midnight snacc

Charles Melton is the breakout hottie of what’s sure to be every gay’s new favorite movie

Todd Haynes’ May December is the kind of film that sounds like it was engineered in a lab specifically for gay film buffs to obsess over.

From the acclaimed director of timeless queer classics like Carol and Velvet Goldmine, the film is a campy melodrama about an actress who arrives in a small town to study the woman she’ll be playing in a biopic, who years earlier became a tabloid star thanks to her romance with someone much younger.

Screen icons Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore play the lead roles, respectively, but there’s one more star who has us especially excited: Hunky actor on the rise Charles Melton!

Yes, as if the prospect of a Portman-Moore showdown wasn’t enough to get the gays to the theater, Haynes is also giving us some major eye candy in the form of Melton.

At 32, the Alaskan-born actor is thus far best known for The CW’s “hot Archie” show, Riverdale, where he plays Reggie Mantle, the longtime “best frenemy” of the Archie Comics.

via GIPHY

When Riverdale became a massive hit, fans wondered which members of its hot, young cast would breakout to become a major A-list star, and it sure seems like Melton is about to have his moment just as the drama is about to wrap up its seventh and final season.

Melton’s earliest credits include guest spots on Glee and American Horror Story, and, since Riverdale, he’s also headlined his own romantic comedy, The Sun Is Also A Star, featured in the 2020 blockbuster Bad Boys For Life, and appeared in an episode of Peacock’s Natasha Lyonne mystery series, Poker Face.

But May December sounds like it’ll be Melton’s biggest critical hit to date, starring as a young married man named Joe, who met his wife (played by Moore) when he was just a teen, creating a media controversy.

After it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this past weekend, May December received rave reviews, with many singling out Melton’s dramatic performance. According to Vanity Fair, the actor “ably provides the heart—and heartbreak—of the film,” while Indiewire hails his “well-modulated” and “moving” work.

Here’s more of what critics are saying about Melton’s work in the movie:

Anyway, we’re just thrilled to see a whole lot more of Melton on our screens, social media feeds, or anywhere, really. Scroll on below for a few more of our favorite shots from the breakthrough actor’s Instagram:

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated