Black Church Bay star Tom Cullen says LGBTQ representation ‘really matters’

Cullen said he approached the role of Barry “exactly the same” as he would a straight character.

“They are characters that you have to empathise with and understand. And fundamentally my job is empathy,” he said.

“I remember doing Weekend and a big part of my research was interviewing and talking to my gay friends, talking about their experiences and trying to fully understand – but that’s just research, which you should do for any character.”

The 41-year-old said the script was “really challenging” and that was why he went for the role.

“The script was extraordinary and something that isn’t usually made in the UK,” he said. “It’s so dark.”

Black Church Bay was filmed in Anglesey and written and directed by Welsh-Irish filmmaker Rhys Marc Jones, who said he was inspired by the “real locations”.

“The whole film was written with those locations in mind. I always wanted my debut film in Wales,” he said.

His partner Paix Robinson, who said he was a Welshman by marriage, added that Wales held a special place in their hearts as somewhere they got married and spent holidays, “so it was only right that the first film was in Wales”.

Describing the film as a “fantasy that becomes a nightmare”, Jones said: “I needed a location that could be beautifully idyllic and hopeful and then turn and become brutally unforgiving”.

He added that Anglesey fitted the brief: “It can be absolutely stunning but has a foreboding quality.”