When Luke Evans Came Out to Gena Arterton, She Had a Hilarious Response

When Luke Evans came to Hollywood, he thought it best to be cautious about being gay. He was out to friends and family and during his days as a West End chorus boy when had said he was gay in an interview with The Advocate while appearing at the age of 23 in Boy George's 2002 West End musical, "Taboo." "I knew I was going to have to do interviews with gay magazines; I knew this was going to happen," he said in the article. "So I thought, Well, I'm going to have to be open. It's who I am. And if people don't like it, then I don't want their jobs."

But as the 45-year old superstar explains in his new memoir, titled "Boy from the Valleys: An Unexpected Journey," "When I started working in movies, it suddenly became an issue again because at that time you just didn't get openly gay actors playing straight romantic leads."

"The jobs came – though Evans did shy away from discussing his private life for a period," writes Out Magazine in an interview published this past August. "Threading the thinnest of needles, Evans became a queer outlier in Tinseltown, landing roles even in traditionally hetero-heavy genres. He still has mixed feelings (and a bit of imposter syndrome) about his success."

He first became cast as a rugged, action hero in 2010 in "Clash of the Titans" and "Robin Hood," with the "Fast and Furious" franchise on the horizon. That year he also appeared in the British indie rom-com "Tamara Drewe" opposite Gemma Arterton in the title role, and the two became friends while shooting. Due the concerns that Evans could be outed, Lee, his long-term partner at the time, only visited him once while he was shooting the film, "primarily because we couldn't be open about our relationship".

The Independent reports "that, while he used to introduce him as his 'friend' to many people in the film industry, he 'did end up telling' Arterton 'about who he was' – and she had a brilliant response when Evans told her the truth.

"Our bedrooms were next to each other in our hotel and when I confessed that Lee was actually my boyfriend she said with a smile: 'Honey, I'm in the room next door – I know!'"

Evans continues: "It was such a relief to be able to be open with her and know that she had my back regardless, because she knew how the industry worked and the pressure I was under. The big American studios were still very much of the 'a man is a man' mindset."

When tabloids ran a story that he was in a romantic relationship with a woman, Evans opened up about being gay to his management staff. "My publicists told me not to worry, that they would make sure I wasn't ever put in any position where I was made to feel uncomfortable. They would not respond to gossip," he writes in his memoir. "I knew that it would come out eventually (and I knew I would never deny it once it did) but I hoped that if I got a good body of work behind me then the fact I was gay might not change anything."

"I was the only one doing these big action movies and being gay. I was on my own for a long time. And that was a strange place to be," Evans tells Out Magazine. "I still am shocked that I'm still working. I think it's the working-class, be-grateful-for-everything-you-get kind of attitude. So that when you have success, you sort of think, Really? How is it coming to me? Why not the other guy?"

He found coming out pretty much a solitary process, with few role models to fall back upon for support. Fortunately, Evans found one in out actor Ian McKellen while filming "The Hobbit" in New Zealand. "I would spend many weekends taking hikes with him in New Zealand. And we'd chat, and I'd listen to his story, and he'd listen to mine," he says of McKellen. "I really valued that time I had with him because...[what an] incredible man, incredible career, incredible human being [who] did great things for our community, and still is doing great things for our community. So it was wonderful to be around people like him."

He learned the importance of authenticity, and it has paid off. Today Evans is one of Hollywood's leading action stars, but one with a hot partner in architect Fran Tomas for the past three years. He is even on the short list to be the new James Bond. "I was like, Wow, this is like crazy that I'm on this list," he reflects, adding, "I took stock that day and I thought... people could see me as that role even being a gay man, which I thought was great, and it means that we are progressing."

And, he adds, "I wouldn't turn it down. I've still got some years left in me to do stunts and shoot a gun and wear a tuxedo. I do look quite good in a tuxedo, even if I do say it myself."

Check out these pics from Evans' IG: