In 'Boy From the Valleys,' Luke Evans chronicles his unlikely path to Hollywood

Luke Evans has carved out a niche for himself playing rugged, tough guys in "The Hobbit" and "Fast & Furious." But in his memoir, "Boy From the Valleys," the out gay Welsh actor showcases a more sensitive side.

Luke Evans has carved out a niche for himself playing rugged, tough guys in “The Hobbit,” “Fast & Furious” and “Beauty and the Beast.” But in a new book, the Welsh actor showcases a more sensitive side, offering an intimate look at his journey of self-acceptance away from the constraints of his religious upbringing.

With equal parts heart and humor, Evans tells his own story for the first time in “Boy From the Valleys,” which arrived on North American bookshelves this week. The candid memoir charts Evans’ journey from growing up in South Wales as a closeted only child of devout Jehovah’s Witness parents to becoming, as a magazine once put it, “the first openly gay action hero” in Hollywood.

After having largely shied away from discussing his personal life in the public eye, Evans writes with unflinching honesty about the most formative experiences of his life — the internalized self-hatred of growing up in a faith that outlaws homosexuality, the highs and lows of his first sexual experiences and relationships, and the many “sliding doors” moments, which, taken together, put him on the path to doing plays and musicals on London’s West End and starring in multibillion-dollar film franchises.

"Boy From the Valleys," by Luke Evans.Ebury Publishing“When I went into writing this book, I thought, ‘Don’t be ashamed of anything in your life. It’s part of your journey. It’s part of your tapestry,’” Evans, 45, told NBC News. “Some of it may be a little dark, some of it may not be as pretty as other parts, but it’s your story. I think you’ve got to own it and do the best you can with what you’re given.”

Evans became the youngest boy in his Welsh congregation to be baptized. But even with his limited view of the world, from an early age, he knew that he was destined for a bigger life outside of the village in which he was raised. By the time he turned 16, he recalled feeling the need to leave his hometown out of necessity, despite the personal fallout for his family.