This unfortunate circumstance is exhibited by other characters on the show, which Steve brings up in relation to Noel Fisher’s role of Mickey. The world we live in often pushes men to live up to standards of what masculinity “should be,” causing them to bottle feelings inside and just “man up." The rigid standards of masculinity can create overall psychological distress and other social health problems, according to Psychology Today.
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She embodies so much strength, and power, and intensity, and it comes from her femininity. He continues, “My wife, for instance, is all of those things. I don’t abide by the classic traditional definitions of what masculine and feminine is,” says Howey. Just like having a strong work ethic and being very tough is feminine. “I think vulnerability and sensitivity is very masculine. “I do make an effort to show Kev’s vulnerable side, because I think there’s more strength in that than being the cold, hard, rigid stereotypical masculine guy,” Howey says.Īnd in the age where we’re discovering the true fragility of toxic masculinity - behavior of sexual dominance, violence, and lack of empathy, as described by The Huffington Post - real man’s-man characters like Kev showing vulnerability are more important than ever.
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The breast cancer scare takes the mask of tough resilience that Kev puts on for his bar patrons, and allows him to show vulnerability around new people for the first time. Most shockingly, this season finds Kevin’s true blood lineage with inbred members of the Ku Klux Klan when Kevin and Veronica, his wife who happens to be black, see a geneticist to check their daughters’ genes after his breast cancer scare. This season introduces new dynamics between Kev and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), when Kev gives the second youngest Gallagher relationship advice for the first time, because the paternal guidance Carl needs isn’t present with Frank (William H. His real-life role as a husband to actress Sarah Shahi ( The L Word) and coparent to three children is key to how he reflects on his relationships with the characters in Shameless. You can have a sip of the beer, but you can’t have the whole beer,” the 40-year-old actor said with a laugh to The Advocate. With absent parents, the eldest siblings bear the responsibility of raising the younger children, forfeiting their own goals in the process. The entirety of the show is centered around the Gallagher family, whose problems stemming from their absent alcoholic father have caused issues both monetarily and of the health variety for the five children. Showtime’s Shameless is no stranger to fights between about fathers and changes of heart. He’s a father, and a father-figure in real life as well as in the troubled fiction he portrays. His young fans on social media love to call him “zaddy,” or daddy with swagger, but he’s more than just your dad-kink fantasy.
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Steve Howey, who brings Kev to life on Shameless, is best known for this combination of masculine demeanor, naivety, and heart of gold that he has mastered onscreen in roles in shows like Reba and films like Supercross, See You in Valhalla, and the upcoming Game Over Man. This moment of zen is a short-lived retrospective to a prior incident - when Kev accidentally fired a gun he took from Mickey, in order to take back money Mickey stole. Amidst the bloody brawl, Kev holds a standing meditation pose behind the bar. A big old ‘mo.” Mickey’s homophobic father, just released from prison hours prior, leaps over the bar, fists ablaze, to punch his son in the face. Ian gives Mickey the ultimatum of coming out or breaking up, and so Mickey announces “I’m fucking gay. Shortly after this moment of heart, the bar breaks out in a fight. Mickey, masked in his own masculinity, fearful of what kindness could indicate, asks him what that even means. “I’m just trying to put everything in the past, OK? I’m a ‘conscientious objector’ now.” Kevin says. Kev fills Mickey’s flimsy paper plate with corn beef - an act of kindness - and Mickey asks him why. At this moment, the venue hosts an after party for the baptism to the son of Mickey Milkovich, a juvenile delinquent and (secret) boyfriend to one of the show’s troubled leads, Ian Gallagher. The bar is known to have housed undocumented Russian women upstairs, who pay rent through sex work. In a memorable scene in Shameless - Showtime's long-running dramedy about a dysfunctional family - bartender Kevin Ball (Steve Howey), or Kev, stands behind his bar, bulging muscle and bravado in South Side Chicago.