Wednesday actor Hunter Doohan has revealed that he once felt pressured to conceal his sexuality during the early stages of his acting career.
The 31-year-old, who has been openly gay for more than a decade, admitted that during certain auditions, he was so worried about being judged that he temporarily removed photos of his now-husband, producer Fielder Jewett, from Instagram.
Speaking on The Zach Sang Show, Doohan recalled auditioning for Showtime’s Your Honor in 2019, describing it as the first time he’d undergone a network test.
“It was the first time I’d done a network test and they were really scrutinising. I really tried to hide it. I went and hid pictures of us on my Instagram, archived them,” he explained.
At the time, he was 26 and still finding himself having to come out to colleagues when starting new projects. While filming Your Honor, he even had to come out to series lead Bryan Cranston.
“I was at lunch one time with Bryan and I said, ‘Grace called again,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, she’s my friend Grace.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, just a friend?’ and I thought, ‘Oh God… I’ve been out for eight years and I have to come out of the closet again.’ That was so unsettling and awful. I was like, ‘I’m never going to do that for a role again.’”
When asked why he felt the need to hide his sexuality, Doohan said he wasn’t entirely sure.
“At the same time, I’ve never been cast [in a gay role]. I’ve auditioned for them, but all the characters I’ve played have been straight. It’s strange, but I feel really lucky.”
Doohan is now widely recognised for playing Tyler Galpin in Netflix’s hit series Wednesday, returning for the show’s second season. Although Tyler is straight, Doohan has expressed interest in playing a queer character one day.
“I’m out and a gay actor, and I feel really lucky that I’ve gotten to play a wide range of roles… I truthfully haven’t been offered a bunch of gay roles. And I would love to play a queer character, not for the sake of it being queer, but like a great character who is queer.”
Citing Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey as a major influence, Doohan praised those who paved the way for LGBTQ+ representation in film and television.
“Jonathan Bailey is a huge inspiration for me. Look at the films and franchises he’s leading as a leading man, and that’s really inspiring.”
Doohan married Jewett in 2022, shortly after the first season of Wednesday premiered, with Cranston officiating their wedding.
