Luke Evans Says He Looked 'For Ages' for Right Gay Role

Luke Evans has landed the gay role of his dreams in the upcoming drama "Our Son."

Speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, Evans said that he searched "for ages" for the right queer role, People reported.

"I've been ready to take that step for ages," said Evans. "I just haven't found the right story [until now]."

Opening up about why he chose "Our Son," Evans explained that he reads "loads of gay stories and scripts," but "Our Son" was "something I hadn't seen before, and it's clearly something that we're all going through."

Starring alongside Billy Porter, "Our Son" follows depicts Evans and Porter as a couple in the middle of a custody battle over their 8-year-old son.

"Divorce is as right for a gay couple as marriage, and I hadn't really seen that, and when I read it, every time I've read the script, I wept," said Evans. "So I just thought, 'Maybe this is a good time, and this is a good role to pick up and do.' "

Evans said he was "glad" he chose to star in the film "because it was a wonderful experience: traumatic at times, painful at times, very real, very visceral and very relatable," People reports.

Moreover, "You don't have to be gay to enjoy this or understand this story," said Evans. "People all over the world go through divorce, breakups and custody battles. Families break up all the time, but this is the story of hope, and how they get through it, and how a new chapter is started, but a different kind of chapter."

Evans, who is openly gay and dating Fran Tomas. "Our Son" is directed by Bill Oliver, featuring Robin Weigert, Andrew Rannells, Isaac Powell and Phylicia Rashad.