Lucas Hedges, the star of the upcoming “ex-gay” drama Boy Erased, says he was drawn to the role because it challenges gender norms.

Based on Garrard Conley's 2016 book Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family, Boy Erased stars Hedges as Jared, a college student who is sent to an “ex-gay” camp after he is outed to his conservative parents, played in the film by Nicole Kidman and Russell Crow. The film opens on November 2.

(Related: Garrard Conley: You don't have to be in conversion therapy to be in conversion therapy.)

Speaking with GQ, Hedges said he wanted to do the film because it's “about challenging the world around us and challenging the boundaries they put on us.”

“Whether that's something as small as putting nail polish on your fingernails or the bigger freedom to express yourself sexually. It was a movie that taught me a lot about conviction and standing up for myself,” he added.

(Related: Boy Erased's Lucas Hedges says he's “not totally straight.”)