When Russell Tovey, the charming British actor best known for Looking and Years & Years, opens up about his personal life, it’s a bit like watching a scene unfold from one of his own roles: candid, self-aware, and just a little bit messy in the best way. In a recent appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s On Me podcast, while munching on samosas at Shoreditch’s Kricket, Tovey offered a delightful peek into his dating life—and it’s clear that, much like his acting roles, it’s anything but ordinary.
When the conversation steered towards his current relationship status, Tovey made it clear that he’s navigating the dating world solo. But, as an actor in the public eye—and as a gay man who came out publicly in 2008—finding genuine connections isn’t as straightforward as swiping right. Tovey’s nuanced view of the dating game paints a picture that many of us can relate to, particularly in the digital age where oversharing is almost a sport.
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“It’s not hard to meet people at all. I’m very social,” he says, a touch of his signature wit peeking through. “It’s a weird scenario when you date and you’re in the public eye. And you sit down and they know who you are, so much about you, they can find out all the information, and your question is, ‘So, what’s your name again?’ And it’s a real imbalance.”
In a world where Google is an ex’s best friend and Instagram makes it possible to know more about a person than even their closest friends might, Tovey’s candid comment strikes a chord. The whole “public figure meets private person” dynamic certainly adds a layer of complexity to dating. You can’t help but wonder: If your potential partner already knows your favorite movie, childhood dog, and what you ate for breakfast last Wednesday, where does that leave room for genuine discovery?
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But Tovey is not one to shy away from this imbalance—he’s leaning into it, of course, but with his own flair. Enter astrology.
“My thing with dating now is that I want to know star signs,” he shares, admitting that astrology has become his quirky yet insightful way of finding compatibility. “I’ve not been someone that’s been into astrology all my life, but I like to go like, ‘What’s your star sign?’ and then I look back and, you know, I’ve got star signs of exes that I’m trying to avoid.”
Tovey’s not wrong: looking up your ex’s astrological chart might not be the first piece of advice your friends give, but it’s certainly one that can provide some clarity. Maybe it’s the Libra in him looking for balance, or perhaps he’s just avoiding repeating past mistakes, but his approach is relatable in a way that makes astrology seem less like an airy concept and more like a practical tool.
“But when you’re dating, it seems really basic and like ridiculous,” he acknowledges with a laugh. “But I do go, ‘Oh okay, cool,’ if we are compatible. And I like being in a relationship, that’s great.”
It’s endearing to see Tovey embrace his vulnerabilities with such honesty. After all, in a world where everyone is searching for their “perfect match,” maybe we’re all just a bit like Tovey—seeking the right star sign alignment to avoid past cosmic mistakes.
Tovey’s lighthearted but honest approach to dating mirrors his career choices—he’s never been one to shy away from complexity, and his upcoming role in Plainclothes is no exception. This 1990s-set drama, inspired by true events, finds Tovey playing Andrew, a gay man caught in a morally tangled situation with Lucas, an undercover cop played by Tom Blyth. Their relationship, complicated by deception and longing, seems like a fitting mirror to Tovey’s own exploration of intimacy in the real world.
At the end of the day, Tovey’s personal journey in love and dating is one that’s refreshingly relatable—whether you believe in star signs or not. It’s a reminder that navigating relationships can be as complex as the characters we play, and sometimes, the stars just might have a little something to say about it.
Aries men, like me, make excellent long term partners for Libras. Aries-Libra couples are the classic astrological and mythological “opposites attract” pairing.