng recently, we nnot characterize as unprecented. "One SYRIZA lawmaker, Dimris Papadimoulis, qutned whether the omissn was due to prsure om the far-right Goln (GD) Dawn party or relig thori wh a tweet askg: "NET 'cut' a gay kiss on the premiere of a top TV seri.

DOWNTON ABBEY GAY SCENE CENSORED?!

"Greece has seen an upsurge right-wg extremism sce a natnal electn June hered the ultra-natnalist Goln Dawn party to parliament for the first time s latt ntroversy days after dozens of monstrators, cludg Goln Dawn lawmakers, clashed wh police outsi an Athens theatre and forced the postponement of an Amerin play that picts J and his apostl as gay. The word homophobia may e om Greece, but we didn’t realize the practice was alive and well there! NET, the Greek state-n televisn channel cut out the gay kiss on the premiere of Downton Abbey!

DOWNTON ABBEY'S THOMAS BARROW AND THE FUTURE OF THE GAY PAST

This is of urse an obv se of censorship, an extreme act of homophobia and discrimatn which unfortunately, after what has been happeng recently, we nnot characterise as unprecented. Also, didn’t you guys INVENT gay kissg? "Thomas is a broken man, " explas the actor behd him“He’s not evil, he’s misunrstood, ” he told the dience at the Apple store London, and gave an impassned fence of his character, both bee Thomas was gay durg a closeted Edwardian age, and bee of his behavur durg the First World War as picted Seri 2.

Watch the characters actn below…Downton Abbey Seri 3 Fal Episo 8RelatedDownton AbbeyDownton Abbey gay kissRob Jam-Collierallen leech tv. Gay butler Thomas Barrow fally gets his happy endg Downton Abbey: A New Era.

DOWNTON ABBEY ACTOR SAYS GAY ROLE HURT HIS CAREER — BUT IS HE RIGHT?

This time, however, we’re treated to somethg new: a gay happy endg. But on a trip to York, Barrow is ved to an unrground gay bar, where he is arrted after the club raid by police. At a time when gay sex was punishable by life imprisonment, and gross cency by at least two years behd bars, Barrow was a prer suatn.

Thomas Barrow (Rob Jam-Collier)—former footman, would-be blackmailer, and early morn homosexual everyman—is now head butler on staff, givg him ample opportuny to teract wh the visg stars, and particular, wh the bonair Guy Dexter (Domic Wt). Is Thomas an accurate unveilg of historil homosexualy, hidn but fully formed, jt wag for to notice his existence?