Luke Evans says he was never in ‘sexy guys’ gang: ‘Growing up I didn’t like myself’
“I was constantly trying to change the way I looked,” admits the star, in a new interview with Attitude.
Luke Evans has reflected on the pressure to fit in on the gay scene as a young gay Londoner, admitting he was never in the “sexy guys” gang.
The Nine Perfect Strangers actor, 43, moved to the English capital from his native Wales at the age of 16, years before finding blockbuster fame in movies like Beauty and the Beast and Dracula, Untold.
But for years, while working in West End shows like Taboo, the out actor somewhat struggled to find his tribe, and even changed how he looked in an attempt to be accepted.
“Growing up, I didn’t like myself,” Luke told Attitude in a recent interview. “I was constantly trying to change the way I looked trying to be in the gang, in the gay group that I wasn’t accepted in. I never was, by the way. Never cool on the gay scene; was never the one that was in the group that I wanted to be part of, the really sexy guys. I was never that person – I was just myself.
“And I very quickly realised you have to accept who you are and be happy with who you are. And when you’re happy with who you are, things happen. Good things happen. You attract good people.”
“We as gay men put a lot of emphasis on having the perfect physique” – Luke Evans
Asked for his advice to gay men who struggle with the ageing process, the star added: “It’s a hard one, isn’t it? Because we, as gay men put a lot of emphasis on having a perfect physique, looking handsome, looking as perfect as we possibly can. You only have to go on Instagram to be completely bombarded by perfection. Or what we may think is perfection. But it’s not real life.”
“Real life is about growing old and appreciating the changes that we go through. I’m in the worst industry for that. Like the worst. I remember when I was younger, I looked older. Now I’m reaching the same age that I now look, which is fine. But I remember being younger, being in films and people would comment and say: ‘My God, he looks 40 years old!’ And it would really affect me. I’d get very upset by it.”
Luke added: “Then I realised, there’s nothing I can do about this. I don’t want to go through life hating who I am at that precise moment in time. Of course, there are things you can do to help yourself age well. You know, train, eat well, use a good exfoliator, moisturise. Go for the odd facial. Some meditation. Some good holidays without drinking copious amounts of alcohol. But, I think deeper than all of that stuff is just to find a place where you can be happy with who you are.”
Attitude will publish Luke’s full interview tomorrow.
Luke recently released his second album A Song For You. Moreover, he’ll soon appear in TV special Luke Evans Showtime!
The programme airs on 22 December on BBC One Wales and BBC Two.