Love, Victor: Why Michael Cimo Took Gay Role Agast Indtry Advice – IndieWire

Contents:

• IS MICHAEL CIMO GAY? WHO IS HE DATG?
• ‘LOVE, VICTOR’ STAR SAYS GAY ROLE SPARKED HOMOPHOBIA OM HIS FAY, ATH THREATS
•  LOVE VICTOR MICHAEL CIMO SAYS GOT ATH THREATS FOR PLAYG GAY CHARACTER HOMOPHOBIA LGBTQ FAY
• MICHAEL CIMO SAYS HE CONSULTED HIS GAY CO ABOUT LOVE, VICTOR ROLE: 'IT WAS VERY SPECIAL'
• LOVE, VICTOR STAR MICHAEL CIMO SAYS HE'S RECEIVED ATH THREATS FOR PLAYG A GAY LEAD
• WHY ‘LOVE, VICTOR’ STAR MICHAEL CIMO TOOK A GAY ROLE AGAST INDTRY ADVICE
• 'LOVE, VICTOR' STAR MICHAEL CIMO REVEALS HE GOT DEATH THREATS FOR PLAYG GAY CHARACTER
• ‘LOVE VICTOR’ STAR MICHAEL CIMO ON ANTI-GAY MENTS: ‘I DIDN'T EXPECT OM MY OWN FAY MEMBERS’
• WHY ‘LOVE, VICTOR’ STAR MICHAEL CIMO TOOK A GAY ROLE AGAST INDTRY ADVICE

IS MICHAEL CIMO GAY? WHO IS HE DATG?

He beme one wh the character and played his part so perfectly that fans soon started wonrg if Michael is gay real life. Michael Cimo do not intify as a gay person.

However, Michael has repeatedly mentned how exced he was to portray a gay person the show and how much work he put to thentite his performance. In an terview wh People, Michael revealed that his gay played a signifint role gettg him ready for the show.

‘LOVE, VICTOR’ STAR SAYS GAY ROLE SPARKED HOMOPHOBIA OM HIS FAY, ATH THREATS

That was a really big drivg force for me, as well as I have a lot of iends that are gay. On the flip si, Michael found himself an ongog bate that argued whether the portrayal of gay characters should be rtricted to real-life gay actors. Michael even mentned that numero people advised him agast playg a gay character for his first major role.

 LOVE VICTOR MICHAEL CIMO SAYS GOT ATH THREATS FOR PLAYG GAY CHARACTER HOMOPHOBIA LGBTQ FAY

Michael wanted to eradite the stereotype and stigma agast gay rol and th took up the challenge to portray Victor. Michael Cimo, the straight star of Hulu’s gay-themed g-of-age seri “Love, Victor, ” says he has been attacked by some the LGBTQ muny and even some of his own fay members.

In a new terview wh Attu, Cimo — who plays the tular Victor — says: “I got some homophobic ments — I kd of expected that to happen.

”He add, “Some of them reached out, sayg, ‘You ed to be so ol; now you’re so gay. “It’s weird … [the Latx muny] is liberal when to thgs about Latos, but when to gay rights, ’s like, eh, qutn mark, ” Cimo said the terview. ”In the Attu terview, Cimo said, “There’s nothg wrong wh beg gay.

MICHAEL CIMO SAYS HE CONSULTED HIS GAY CO ABOUT LOVE, VICTOR ROLE: 'IT WAS VERY SPECIAL'

’”Cimo has said multiple terviews that he has been warned agast takg gay rol for fear of typestg. Meanwhile, the young actor has also faced fierce blowback for takg a role that an out gay actor might have played.

“But there are some straight actors who play gay characters, who are all about supportg LGBT rights while they’re promotg their project, but once they’re done, a year later, ’s kd of fotten. ”Straight actors playg gay rol has been the subject of bate for some time, often hgg on Hollywood’s history of forcg gay actors to the closet real life and offerg only limed chanc to explore the humany of gay characters on-screen.

Grant, who received an Osr nomatn for playg a gay character “Can You Ever Five Me?, ” said: “I’ve always had that ncern... The transgenr movement and the #MeToo movement means, how n you jtify heterosexual actors playg gay characters?

LOVE, VICTOR STAR MICHAEL CIMO SAYS HE'S RECEIVED ATH THREATS FOR PLAYG A GAY LEAD

Criss, who has famoly played queer characters cludg Andrew Cunanan “The Assassatn of Gianni Versace: Amerin Crime Story” and Hedwig “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” onstage, said he wouldn’t take gay rol anymore, bee “I want to make sure I won’t be another straight boy takg a gay man’s role.

Michael Cimo is facg some strong cricism for portrayg a gay character onscreen Hulu's 'Love Victor' spe beg a straight guy real life, om not only strangers but members of his own fay, which he did not expect.

“I got some homophobic ments — I kd of expected that to happen.

WHY ‘LOVE, VICTOR’ STAR MICHAEL CIMO TOOK A GAY ROLE AGAST INDTRY ADVICE

"Some of them reached out, sayg, 'You ed to be so ol; now you’re so gay. 'There's nothg wrong wh beg gay'. "There's nothg wrong wh beg gay, " he explaed.

"I’ve been advised that you shouldn’t play gay rol, pecially [for] your first big role. 'Everyone will thk you’re gay' or 'You won’t be able to book anythg, ' 'You’ll never be able to build a fan base, '" he said. Here I am playg a gay role that might not be nsired mascule an outdated ia of what masculy is.

Many members of the LGBTQ+ muny have also admonished him bee acrdg to them, straight actors should not take on gay rol. But there are some straight actors who play gay characters, who are all about supportg LGBT rights while they’re promotg their project, but once they’re done, a year later, ’s kd of fotten.

'LOVE, VICTOR' STAR MICHAEL CIMO REVEALS HE GOT DEATH THREATS FOR PLAYG GAY CHARACTER

One of them wrote, "‘michael cimo is straight, he nt act as a gay character’ first of all he n bc he is, and send of all the way he portrayed victor touched me so many ways, my feelgs look a lot like victor feelgs, and the way he acted ma me feel more fortable about me. " Another said, "If the teens are gog to bully michael cimo they gotta keep the same energy for harry styl lil gay p movie. " A third quipped, "i’m gonna need whe gays and non-lat to shut up about michael cimo beg straight but playg a gay character or else i’m gonna pull my hair out.

‘LOVE VICTOR’ STAR MICHAEL CIMO ON ANTI-GAY MENTS: ‘I DIDN'T EXPECT OM MY OWN FAY MEMBERS’

‘michael cimo is straight, he nt act as a gay character’ first of all he n bc he is, and send of all the way he portrayed victor touched me so many ways, my feelgs look a lot like victor feelgs, and the way he acted ma me feel more fortable about me. if the teens are gog to bully michael cimo they gotta keep the same energy for harry styl lil gay p movie. i’m gonna need whe gays and non-lat to shut up about michael cimo beg straight but playg a gay character or else i’m gonna pull my hair out.

WHY ‘LOVE, VICTOR’ STAR MICHAEL CIMO TOOK A GAY ROLE AGAST INDTRY ADVICE

Cimo, who stars as a gay teen disverg his sexualy the Hulu origal, told PEOPLE that he sought out the advice of a fay member before he began filmg.

"I talked to my , who is gay, " he said. "Beg gay is not somethg that ns your fay. If you're gay, you n't jt be like, 'Hey, Dad, what is like to be part of the LGBT muny?

The iend, who knew about the show, then said, “Isn’t there a whe gay guy? ” I said y and they then replied, “Let’s not pretend like [Victor’s] not gog to end up wh the basic whe gay.