Aidan Gillen on how he created Queer As Folk rimming scene with Charlie Hunnam 25 years later: ‘We were careful’

Aidan Gillen has revisited his famous rimming scene with Charlie Hunnam in Queer As Folk, which aired 25 years ago.

The pair’s sexually-charged storyline in the Channel 4 show, created by Doctor Who‘s Russel T Davies, generated mass headlines at the time.

Discussing the show’s legacy in a new interview with GQ, Aidan, Russell and other members of Team Queer As Folk, such as Craig Kelly, all touched on their memories of the scene.

“We were careful about it” – Queer As Folk‘s Aidan Gillan

Said Aidan: “I mean, it was just a scene, you know. [Laughs.] We were careful about it. Nowadays they’d have intimacy coordinators, and all this kind of stuff… The important thing is to make a plan, to talk it through with everyone, to make sure what everyone’s comfortable [with].”

“You know, we were all adults,” remembered Russell. “There’d been a rehearsal, and we’d all talked it through. This was before the days of intimacy advisors; it wasn’t even an option, it wasn’t even discussed. I think now, there would absolutely be that person on set. But Charles [McDougall], the director, took it very very seriously. They shot on a closed set, which is why I chose not to go.

“[It was] all handled soberly and sensibly and, with Aidan and Charlie, [they were] two very brave and up-for-it actors, actually. If anything, it’s been studied more in analysis afterwards than it ever was at the time.”

Added Craig: “I think we all had a lot of balls to do that show, but those two in particular, hats off to them. I mean, some would say that I had the balls to do it, and kiss men, and to play that character, but I don’t think it was on the same level, really.”

Queer as Folk launched in 1999 and returned for a second series in 2000. To US versions of the show were made: one in 2000, and one in 2022.