What Happened To 'Shameless' Actor Steve Howey?
If Kev Ball is one of the most fascinating characters on Lifetime’s Shameless, then it’s all thanks to the remarkable acting skills of Steve Howey. The actor, who plays the role of the kind-hearted bartender, won over fans by showing the multi-faceted nature of his character. While Kev seems like a tough guy in his rough work environment, he displays a surprising sense of tenderness in the scenes with his children. In fact, the proud papa character is responsible for some of the show’s sweetest moments.
Howey does such a wonderful job revealing the complexity of Kev’s humanity that he has left fans wondering what he has been up to in his own life. Is Howey still acting? And what other roles has the actor taken on in recent years? We have done a bit of investigating into Howey’s recent career choices to give readers an idea of where the actor is now.
Kev Ball Forever?
Some television viewers may be shocked to find out that Howey is actually still starring in Shameless. The program has been airing new episodes throughout 2020, according to IMDb, and the best part is that the series has already been renewed for what will be its tenth season. That makes it the longest running show in Lifetime’s history!
This may seem like the typical story of a long-running American adaptation of an English television program. For one thing, the show was actually adapted from Paul Abbott’s British series of the same name. Nonetheless, Howey sees some benefits in the show’s length, especially in terms of embodying character growth.
The actor has enjoyed watching Kev transform over the course of one hundred and twenty two episodes. As Howey divulged to CBS in an exclusive interview, “It’s been great to see him go from this sex-crazed Kevin to a dad of two who wants another kid.” Talk about transformation!
A New Netflix Era
Howey may have thrown himself into a full decade of Kev, but his commitment to Shameless has not prevented him from exploring other opportunities. Most notably, the actor has taken advantage of the opportunity to take part in the Netflix revolution. He played the role of “Jason” on the streaming service’s hit original Dead To Me.
The role showcases Howey’s talents in a whole new way. Unlike the happily-partnered Kev, Jason an attractive widower that goes home with tortured widow Jen (Christina Applegate) at a grief management retreat. The one-night stand goes incredibly poorly, as Jason’s initial lust slowly peels away to reveal pure, grief-stricken torment. While Howey’s participation in the show is limited to just a few scenes, the vulnerability he displays as Jason is compelling.
In a 2017 interview with The Chicago Tribune, Howey expressed his particular attraction for these kinds of emotionally intense roles. According to the actor, a lot of his interest in this type of acting stems from a desire to complicate the way that male characters are interpreted. “I’ll watch these other actors playing these men with internal torment, and it doesn’t register with me,” he told The Tribune, “There are guys I know— working actors, famous actors —and they would never take a role that doesn’t make them look cool. That somehow showing a softer side is weakness. And I don’t think it’s a weakness.”
Running After Success
Acting is clearly Howey’s passion, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing other interests and achievements. The actor’s biggest time commitment outside of acting and family life is actually running. In 2018, Howey ran his first marathon in 4 hours and sixteen minutes, but he has been shaving time off of his race ever since. He went on to run the LA marathon in just under four hours and aims to get the mileage done even faster.
But running isn’t Howey’s only athletic interest; the man is all but a full-blown gym addict. He even told Muscle & Fitness that a forty minute work-out barely constitutes his warm-up. In order for the actor to consider his exercise substancial, he needs to hit the gym for at least two or three hours. So much hustle!
Because of the actor’s intensity, fans probably won’t be too surprised to know that Howey’s favorite exercises are the most painful ones. “The workouts that are really good for my body suck the most,” he revealed. He also confessed that in order to maintain his six pack, he mainly eats broccoli.
This level of dedication is clearly way more than what anyone would expect for just a simple hobby. We can it wait to see what kinds of feats Howey achieves moving forward.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYrWivM%2BepZ6cXam8br%2FHmqSepJWowG6twq2mq2WjqbK3sYyhprCdqWQ%3D