Lukas Gage has opened up about the emotional toll of staying in the closet, saying it may feel exciting at first, but eventually “starts to eat away at you”.
The actor, who previously said he is “90% gay, 10% straight”, said coming out brought him a sense of relief and freedom, and helped him do better work with the “right people”.
In an interview with E! News, Gage reflected on the pressure of keeping his sexuality private and the shift he felt once he was open.
Gage said he had been comfortable with his sexuality around those closest to him, but worried about how people outside that circle might judge him.
“I was comfortable with my sexuality with the people that I cared about. It was the people that didn’t know me that I was the most fearful about…,” he said.
He described coming out publicly as a moment of release.
“It was like I could take a deep breath,” Gage said.
Secrecy and relief
Gage also spoke about the emotional toll of hiding, saying secrecy can initially feel exciting before becoming exhausting.
“At first, having a secret can be fun and it can feel like you’re mysterious. Then it starts to eat away at you and you just can’t keep up with it anymore,” he said.
He added that being open had a practical impact on his career and the people he chose to collaborate with.
“Just being upfront was the thing that allowed me to be more free [and] allowed my work to be better and allowed me actually to work with the right people. It aligned me in the right way…,” he said.
Work, boundaries and being upfront
Gage also made clear that he has no interest in working with people who take issue with his sexuality.
“If people don’t want to work with me because of how I identify or who I have sex with, they’re probably people I don’t want to work with anyway,” he said.
Gage is known for roles in HBO’s Euphoria and The White Lotus, and has also appeared in Netflix’s You and horror hit Smile.
He went viral in 2020 after sharing a director’s hot-mic Zoom comment about his apartment.
Gage married celebrity hairstylist and Strictly Come Dancing star Chris Appleton in 2023. The pair later separated and divorced.
For Gage, being open has not only brought personal relief, but also helped him set clearer boundaries in an industry where authenticity can still come at a cost.
