The first time Welshman Luke Evans pinged my radar was while I was attending Wonder Con 2011 in San Francisco with O2W4’s wonderful Editor Mo. What struck me first about Luke was his uncanny resemblance to Orlando Bloom. Who was this handsome man? And better yet, what kind of Fangirl was I for not already knowing about him? What’s interesting is once I began to do some research on him I realized I had actually seen him in a few movies; the remake of Clash of the Titans for one. Luke played the Greek god Apollo. And with a face like his I can see how he was chosen for that part. Apparently director Tarsem Singh agreed and cast Luke as another Greek god, Zeus in his epic Immortals where he stars next to Henry Cavill, another O2W4 alum.
A singer, Luke got his start at the early age of 17 when he was offered a scholarship to the prestigious London Studio Centre to study musical theatre and acting. For nearly a decade Luke maintained a successful career on the stage in London’s West End winning roles like the lead “Billy” in the Boy George penned musical Taboo in 2002, “Chris” in Miss Saigon (his favorite role) and “Roger” in Rent Remix in 2007 (favorite songs “One Song Glory” and “Your Eyes”). During an interview for Rent Remix Luke was asked what he’d love to do in the future he replied record a solo album or, get this, play the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. He knew all the music when he was 7!
It wasn’t until his late 20’s before Evans’s dream of acting on the big screen came to fruition with his portrayal of the Sun god in the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans. Talk about starting off with a bang! That same year Luke had small roles as one of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s thugs in Robin Hood with Russell Crow and future co-star Matthew MacFadyen and in Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll. Determined not to be type cast so early in his film career Luke sought out more dramatic, meaty roles. He found himself playing hunky Andy Cobb in Tamara Drewe with his Titans castmate Gemma Arterton, which premiered at Cannes. In an interview with Flaunt magazine, Evans said that was a real high point for him. He felt a real affinity with the character. “I relate to him a lot because I’m Welsh and working class,” he said. Andy Cobb also turned out to be his breakout part.
Things started to move along at an impressive speed. The offers came fast and furious now. First up, Luke was wielding a sword as Aramis in Paul Anderson’s 3-D updating of The Three Musketeers. Among his co-stars were the aforementioned MatthewMacFadyen (Pride and Prejudice), Ray Stephenson (“Rome”), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief), Milla Jovovich and Orlando Bloom. Then it was off to Montreal for Tarsem’s Immortals. Luke got a bit of a promotion, graduating from playing Apollo to playing Zeus. When asked if he would be playing any other gods, Luke joked that he had reached the top and his choice was either to remain Zeus or resign from god-hood all together.
If Tamara Drewe was a high point for Luke, I have to wonder how he feels now after being cast as Bard the Bowman in the epic and greatly anticipated The Hobbit. As a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I’m over the moon about it. Luke will hopefully be sharing some screen time with Orlando Bloom who revises his role as Legolas. But wait, did I hear correctly? Orlando Bloom? Seriously I think these guys are “brothers from another mother”. Before Luke headed for New Zealand to begin filming The Hobbit he wrapped up The Raven. Evans plays Detective Emmett Fields who is investigating murders that mirror those from stories written by Edgar Allan Poe, played by John Cusack.
With all the projects Luke has going on he still managed to take time out to pose for a photo shoot for VMAN in the September 2011 issue. I have to wonder if the choice of shooting him as The Tycoon was a prophetic nod to this talented man’s future? Or was it simply because he looks incredible in a suit and tie? Either way, my thanks to the powers that be at VMAN for sharing these stunning photos of Luke all spiffed up. Very dapper Mr. Evans, we look forward to seeing much more from you in the future.
Official Sites:
Immortals
Three Musketeers 3-D
The Hobbit
Tamara Drewe
Clash of the Titans
Fan Sites:
Luke Evans Web
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