In a new interview with gay glossy OUT,
actor Anthony Rapp said that he was honored to play Star Trek:
Discovery's first openly gay character.
The 45-year-old Rapp, who is best known
for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of
Rent, plays starfleet officer Lt. Paul Stamets in the CBS All
Access show.
Stamets in involved in a relationship
with medical officer Dr. Hugh Culber (played by Wilson Cruz).
“It’s an honor,” Rapp said of
playing the first openly gay character in the show's TV franchise.
“It’s also been a long time coming. Star Trek has always
been progressive – apparently there were conversations over the
years about having gay characters, but it just didn’t happen. But
what I’m really proud of is, like everything with Star Trek’s
diversity, there are no arrows pointing to it, no big neon sign
flashing, no story line about what it’s like to be a gay character
on the ship. It just is. That, to me, is part of the evolution as
well.”
“Is there anything particularly
important about gay characters in stories about the future?” OUT
asked.
“Star Trek was built around a
vision of a utopian future: humans on Earth joining species around
the galaxy. Part of that would mean living harmoniously without our
differences being an issue. That vision of the future is, I hope,
where we’re headed,” Rapp
answered.
(Related: Peter
LaBarbera outraged over Star Trek's gay couple; Demands ex-gay
characters on TV.)