Acting is just that: acting. These professionals play parts that may be sort of similar to themselves or play parts that are entirely new experiences for them. A rich person playing a poor person, an unathletic person playing an athletic person, someone who has no kids playing a parent, someone who is not into fashion playing a fashionista… The list goes on and on.
At times, though, there are LGBTQ actors out there who actually portray LGBTQ characters in their works, such as the ones who are listed out down below, which are all from popular films and television shows.
Damian In Mean Girls
Mean Girls was released in 2004, starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried. Daniel Franzese played Damian Leigh, and this actor came out in 2014.
While he was not out while playing this gay character, he has become very active in the LGBTQ community, as he is an AIDS activist and an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. He also played Eddie, an HIV-positive character, in the show Looking.
Valkyrie In Thor: Ragnarok
Actress Tessa Thompson has been in everything recently, such as Creed, Men in Black: International, Avengers: Endgame, Annihilation, and Thor: Ragnarok from 2017.
Thompson is also bisexual (In 2018, she talked to Net-A-Porter about her relationship with Janelle Monáe), as is her character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe; there was apparently a scene in Thor: Ragnarok that showed this off, but it was cut from the final version of this superhero flick.
The Adjudicator In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
The John Wick movies are quite popular, as they star Keanu Reeves as the title character and are full of action. In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, there was a character named The Adjudicator, and this character was non-binary.
In real life, Asia Kate Dillon, who has also appeared in popular TV shows like Orange Is the New Black and Billions and who is non-binary played this part and asked that the character match their own identity.
Kurt In Glee
From 2009 to 2015, Glee came on television, and it focused on a high school glee club. Many different issues, experiences and moments that teenagers face were covered through this story, and it was a fun and beautiful look at a group that was more like a family.
One character and member was Kurt, portrayed by Chris Colfer, and both Kurt and Chris are gay. An additional piece of information is that Naya Rivera identifies as bisexual, and on this show, she portrayed a lesbian cheerleader named Santana.
Father Marcus In The Exorcist
The Exorcist started up on TV in 2016, as a sequel to the popular horror movie from 1973. Though it was canceled in 2018, it did feature a gay version of Father Marcus.
This character was played by Ben Daniels, who has been in movies such as Jack the Giant Slayer and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and who was once quoted as saying, “Out? I've never been in."!
Mitchell In Modern Family
Modern Family is a very popular comedy series that focuses on a large group of friends and family members and that stars actors and actresses such as Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, Ed O'Neill, and Sofía Vergara. One of these friends and members is Mitchell, a man who is married to another man, Cam.
In real life, Mitchell is played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who is gay, while Cam is played by Eric Stonestreet, who is straight.
Rosa Diaz In Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Another beloved comedy show is Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which stars Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta, who is a bit immature, yet who is also good at his job as an N.Y.P.D. detective.
Stephanie Beatriz is in this television show, as well, as Rosa Diaz, and both this actress and this character are bisexual; Beatriz announced this via social media in 2016, and in 2018, she married Brad Hoss.
Batwoman In Batwoman
Additionally, there is Ruby Rose, who stars as the title character, Kate Kane / Batwoman, in this new television show, Batwoman.
Rose is a model and an actress who has been on shows like Orange Is the New Black and movies like Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, XXX: Return of Xander Cage, John Wick: Chapter 2 and Pitch Perfect 3. Rose is a lesbian, and this updated version of Batwoman is, too.
Dreamer In Supergirl
Another example comes from another superhero series. In Supergirl, there is a character named Nia Nal / Dreamer, who is transgender.
In reality, an actress named Nicole Maines plays this part, and Maines was Susan Doe in Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, which was a Maine Supreme Judicial Court case focused on gender identity and school bathroom use.
Buck Vu In The OA
There is also a character named Buck Vu from a show called The OA, a story about a young blind woman named Prairie, who returns home, after having been missing, with her sight restored.
This series came on Netflix back in 2016, before being canceled, and in it, Vu was a trans man who was portrayed by a trans actor who is named Ian Alexander.
Many In American Horror Story
And, of course, there are the many LGBTQ actors and actresses who play LGBTQ characters in the scary series American Horror Story.
In the first season, Murder House, Zachary Quinto, who is gay, played Patrick. In the third season, Coven, Leslie Jordan played Quentin. In the fourth season, Freak Show, Denis O'Hare played Stanley, and Matt Bomer played Andy. In the fifth season, Hotel, Lady Gaga, who is bisexual, played The Countess. In the seventh season, Cult, Billy Eichner played Harrison Wilton and Colton Haynes played Jack. In the eight season, Apocalypse, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman played Andre.