OUR LATEST ISSUE
Pride Life speaks to John Barrowman
John Barrowman in La cage aux Folles
John Barrowman is currently wowing the West End in La Cage aux Folles
"I'm a guy - I like cars, I like watching sports - so I'm breaking the stereotype"
John Barrowman has shown the world not all celebrity gay men have to be camp, bitchy comedians – despite his humorous everyday character. Scottish-born but raised in the US, the handsome and toothy 40-year-old (sorry boys – and ladies, as we'll discover – he's taken, married in a December 2006 civil ceremony to British architect Scott Gill) spent much of his career in musicals and in less than classic movies such as Shark Attack 3: Megalodon.
After losing out on the title role in Will & Grace (apparently the straight Eric McCormack was more convincingly gay), he returned to the UK to be swept up by Hurricane Russell T Davies and the Doctor Who revival. With the release of an autobiography, Anything Goes, co-written by his sister, and an album, Another Side (tracks include a mariachi version of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic).
He has been known to jump around the Ivy restaurant screaming.
I found out that they would launch Torchwood when I was invited to a meeting at The Ivy in London. I'd already been told Captain Jack wouldn't be in the second Doctor Who series but back in the third, and I was bracing myself for even more bad news. They said, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is the filming schedule is changed, and I thought, f**k, here it comes... The good news is we want you to do your own show as Captain Jack. I just sat there gob-smacked until it sank in, then I started jumped around the restaurant screaming my head off. The staff know me there, so they didn't bat an eyelid.
The Doctor and Captain Jack talk in Scottish accents in private
Last time I was in Doctor Who, it was weird, as I was the only one left from the original. Also there was a different dynamic so I had to adjust. David [Tennant] is much more fun than Chris [Eccleston]. Chris just was not as happy as David. But me and David know each other well, we socialise together and we live in the same building in Cardiff. I speak with a Scottish accent with him [Tennant is from Bathgate]. The American accent is actually put on, but the only times I talk with a Scottish accent is with my family or David.
There is no clause in the BBC charter that says John Barrowman has to be on any show that's remotely camp – Dancing On Ice, Any Dream Will Do?
That's Graeme Norton's job. Graeme's very good at what he does, he's very slick. We got on well and have a great laugh. People like Graham, Julian Clary, Elton, Paul O’Grady, we all have a place. I don’t want it to sound like I’m beating my own drum, but I’m a guy – I like cars, I like watching sports – so I’m breaking the stereotype and a lot of guys in that other category are now going, ‘There’s someone that’s like me’. I can be camp and silly and outrageous but so can a straight guy. What annoys me is that if a gay guy gets angry, it's always a queeny strop. I'm like, "I’m not having a strop, I’m angry."
Graham Norton is not jealous that John Barrowman has supplanted him as the nation's favourite gay entertainer.
I don't think I have. We could reign together, I'll be the King of Gays and he can be the Queen. The difference is that Graham gets a lot of attention from gay men, whereas for me it's women. I get sent filthy letters and pictures from middle-aged women. In a few years I'm going to come out of the closet and announce I'm straight, because if I was into pussy, I'd be getting so much right now. My straight buddies all say, Hey John, can you lure her over and hook her up with me. And I'm like, Do it yourself, I'm not doing it for you.
His female co-stars are hot
Someone from a straight lads' mag said guys weren't sure if they fancied Eve Myles or not, because she has a gap in her teeth. If straight guys are concentrating on her teeth, I would be really worried. Anyway, lots of Brits have whacky teeth – including me, I'm Scottish. She's hot! She's got a great smile, a great set of tits and a nice ass. People have asked if I'm really gay, because I go on about hot girls and I say, "Well, nothing beats a good titty-wank". Seriously, I do appreciate tits'n'ass but I’m a thoroughbred. Never done it with a woman and have never had a desire to. I’ve been asked to do MMF (Male Male Female) but I just haven’t had the desire. If she’s hot and he’s really hot like a rugby player, I might. Send pictures to my website.
His parents are helping the cause
When Scott and I were having our civil partnership in a hotel in Wales, we were briefed by the hotel that some people had said that they were going to picket. My mother said, "Just let them try. Have they ever seen a woman beat someone with a Chanel purse?" For people like my parents to be the ones to speak out about it to that generation where most of that learned behaviour comes from, for them to be so outspoken, helps other people learn. They’ve counselled people in the States because other mothers and fathers have come to them and said, "We’ve just found out that our son’s gay. What do we do?" And my mum goes, "He's not dead. You don’t have to do anything. Just let him live his life."
If Americans have a problem with gays, f**k 'em.
Torchwood is the biggest success on BBC America: we’ve gained ratings continually, which is unusual. It might have something to do with the fact that I went over there and slogged my arse off publicising it when the rest of the team were bevvying. I don't care if they have a problem with gay characters. It’s their problem, not mine, not ours. I was proud to grow up in the States – I’m a British subject obviously - but I’m embarrassed how America has become one of the most backward countries for civil rights. It’s ludicrous. I know it’s the noisy people in the south and that most people don’t care. In every video store in America there’s a porn section and there’s bi stuff and gay stuff and everyone’s renting it, it’s just that people are so bottled up and afraid.
Torchwood isn't as filthy as people think.
Sexuality is not something that’s defining for us, it's secondary. Dr Who’s a kids show, it’s on at 6 o’clock, Torchwood’s on after 9 o’clock which is adult, I don’t think two men kissing is raunchy and I don’t think two women kissing, or a man and a woman kissing is raunchy. Ironically, I had to go naked in Dr Who before I went nude in Torchwood. Do you remember the robot Trinny and Susannah scene? They had to cut part of it out because it showed my ass!
Gay club cloakrooms are full of replicas of Captain Jack's military overcoat
The Torchwood coat stays in the wardrobe - that would be too weird in the bedroom. But I love it. It looks great – especially when I'm running; it doesn't get in the way, it just flies behind me. There's a huge market for it among gay guys – World War II great coats are selling for hundreds of pounds online. I'm not looking for a wardrobe change. And I certainly won't be putting on the Technicolour Dream Coat again – I wore that when I was 17; I'm too old to put it on again.
You are a gay icon
I’ve never looked at anybody really as a gay icon, and that’s an honest answer. Because I don’t look at people as their sexuality: if I had to say someone that I look up to and admire for what they have done for the gay community, I’d have to say Ian McKellan. I’ve said that in my book and Ian knows that, so much so that when I received the Entertainer of The Year award for Stonewall, I asked him to accept it on my behalf because I wasn’t able to.
Most powerful TV you can remember
