Obsession star Richard Armitage on coming out, his sexuality and male partner
“I was always waiting for that question to punch me in the face, and it never did"
Richard Armitage has casually come out publicly and spoken about his male partner in recent interviews.
The 51-year-old Obsession actor has spoken publicly about his sexuality for the first time. He’s also now got Pride and trans Pride flag emojis in his Twitter bio.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Richard shared that he came out “to anybody who mattered” when he was 19.
“I was always waiting for that question to punch me in the face, and it never did,” he added. “I thought, ‘Are people being polite, or is it that they don’t want to know?’”
Richard shared that he didn’t speak about his sexuality as he didn’t want to put his personal life in front of the work.
“I just thought, ‘Let the work speak for itself’,” he noted.
Richard is currently starring in Netflix’s Obsession, an erotic thriller that sees his character embark on an affair with his son’s fiancée.
The actor also added that when it comes to his sexuality, he’s reluctant to put himself in a box.
“I love the idea that whatever gender, sexuality, the fluidity of who you love, how you identify, is not fixed”
“I love the conversation with the younger generation; I love the idea that whatever gender, sexuality, the fluidity of who you love, how you identify, is not fixed.”
“That was always a thing: if I declare who I am and my sexuality, then I’m saying it’s fixed. I don’t know that, or if I might feel something for somebody further down the line,” he also said. “I doubt it, but I don’t know.”
In another interiview, speaking to the Evening Standard, he confirmed his partner is male.
For Obsession, Richard notes he and his partner did discuss the steamy sex scenes he’d be filming.
“I reassured him that it was all going to be fine, and we were being well looked after”, he recalled.