Garrett Clayton, the 27-year-old Disney star turned film actor, came out as gay last August. But in a new interview with Gay Times magazine, he reveals that his members of his Hollywood team encouraged him to stay closeted to help boost his career.
In the interview, Clayton says that when he first started acting, “somebody who was instrumental in starting my career” sat him down and asked him point blank if he was gay.
When Clayton replied, “Yeah, I’m gay or bi or whatever,” he suddenly felt disapproval from this person.
The person responded, “No one wants to f*ck the gay guy. They want to go shopping with him, so we’re going to have to figure this out… People need to see that you’re into sports because they’ll think that’s more masculine. So why don’t you go buy a sports hat, take some pictures in it, and make sure people see you in it?”
Clayton says he was basically told to change every aspect of himself to appear heterosexual, including how he dressed and talked. It sent him into “a really dark place for a couple of years,” eventually driving him into psychotherapy.
Clayton also reveals that his father and brother both reacted badly when he came out to them.
Related: Garrett Clayton models an umbrella, but fans are looking elsewhere
While Clayton’s story about his family and career advisor are sad, they’re also sadly common.
Early on into his career, actor Colton Haynes came out as gay through photos of him kissing another dude in the March 2006 issue of XY magazine. But in 2011, when he began appearing in MTV’s Teen Wolf series, some dumb lawyer tried to remove all of his XY pics from the web — it didn’t work. Plus, it was a dumb thing to do to begin with since Teen Wolf ended up having lots of gay characters.
Anyway, when Haynes eventually came out again in a May 2016 Entertainment Weekly interview, he explained what everyone already knew: That he “took advice early in his career to subdue [his homosexuality].” And just like Clayton, the resulting anxiety sent him into psychotherapy.
Clayton and Haynes are part of the 39% of LGBTQ Americans who report being rejected by family members when they come out. So whether in Hollywood or just your own household, many LGBTQ people face enormous pushback just for coming out, creating immense psychological stress and damage.
Luckily for Clayton and Haynes, their careers have still done pretty well despite the pressure. But it makes you wonder how many other young aspiring creatives have been told to repress themselves just for a shot at success and familial acceptance.
Related: Former Disney star Garrett Clayton comes out, introduces fans to his boyfriend
Bob LaBlah
Considering I never heard of him till this past August (and still don’t care) he may as well have stayed closeted. You KNOW if ol’ Bob LaBlah never heard of him or the issue then it doesn’t matter.
BGinBigD
Bob, honey, you commented. You care.
startenout
It’s adorable when you think your generation are still style and trend setters. All the up and coming young gays know exactly who both of these men are. Stay golden.
Trekbike
I guess since I’ve never wanted to hear about you it still qualifies as you never existed. I love it.
Juanjo
was that an attempt at humor. Miss LaBlah? If so, it fell flat.
Bob LaBlah
@BingtheDinaling…………..wrong. I don’t care. But thanks for the publicity. I had no idea I had this many fans on Queerty. Now if we can just get ol’ Celeste to see the light.
Curtispsf
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
OzJosh
Why advertise your ignorance? You could have kept quiet and we’d never have known how hopelessly out of touch you are!
cynicalsteve
Oh bob… bless your heart, you really do try to be relevant. Be a doll and just sit your tired old queen ass down. Thanks hon…
Bob LaBlah
Don’t worry. The “queen” has taken note of your insolence and has her scepter ready for crowning. lol
bbbbmer
i know that the porn star who the main character in KING COBRA is based on has protested the film, mr. clayton’s performance was GREAT! and there are roles percolating through the big bank financing mechanisms for queer men, including queer men playing straight… then again, ick! carry on, mr. clayton — you’re a very good actor, and thank you for your performance in KING COBRA….
Mozo83
He was really good in that just okay movie.
And when he flashes that ass at the end? Wow. 🙂
djmcgamester
It’s pretty standard to tell gays to stay closeted. It was never right but 15-20 years ago it would lead to blacklisting. It’s better today. I’m glad these guys are coming out publicly now. The more who do so the easier it will be for all gay actors.
gaimingfoxer
Not just 15-20 years ago.
Matt Bomber lost the role of Superman on Man of Steel because he is gay in real life.
Heck, the Sony hacked emails showed they clearly insisted the actor for Spiderman can’t be gay.
While we have progress on that issue, it’s still a problem.
Greg
Matt Bomer and his boner
Celtic
“Look like an athlete or someone who plays sports”. Wow. Yep, there ya have it. How sad it is that people do not realize there are MANY gay athletes, gay sportsmen, gay boxers/wrestlers; businessmen; hair dressers; architects; interior designers; dancers; actors; soccer players; rugby players; football players. Give this s**t the f**k up. Most gay men are wholly undetectable to the “outside” world while most often we can zone in on our own. Yet, in today’s world so many straight men have taken dress cues, styles and codes from gays it is hard to tell them apart. Now straight guys are admitting to enjoying butt sex as both bottom and top. OMG! WHAT is our world coming to?
Mack
Watching Clayton acting, I never got a “straight” vibe. To me he was very gay-Teen Beach for example. Colton Haynes on the other hand acts like a young straight guy. Neal Patrick Harris also passes very well for a straight guy. There are many out there who could pass and play straight. It’s called acting and if you do your job you can pass as a straight or gay simply by acting.
Bob LaBlah
Good lord. You make the child sound like the next Gidget.
gaimingfoxer
“Acting” has nothing to do with it. Celebrities, whether actors, singers, models or even politicians, are not judged solely by the quality of their work but rather by their public image and PERSONAL life style.
Rosanne Barr acted well enough on her show, but it’s her personal tweet that got her the boot.
Same with Clayton. An actor with his looks would be cast in roles that let’s face it, require him to serve as man candy to women or gay men. If he isn’t a turn on for them, they won’t buy tickets to see the movie.
If there is anything in his personal life that could become public and go viral and would tarnish his public image, he would could hurt ticket sales even if he had acted brilliantly.
And yes, being effeminate is a turn off for some people. It’s a turn on for others, but probably not enough of the target audience.
And it’s not just sexuality. Actors are pretending to be into stuff all the time. Heck, if agents have a reason to think it would be easier for him to promote a movie if he declares himself vegan, he’ll pretend to be vegan – or whatever other trend is current.
Yes, actors pretend to be into all sorts of charity (That they have no idea what it’s about), political issues (that they have no idea what they are really about), diet trends, fashion trends, certain hobbies – you name it and a lot of it is completely fake.
Greg
I would want to f*ck the gay guy. He’s got a great ass.
Lacuevaman
who? he looks like all the others…
nm4047
Oh, I see what Queerty did, I thought I was going to have to wait for the Colton halloween costume, but they manage to get the weekly story that then becomes all about Colton.
Donston
This is fairly common stuff in “Liberal Hollywood”. It really shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point. Almost every dude (and some females) who have come out, even halfway come out, says that they were told to stay closeted, shield their same-sex relationships and/or feign hetero romantic relationships. It seems agents and film execs are usually the culprits. He is one of the first ones to admit to being pushed to “butch up” his personality and image. Ain’t nothin’ gay-friendly about Hollywood if you’re trying to make it as an out actor. It’s all about the bottom line and about cultivating an image, and the industry is full of “queers” who are either batsh*t or self-hating and contend with internalized homophobia. This is just new old news.