“Playboy Club” actor Sean Maher says he’s gay: Tells of Hollywood pressures to stay closeted
”This is my coming out ball. I’ve been dying to do this…. I’ve never been asked about it publicly, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t paint a different picture.”
Actor Sean Maher speaking with Entertainment Weekly. Primarily known for his roles on TV shows like Firefly, Ryan Caulfield and Party of Five, he is now starting in NBC’s The Playboy Club, as a man in a marriage of convenience who helps to establish a chapter of The Mattachine Society in Chicago in the early 1960s. (Entertainment Weekly)
Maher tells EW that, when he was 22, he was advised to pretend to be straight or, at most, bisexual. He says his 14 years in the closet was exhausting and that it made him miserable. He feels his coming out interview is a liberating experience. Maher says his new role in Playboy Club was the catalyst for his public revelation. His character’s orientation is revealed 34 minutes into the pilot episode, and Maher says the show is slated to give his character’s storyline more screen time in coming weeks.
Visit The Playboy Club at NBC or Sean Maher’s Twitter feed for more information.
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