Downton Abbey star Rob Jam-Collier claims playg a gay character left him 'typest'

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?
DOWNTON ABBEY’S ROB JAM-COLLIER REVEALS REACTN TO ‘HORRIFIC’ GAY STORYLE
‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ ACTOR SAYS PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER HAS LEFT HIM “TYPEST”
DOWNTON ABBEY STAR ROB JAM-COLLIER CLAIMS PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER LEFT HIM 'TYPEST'
THE ‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ MOVIE GAY BAR SCENE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY HISTORILLY ACCURATE

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

The new Downton Abbey movie explor Tom's sexualy, but what was life really like for gay men 1920s Bra? Here's whether or not the movie portrayed accurately. * is thomas barrow gay in real life *

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? Hello to the future of the gay past.

In the film, dienc will see Barrow the ntext of a wir gay world for the first time: visg a secret gay bar, dodgg police harassment, and possibly even fdg love. "I thk one of the thgs that Downton Abbey don’t get right is that actually a great al more of those young men who were service were homosexual. Barrow is stantly regnizable as a morn gay man, even if he never que those words.

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

The gay butler fally fds a perd-appropriate arrangement the send film, rrectg a misstep om the first movie. * is thomas barrow gay in real life *

Gooch//Getty ImagOn the one hand, this feels like an elaboratn of that famo gay liberatn slogan “we are everywhere, ” expandg to be “we were everywhere” also. On the other hand, seems to remove sexualy om the doma of history entirely, suggtg that the experience of beg gay has always been the same, no matter the place or perd. While everyone else the show be, Barrow already qutn for queer Downton Abbey fans, then, is this: Is Thomas an accurate unveilg of historil homosexualy, hidn but fully formed, jt wag for to notice his existence?

Or is he a backward projectn of our current ia of what means to be gay, an anachronism disguised as a revelatn? Like Thomas Barrow, Alec Scudr seems preternaturally gay, fully aware of his sexual sir, that they are exclively for men, and that they mark him, irrevobly, as a different sort of person. In the post-Edwardian perd, upper class men were more likely to already unrstand the world terms of heterosexuals and homosexuals, wh a bright and absolute le dividg the two.

DOWNTON ABBEY’S ROB JAM-COLLIER REVEALS REACTN TO ‘HORRIFIC’ GAY STORYLE

Downton Abbey’s Robert Jam-Collier reveals reactn to ‘horrific’ gay storyle. * is thomas barrow gay in real life *

But whereas Scudr and Barrow seemed to thk of themselv as gay, el-Adl experienced his sire for men differently. Increasgly, sexologists, policians, and wrers began to promulgate the ia that the behavrs were signifiers of homosexualy, to be surveilled and curtailed.

Compton Mackenzie, pictured send om the left the ont row, wrote several works about gay men. BettmannA workg class man like Thomas Barrow, livg the untrysi, was unlikely to have accs to this kd of rmatn about gay inty. As s passed, the neat fictn of bary sexualy beme broadly acknowledged “tth, ” leavg ls and ls space for middle-dwellg, workg-class men like Buckgham and an earlier and earlier age, people would be tght— streets as much as schools—that homosexuals existed, that they were unlike other men, and that any apparent “middle ground” was actually a slippery slope head straight to hell.

Barrow might have been an implsible outlier at the begng of the show 1912, but by the 1950s, workg class men who intified as homosexual were throngg the streets of London. Robert Jam-Collier is known ternatnally for his role as Thomas Barrow, the v gay unrbutler who brought trigue to the halls of Downton the perd drama, Barrow hid his sexual orientatn for fear would hurt his reer. And the straight actor who portrays him, Jam-Collier, believ this character's inty may have had nsequenc the morn-day real world as, an terview wh Rad Tim, said his renown for playg a gay role hred his chanc Hollywood.

‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ ACTOR SAYS PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER HAS LEFT HIM “TYPEST”

As Downton Abbey's hot gay villa, Rob Jam-Collier fds love -- and remptn. * is thomas barrow gay in real life *

N intify que easily wh the qutsential English gent and English lady, whereas a nrotic, dark, gay character like Thomas is a hard thg to put to the Amerin market. "Bee Thomas Barrow is gay and is, sentially, the bad guy for much of the show, a lot of people wh the dtry n only see you as that. He received offers for gay rol the theater world, which he refed bee he "really wanted to show somethg different.

Downton Abbey star Rob Jam-Collier says he's rejected other gay rol bee he "really wanted to show somethg different" * is thomas barrow gay in real life *

" He is now set to appear the upg horror movie The Rual, one of his first major parts sce Jam-Collier did enunter hurdl Hollywood for playg a gay role, his experience would be an exceptn -- at least morn tim. There are straight actors who have turned down gay rol for var reasons, cludg a fear would lim future opportuni.

Will Smh said he limed the physily of his gay role Six Degre of Separatn, on a warng om Denzel Washgton, who said, "You n act all you want, but don't do any physil scen.... "But overall, Hollywood is full of straight actors who have won acclaim, awards, and a uful reer after playg gay rol. Over the seasons, the seri revealed that Thomas’ schem were motivated by his stggle as a closeted gay man livg early 20th century England.

His character, Barrow, stggled wh revealg his sexualy as a gay man on "Downton Abbey" and Barrow had an on-screen kiss wh another male character. Robert returns as Thomas (Picture: ITV)Former Corrie star Robert Jam-Collier has revealed his own reactn to landg an important gay storyle the upg Downton Abbey film. The actor, who plays valet-turned-butler Thomas Barrow for the big-screen outg, after starrg the ITV drama, said his plotle shows the treatment of beg a gay man the 1920s.

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

* is thomas barrow gay in real life *

Speakg of beg given the opportuny to lift the lid on what was like, Jam said was an emotnal sight to a horrific perd for gay people. He’s opened up on his important storyle (Picture: PA)He ntued: ‘It also hammers home what was like to be a gay man those tim, was horrific and ’s brought back and jt shows how different was. Expect flappers and the Charlton, and a Marcel wave or me e clean: I haven't seen a preview of season 3 -- my home that would be cheatg; 's what we still ll appotment TV -- but I have on great thory that this is the season which that villao gay footman-turned-valet, Thomas Barrow, experienc the tenr love that his poor, neglected heart so crav and needs.

Although there clearly were gay men Edwardian England, they've been snt supply on televisn. "Jam-Collier has joked that his character's sexualy beme so muted season 2 that he lled up Fellow and asked, "Am I still gay? "It's the seri where we really to grips wh Thomas's sexualy and the impact beg gay mt have had on him, Edwardian tim, " he says.

Thomas Barrow is a gay character om Downton Abbey. This sectn is need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by edg . This sectn is need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by edg . Thomas is known as the nnivg evil butler/footman of... * is thomas barrow gay in real life *

"If you're cludg a gay character, there's an on and rponsibily to at least show what the impact of the time will be on him, and of him on that time. "If you were gay those tim, the fact that you're even functng, how you're not pletely fucked up by that, is beyond me. "Although not gay real life, he says he has empathy for misfs and outsirs, perhaps bee of his own atypil route to actg.

Downton Abbey star Rob Jam-Collier has suggted that playg a gay character the show has hurt his reer. “I thk dienc the US n intify que easily wh the qutsential English gent and English lady, ” he said, “whereas a nrotic, dark, gay character like Thomas is a hard thg to put to the Amerin market.

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

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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?

DOWNTON ABBEY’S ROB JAM-COLLIER REVEALS REACTN TO ‘HORRIFIC’ GAY STORYLE

‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ ACTOR SAYS PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER HAS LEFT HIM “TYPEST”