Sean Bean revealed that a man got a little friendly towards him while playing a transvestite in the 2012 BBC series Accused.
The 63-year-old donned false breasts and a blonde wig when playing Tracie Tremarco, which was the alter ego of a teacher Simon Gaskell, who enjoyed dressing up as a woman at night..
One night the Lord of the Rings star wanted to test one of the glam outfits from the show by wearing the signature blonde wig, a blue mini dress and a full face of make-up.
While out with his daughter Lorna, he said: ‘I had a big bust on and Spanx… and big high heels.’
‘When I went into the pub they didn’t seem to be that bothered but one bloke started chatting me up, saying, “I like your shoes.”‘
‘I mean, that’s going a bit too far!’ he added.
Sean reflected on his role in Jimmy McGovern’s BBC programme last year and said there would be a lot of chaos if he were to play a similar role today.
‘I think that is restrictive and counterproductive. We risk getting into a situation where drama is dictated more by which boxes are ticked than the story being told,’ he said to the Guardian.
‘I often think that, if I did ‘Tracie’s Story’ today, there’d be an uproar.
‘I have a feeling it would be questioned and wouldn’t even be made, but it’s one of the roles I’m proudest of. It seems such a shame if actors can’t play a range of parts.’
The episode of Accused, titled Tracie’s story, saw Sean play an English teacher, who is a trans by night. One night he seduces Tony, played by Stephen Graham, in a nightclub.
Sean teamed up with Stephen once again in the 2021 series Time, which was also written by Jimmy McGovern.