Actor Juan Pablo Di Pace has come out
gay.
Di Pace made his announcement during a
recently uploaded Ted Talk titled “The Story of Your Life.”
The 39-year-old actor is best known in
the United States for playing the role of Fernando, Kimmy Gibbler's
estranged husband, on Netflix's Fuller House, a spin-off
series of Full House. Di Pace, who was born in Buenos Aires,
began his acting career in the United Kingdom. He also is known for
playing Nicolas Trevino in the TNT drama Dallas.
During his Ted Talk, which was recorded
in March at a TedX event, Di Pace said that he struggled with his
sexuality and was bullied by other kids growing up. He said that he
tried to fit in to gain acceptance.
“Acceptance was my fuel, and when
that is the case, like an addict, you do whatever it takes to get a
fix,” he
said. “I figured, if I changed my faggot self, I could be in.”
He added that playing Jesus in the
miniseries A.D. The Bible Continues lead to a crisis about his
sexuality.
“So there I am, hanging on the cross
in Morocco, and I look up at the sky, and I think, ‘You could still
strike me down with lightning. Are you sure you want me to play your
son? Me?'” said Di Pace, a Catholic. “I waited. Nothing happened.
I was not struck by lightning. Instead, what I felt was an
overwhelming feeling of love and acceptance and freedom that I could
never even put into words. A message from God? Maybe. Words are like
universes and we are musicians who can create universes with them.”