Now that he's publicly out about his sexuality, he's experienced a dramatic shift in how Hollywood sees him, rarely going in for roles that aren't 'the gay best friend or the gay dad.'Ī great deal has changed for queer actors in the entertainment industry since 2007 when Haynes to L.A. And it was really damaging to me because, still to this day, I find myself longing to be that kid who could be wholly anonymous,' he says. 'I definitely had to lock all that back up. Forced back into the closet, he set about changing his voice and mannerisms. He was typecast as a dumb jock, a jerk, the boyfriend of the beautiful singer in a music video - roles he was told that meant he couldn't be gay.
He was unequivocally out.īut because of how Haynes looks, Hollywood quickly decided that he was a leading man upon arriving in Los Angeles. He danced in his teens as a go-go boy at a local gay bar called Big Daddy's and even took his boyfriend to prom. Before moving to Los Angeles and starring in hit shows like Teen Wolf and Arrow,Ĭolton Haynes didn't care who knew that he was gay.
