August 2, 2023
2023 Rewind: Full-Frontal Made Jack Armstrong a Little Nervous While Filming Brit-Com 'Patterns'
Timothy Rawles READ TIME: 5 MIN.
This piece is part of EDGE's 2023 Rewind series. We're reaching into our archives and sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year.
Yes, that is British actor Jack Armstrong in a full-frontal nude shot for the anthology series "Patterns" now streaming on Dekkoo. The handsome young man bares it all for his episode titled "Delivered."
Even though the scene might be an incentive to watch the series, it is not the only reason to enjoy this entertaining episodic Brit-com. It explores different personalities and the struggles that young gay men face today. The ensemble of actors joining Armstrong includes rugby champ Ben Cohen, Rufus Shaljean, and Jake Watkins.
Armstrong has made a career doing short films. He is also a presenter and model. For his role in "Patterns" he plays a young man named Lionel who thanks to the mandatory COVID quarantine is holed up in his house alone working remotely through his laptop. One day after ordering a pizza he becomes smitten with the handsome delivery man named Foster (Shaljean). The only thing is, he can't remember his name at first. Eventually, he tracks him down and they hook up. But Foster starts showing symptoms of COVID and now he has to stay with Lionel, they must live together for two weeks.
Unfortunately, it's not a match. Foster turns out to be an annoyingly self-absorbed nuisance who is fixated on his looks and acquiring more social media followers. When asked if Armstrong had ever dated someone like Foster in real-life, he paused, then chuckled and in the most heart-warming British accent said, "I've certainly never dated anyone quite like Foster. Obviously, Rufus does an absolutely wonderful job portraying this incredible character that I always read as like a pastiche of all the craziest elements of reality television and, influencer society all rolled into this narcissistic self-involved but, but kind of also, integrally, good young man."
He is betting that most people have never dated someone like Foster either. Although, the situation is a familiar one; two people give in to their sexual attraction but drift apart when they have nothing in common.
"There's probably elements where people can sympathize with letting someone in but not quite realizing what they've let themselves in for with this person," he says. "Which I think we can all probably relate to even on friendship levels and circumstances. But in a relationship sense, I have not dated someone like Foster. I hope never to."
