James Sutton Fans (original) (raw)

THE AXM INTERVIEW

James plays JP McQueen, the hunky gay lad in Hollyoaks. But yes, Mr Sutton is straight. Damn these producers. JP also keeps ending up in bed with his hetro best friend on the show. James talked to us about kissing men for work, losing his virginity and why he’s proud to not make his character a stereotype.

Is acting in a soap easier or more difficult than you thought it would be?

To be honest I never realised that people on soaps worked so hard. We’re the only soap that’s on five days a wek so you can imagine how quickly things have to be done. There’s not long for rehearsing or working through a scene. I like to prepare and ask all that wanky actor stuff like “what’s my motivation.” I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t.

You were aware that your character in Hollyoaks was going to turn out gay, but if you’d come from another successful show, would you still have taken the part?

Yes, of course. I was offered another job at the same time I was offered Hollyoaks but I took this one because I knew it’d be a challenge.

What was it like kissing a man in front of the whole crew?

Well, the first time it was a bit weird but now its just part and parcel of my job, I have to go to work and kiss a man!

Have you ever kissed a man before Hollyoaks?

Hmm, snogging another man .. I’m afraid as far as that goes, I’m pretty boring. I had to kiss a bloke in an Arthur Miller play a few years ago but that’s about my lot.

In all fairness, is playing gay really that much different from playing straight?

Absolutely not. If they’d wanted me to pplay it like a stereotype, like Anthony Cotton in Coronation Street I wouldn’t have done it. That to me is cheating – the gay guys I know aren’t like that at all, I mean it is great that he’s playing it like that and his character is really popular – he won Best Actor at the Soap Awards – but my character John Paul just isn’t like that. He’s just like his straight mates except he likes men.

Do the public think you’re gay for real?

They do ask me questions .. quite regularly, in fact, I don’t usually get heckled in the street or anything but one guy shouted “Queer”. I just laughed. If I am I’m a well paid queer!

Like your character have you ever been secretly in love with one of your friends?

I haven’t myself but I had a couple of text messages off a couple of old friends of mine who are gay and they asked “is art imitating life”. They said they’ve gone through exactly the same kind of things as John Paul.

Because they were in love with you?

Erm (Laughs) I’m embarrassed now! Possibly they were.

Given that Hollyoaks has a large teenage audience, do you think that it promotes promiscuity because it contains so much sex?

I don’t think it promotes promiscuity. Teenagers these days know what its all about. I watched a programme the other night about teenage sex and kids are all at it.

How old were you when you lost your virginity?

Erm, 15

So, a slut then

No, 16

You were up for three Soap Awards, was there one you wanted to win?

The Most Dramatic Performance I think. I’m kinda proud of the scene where JP comes out to Craig and tells him he loves him at Hannah’s 18th. There was a lot of crying. I’m proud of that one.

Do you think you’re good looking?

I don’t really think about that sort of thing.

Oh come on. You don’t think you got the part in Hollyoaks because you’re a minger do you?

(Laughs) Well I don’t think I’m that special. I have good skin. I moisturise twice a day.

What’s your favourite holiday destination?

South of France

Do you prefer sun or snow holidays?

Sun

Does the heat make you a) horny b) irritable c) sweaty

Horny

Are you going away this year?

Yes I’m going to Bangkok for two days and Phuket for five

If you could transfer to another soap which one would you choose?

Probably the Bill, if I wasn’t an actor I’d quite fancy being a copper.

What’s the gayest record in your collection?

Is the new Take That record particularly gay?

Yes!

My girlfriend bought me that a while ago, some of its not too bad.

Oh OK

I’ve got a couple of musical soundtracks kicking about somewhere in my collection, probably the Wizard of Oz which I was in a few years back. That’s pretty gay!

Right, ****, Marry Kill .. Sarah Louise Platt from Corrie, Katie Sugden from Emmerdale or Beth Green in the Bill

**** the first, marry the second and kill the lat one without a shadow of a doubt – Sarah-Louise and Katie are fit!

Have you ever looked at porn on the internet?

Yep

How is the storyline for JP going to pan out?

I don’t know at the moment. They had a big storyline meeting this morning and they haven’t got back to met yet. I’m not sure what they’ve got in store for JP once Craig leaves. To be honest I’d like to move away from the sexuality side of JP, I think we’ve established he’s gay, we get it, so lets see him just getting on with this life in a happy way. But being a soap, it probably wont stay that way for long!