Alan Cumming of Spy Kids and The Traitors US fame is gearing up for the release of his new project, Tip Toe.
Film News Blitz writer Darshan Kaur looks into what the famed Scottish actor has had to say about the new Russell T Davies drama.
Sitting down with the Radio Times, Cumming covered his experience on The Traitors US, politics and his experience living in New York.
It all weaves seamlessly into his new show, Tip Toe, which “shows how normalised violence and hatred have become”.
Cumming plays Leo, a bar–owner in Manchester’s gay village, who becomes involved in a feud with his next-door neighbour, an electrician named Clive, played by Dave Morrissey.
The show is set to explore mob mentality and the prejudice that the LGBTQ+ community still face every day.
How ‘The Traitors US’ is a win for representation
The Scottish actor has lived in New York for 25 years and said of The Traitors US, “I think it’s one of the biggest contributions I’ve made to queer culture. You know, me walking in in a frock on a show that everyone in America loves.”
Since the US show films in the Scottish Highlands, the presenter is now spending more of his time back in his first home.
“To feel that you’re in a country that has a government aligned with your values is so great,” he said.
“To feel the kindness that I feel around me in Scotland and for it not to be seen as a weakness is so affirming. Of course, there are kind people in America and I live in New York, which is a different kettle of fish to the rest of America, but the government…It is a fascist country and I’m paying taxes to it. It’s horrible.”
‘Tip Toe’ exposes the dangers of polarisation
Rejecting the idea that Donald Trump is making America great again, he emphasised, “It’s not a new thing for people to be so bigoted and intolerant – it always has been like that. It’s just been suppressed. What’s shocking now is how public and blatant it is and how comfortable people feel agreeing with it.”
Tip Toe, Cumming’s new Channel 4 drama, airing from 31 May, demonstrates the dangers of intolerance.
Leo first appears on screen after the event of a murder, specifically, his murder, from which the show flashes back to 10 days prior, recounting the events that led up to the killing.
Highlighting online radicalisation and the effect of economic insecurity, the show tells the story of modern–day Britain through the lens of the LGBTQ+ community.
It represents the polarisation of society and the dangers of self–inflicted isolation from society.
“I loved playing this part,” Cumming said, “It was an incredible thing to be a part of and one of the things I’ve done that I’m most proud of. I’m so glad I did it, but I was just so glad to be over it as well, you know? To have the weight of him lifted off me… It was so intense.”
He goes on to say that “Tip Toe shows how normalised violence and hatred have become,” referencing today’s political climate as one of the reasons for its exacerbation.
But Cumming remains optimistic.
“Art can’t save the world but art can change minds. I wouldn’t do what I do if I didn’t believe that.”
Tip Toe will debut at 9 pm on Sunday, 31 May, on Channel 4.
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