Joey Pollari has publicly come out as gay, just as his new movie, Love, Simon, is out in theaters.
The 23-year-old actor plays, Lyle, a server at a Waffle House who may or may not be Blue, a closeted teen who corresponds with Simon through email.
“I think all my friends and family knew on some level. I think maybe two people were shocked,” Joey shared with The Advocate.
He adds, “The only part that was difficult was me coming out to myself. And I think that is the most difficult coming-out…my mom knew. She laid hints for me everywhere.”
Joey adds that he hopes Love, Simon will fill a representation hole.
“It meant a lot to me when I was younger,” he says of recognizing the importance of queer public figures. “To see people who are out, to see people who are all kinds of things — people who are so clear in their anger, people who are clear about their arrogance, their pettiness, their desperation.”
“I mean, that’s why I go to the movies… I go to learn something about someone else. In a byproduct, I learn about myself. That’s the power of representation.”
Love, Simon is out now in theaters.
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