Hollywood
Brian J. Smith Comes Out As Gay In ‘Attitude’ Magazine

Sense8 actor Brian J. Smith has opened up about his sexuality.
The 38-year-old features on the front cover of Attitude magazine’s December issue where he discussed the struggles of growing up and being closeted.
He said, “I was terrified. At school, I really couldn’t fit in anywhere. I wasn’t a jock or a nerd. Forget about any [LGBTQ+] union or groups. There was absolutely nothing. I was completely alone. I heard all the names: p***, f*****.”
Brian added, “I could never be who I was. I was constantly having to check myself and make sure I wasn’t looking at someone too long or making someone feel uncomfortable.”
His career started at a young age in high school when he became involved in theatre productions. Smith explained, “In front of an audience, I disappeared and became someone else.
I had 600 students at school, all of whom probably thought I was an absolute idiot, a nerd. [But] on stage, they paid attention to me, and they saw that I had something. And that’s when I didn’t feel alone.”
Smith’s breakout project was Sense8, where he explains, “I remember being so relaxed. I thought, ‘Finally, I can just be myself, I don’t have to put on airs for any of these people.’” — in the series, he played a pansexual character.
In a heartwrenching admission, Smith said, “I had to be very, very careful about telling people the truth about myself. It still reverberates. A lot of my work is about that. The things that move me as an actor are those echoes that come up.”
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