TV
- Riverdale star opens up about his “experience with a man”
Riverdale
star Tommy Martinez has opened up about his
sexuality
The
American actor who plays recurring character
Malachai on the popular teen show is now starring
in the Freeform series, Good Trouble, a spin-off
from the critically-acclaimed LGBTQ family drama
The Fosters.
On
the show, he portrays graphic designer Gael
Martinez, who identifies as bisexual. During a
panel discussion for the show in Los Angeles, Martinez
said he resonates with his character because he
previously had an “experience with a man”.
“With
his sexuality, in the places I grew up in, it was
something that was never talked about, nor was it
ever challenged,” he said. “I know
plenty of people from my high school that are gay
but are still not out to this day.”
He
continued: “I had an experience with a man maybe
10 years ago and this is the first time that I’m
saying that publicly.
“Throughout
that whole time, I felt like I was put into the
shadows, because the way that my community was,
the way that they spoke about [LGBTQ people], [the]
Hispanic community, it’s not only just them, but
they are very religious and strict on what they
believe it, but same with many other people in the
world and here in America.”
Martinez
said he had nobody to talk to about his own
experiences because of their negative views of
homosexuality.
“And
I kept that inside the whole time until now,” he
continued further. “And to have this opportunity
to portray this character and this community, I
felt, especially in front of you wonderful people,
I felt maybe this is the best place to express
that.
“And
so I saw myself completely in Gael’s shoes. And
so when I got that audition notice and dove deeper
into the character, I just felt right with it.”
According
to The Advocate, “the room erupted in applause
of support when Martinez finished his story.”
Earlier
this month, Good Trouble was renewed for a second
season. You can watch its debut season every
Tuesday on Freeform.
