Russell Tovey and Tom Blyth are hitting the press circuit for Plainclothes, their new gay drama about an undercover cop who falls for one of his sting targets in the ’90s. The film is deeply intimate, with Tovey and Blyth playing star-crossed lovers forced to keep their relationship hidden for safety. While appearing on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Tovey was asked by a member of the audience which on-screen kiss is his favorite. Blyth stood by giggling as Tovey went to answer, but unfortunately, he was told he could not pick his most-recent costar.
However, he did admit the Hunger Games actor is a “beautiful” kisser with “very soft lips.”
“Yeah, he’s very… he looks after me.”
Since he could not pick Blyth, Tovey piveted towards another iconic gay drama he starred in, Looking. “I quite enjoyed kissing Jonathan Groff in Looking. We did a lot of kissing in Looking, and we had a very nice time on that.”
Looking was an HBO dramedy (2014–2016) that followed three gay friends—Patrick (Groff), Dom (Murray Bartlett), and Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez)—navigating love, friendship, and careers in San Francisco. Shot with an intimate, slice-of-life style, it earned comparisons to Girls and Sex and the City while focusing on the modern queer experience. At its emotional core was Patrick’s messy, electric romance with his boss Kevin (Tovey), a relationship that began with secret hookups and evolved into a passionate but complicated love story.
“I’ve been very lucky,” Tovey concluded. “I’ve kissed a lot of very attractive people, all genders.”
Plainclothes Will Break Your Heart, But it Will Put it Back Together
Gayety also caught up with the actors to chat about their new film and bringing this chemistry to the screen. “It feels as close to lover’s first sight as I’ve seen in any film or in real life,” Blyth said. “With other people, Lucas has been able to deny attraction, even if he’s felt some attraction or some curiosity, he’s been able to deny it and push it down for his own survival. But when he meets Andrew, he feels seen in a way that he can’t deny. And I think it’s all in that look, that first look they share.”
Tovey added, “You recognize in Andrew kindness and there’s not a desperation about him, and there’s something very adult and confident. And suddenly you’ve got this gay man who could guide you into this next chapter of your life.”
Watch our interview with the cast here.
