Love, Victor stars Michael Cimino has opened up about receiving the show and the backlash he received for playing the show’s main gay character.
In a new interview with British magazine Attitude, Cimino, who identifies as straight, revealed that he has suffered criticism from straight and gay people, even receiving death threats for his work.
“I had homophobic comments – I kind of expected that to happen. But I didn’t expect that from my own family, ”admits Cimino. “Some of them reached out and said, ‘You were so cool; now you are so gay. I attribute it to ignorance.
He continued, “People have this programming and they often don’t have to evolve and try to get past that. There is nothing wrong with being gay. This ignorance is often something that has been passed down from previous generations. I always approach that [by saying], ‘These are normal people struggling and they shouldn’t have to struggle.’ ”
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“I certainly had criticism from the LGBT community for playing the role,” Cimino continues, referring to queer activists who insist that actors should present themselves as LGBTQ to play a queer character. “I have received death threats, which is horrible. But the show is important to me. The hate messages, I walked in knowing it would happen no matter how good I was.
“There are straight actors who play gay characters, who support all LGBT rights while they promote their project, but once they’re done, a year later it’s a bit forgotten, ”he still observes. “It’s not like that [to] be an ally, that’s not how you support LGBT rights. If you are not a real ally, then what do you do? It’s an honor to play Victor, and a great responsibility. I entered with the pure intention of representing this correctly. I have held myself to a very high standard to make sure that everyone who goes through this story feels represented by the show.
In the same interview, Cimino also says that he was advised against playing a gay character.
“I’ve been told you shouldn’t be playing homosexual roles, especially your first big role,” he says. “’Everyone will think you are gay’ or ‘You won’t be able to book anything’, ‘You will never be able to build a fan base. I am not a traditional “masculine” man, so it would be people trying to force me to do something that I am not. Here I am playing a gay role that might not be considered masculine in an outdated idea of what masculinity is.
Despite the drama, Love, Victor proved to be very popular with audiences, and Cimino received praise for his work. The show is currently airing on Hulu.
