Actor Robert James Collier, who plays the gay butler Thomas Barrowman in “Downton Abbey” since 2010 says that he is humbled by the positive responses and praises being thrown at him by fans and critics.
He, however, disclosed that the sixth and final season of the TV series will be the most testing and challenging for the downstairs employee of Downton Abbey as he comes to terms with his own sexuality.
For the past five seasons, viewers have seen Barrowman attempting to hide the truth about his sexuality while working for the Crawley family.
While some already know his secret, there is a reason why Barrowman continues to hide his true identity, and it has something to do with the two-sided nature of his character.
In a recent encounter with the UK press, Collier disclosed that the Season 6 of the show has dealt with Thomas’ sexuality. He always appeared to be happy, but fans found out in Season 5 that he was not happy at all. The character tried to resolve it last year by resorting to injection, but it was not the cure.
Collier said that Thomas has to reconcile who he is with himself, whether good or bad, and that is what viewers will come to see in the character in the final season of “Downton Abbey.”