Exclusive: Full Monty's Steve Huison on fan response to gay representation
The Full Monty spoilers follow.
The Full Monty star Steve Huison has revealed a touching fan response to the franchise's LGBTQ+ representation.
The actor, who returns as Lomper in the new FX and Disney+ sequel series, broke ground in the original 1997 movie when his character begins a same-sex relationship with Guy (Hugo Speer).
Speaking to Digital Spy, Huison was asked about a romantic scene in the new series with his husband involving pigeons and the importance of more mature LGBTQ+ representation, which spurred him on to recall a fan encounter.
Related: Why that Full Monty queer moment is more special than you realise
Opening up about a recent screening, he said: "There was a really interesting comment. A chap got up and said that he was really thankful for the film. This had never really crossed my mind: you don't know how that film is going to affect people.
"Anyway, he said that, for him, it was the first time he'd seen a gay relationship representation of northern working class men.
"It gave him the confidence in his own sexuality at the time. I thought: 'Just that, on its own, that's quite something.' It's the power of art, the power of film.
Related: The Full Monty TV series shares first-look at returning original cast
"But now, looking at that relationship, what you find now is it's not covert anymore. It's not holding hands secretly. It's normalisation, which, you know, has to be a good thing," Huison continued.
"This is just two people. It doesn't matter what gender. They're just two people who love each other, that have chosen to spend their lives together. It's normal. You can use that word [laughs]. It's a normal relationship. It doesn't matter if it's two men, two women, or what."
The Full Monty series is streaming now on Disney+, along with the original film which is also available to watch on the streaming service. In the US it's available on Hulu.
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