In a recent interview, out actor Jim
Parsons talked about lingering fears of being rejected because of his
sexuality.
Parsons casually announced he is gay in
a 2012 interview.
He is currently promoting his latest
project, Netflix's gay drama The Boys in the Band.
In the film based on Mart Crowley's
play of the same name, a group of gay men gather for a birthday party
in New York City. Set in the late 60s, the film explores how societal
and internalized homophobia has impacted the men.
Speaking with UK LGBT glossy Attitude,
Parsons said that he can identify with the film's characters.
“I realized that being gay and
growing up around people and in a culture where that wasn't
celebrated – where it was reviled, in many ways – had an impact
on me,” Parsons said.
“Happy as I am, I’m still working
out the fear I grew up with: that by revealing who I really am, I
will somehow lose the love of the people who are important to me.”
"This story wasn’t a direct
reflection of my time, and things have changed rapidly for gay people
over the last couple of decades, but even now, there’s that
residual [feeling],” he added.
Parsons also talked about his coming
out, saying it had made him a better actor.
“To suddenly be part of a large group
that has been – and still is – maligned at times with hateful
things being said about them by other public figures – there was a
sense of happiness and strength for me that I couldn’t have
predicted,” Parsons said.
“As soon as it became a story, it
made me feel very strong and I think in this day and age it only
helped career-wise. I certainly have never felt it hurt my career –
at all.”
“It probably even helped me be a
better actor. There’s always more layers of yourself you can
share,” he said.
Parsons, 47, married longtime boyfriend
Todd Spiewak in 2017.