Ben Whishaw says being gay used to be thought of as a "disability" in showbiz.
Ben Whishaw talks sexuality
The 43-year-old actor didn't publicly come out until his mid-twenties and admitted hiding such a huge part of himself took an emotional toll.
He told The Sunday Times: "I think it’s down to every single person to do what’s right for them. For me, it’s better to be out.”
"I’m definitely happier. I remember days when I wasn’t out and that was a more stressful and unhappy position. So I’m grateful that’s over and also grateful that we live in a world where it’s not a shameful thing.
"When I started in the early 2000s, if you had said to another actor you were gay, it was implied or sometimes said explicitly that that was something you shouldn’t make a big thing about. It was a disability, almost.
“There weren’t a vast number [of out actors], and nobody my age. But gay people of my generation came in at a strange time post-AIDS, which had a whole knock-on effect. Yet it was one secret I didn’t need to keep.”
“It doesn’t need to be anyone’s business, but being happy in oneself, not ashamed, is probably better."
Ben previously revealed that it took him a long time to come to terms with his sexuality.
He told The Guardian: "[Growing up, there was a thought that] there’s something wrong with you because you’re attracted to a certain thing. That takes a lot of time and understanding to get over. And understanding doesn’t just arrive because you’ve been explicit and open to other people.
“The equating of homosexuality with weakness – it’s taken a long time for me to understand there’s no reason why it should be anything of the sort. Honestly? I feel like I’m only starting to conquer that now.”
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