Jim Parsons believes being gay has made him a better actor.
Jim Parsons
The 47-year-old star admitted he didn’t expect to feel such “happiness and strength” when he came out in 2012 and not only does he think his sexuality has informed his work as he has more “layers” to “share”, he also feels it has had a positive impact on his career.
Speaking to Attitude, he said: “To suddenly be part of a large group that has been - and still is - maligned at times, with hateful things being said about them by other public figures - there was a sense of happiness and strength for me that I couldn't have predicted.
“As soon as it became a story, it made me feel very strong and I think in this day and age it only helped career-wise. I certainly have never felt it hurt my career - at all.
“It probably even helped me be a better actor. There's always more layers of yourself you can share."
The ‘Big Bang Theory’ actor is very content with his life and who he is, but he admitted somewhere within him is still a “fear” that being himself will result in him “losing the love” of those who really matter.
Reflecting on his work in Broadway show and now movie ‘The Boys in the Band’ – an adaptation of a 1960s play about a group of gay men – he said: “I realised that being gay and growing up around people and in a culture where that wasn't celebrated - where it was reviled, in many ways - had an impact on me.
“Happy as I am, I'm still working out the fear I grew up with, that by revealing who I really am, I will somehow lose the love of the people who are important to me.
“This story wasn't a direct reflection of my time, and things have changed rapidly for gay people over the last couple of decades but even now there's that residual [feeling]."
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