When I was cast, I expected to be the one black dot in a sea of white people. The fact that Greg (Berlanti), our director, and all the other producers we had on this project, made a specific decision to have this character represent the intersectionality that gay black people feel about coming out, that’s what I think I’m most proud of in this project. I’m arguably the person who has the least amount of control in these situations. I, as a gay person of color, as an actor that has this very specific intersectional identity, am not going to be able to make these changes unilaterally. It further solidifies the point to me about change in the industry, which is that it’s got to come from the top. But just like then, just like now, I was riddled with anxiety. Will people still love me? Will they hate me? Now I can go back and sort of laugh at the angst I was feeling at the time.
I think that’s what I love so much about getting to revisit these high school storylines, is that I know how it all works out, like they say it gets better, I know how the story ends. So, that’s why it was such a joy to play him. He’s pretty much who I wish I was in high school. But Ethan is far more quick-witted than I, better dressed, smarter. So, I always had a really supportive school life and a really supportive home life. I mean, I was definitely confident growing up, and I was just really lucky that I got to go to this prep school in Atlanta that was like hippy-dippy, no dress code, call teachers by their first names.
Is that kind of confidence something you could relate to growing up?
#Love simon cast ethan movie
Your character is already out in this movie and he seems unfazed by his bullies. It’s just a wink to the audience or whatever. I just go back to all these movies I watched when I was younger, and all these characters I identified with but didn’t know why, but now I realize it’s because they were gay and no one was calling them that. It turns out one of the guys we’ve known all along is also gay, but the out gay guy was such a stereotype, and they don’t speak explicitly about him being gay. A lot of times when the character was gay, like in Sweet Home Alabama for example, there’s the gay black character who comes from New York to this small town in Alabama. A lot of which had gay characters or characters that were implied to be gay. And I remember a lot of films that were not gay related but once I told people I liked them, they’re like, “Oh right, you’re gay.” (LAUGHS) Like Legally Blonde or Devil Wears Prada or Mean Girls, all those kinds of movies, the gay classics. I remember that was the first time any kind of gay story was told to a mainstream audience. Of course, I remember there was Brokeback Mountain. Growing up, what was that one movie you could see yourself in? Malls are cool again! 💕✨🌈 post shared by Clark Moore on at 1:37am PDT
We recently caught up with the actor to discuss the groundbreaking film and what it means to be part of it. Having appeared in The Sing-Off and Glee, Love, Simon marks his first big role. The young actor behind the role is Clark Moore, a positive personality that parallels Ethan’s. It rings true for a new generation of liberated queer youths who’ve found the unwavering courage to live their lives fully and truthfully without the typical high school quandaries.
His confidence makes for an uplifting message, as he shows no concern for his adolescent bullies and naysayers. With its mainstream appeal, it’s providing a much needed coming-of-age format for young queer audiences.īut one role that stands out among this coming out story is that of Ethan, a classmate of the protagonist who’s already living his life as a proudly out gay teenager. It’s the first time a film of its kind has been released at this level. The new beloved teen film Love, Simon is winning over audiences with its gay coming out story and subsequent romance.
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