Ben Aldridge is starring alongside Jim Parsons in the upcoming drama-comedy film ‘Spoiler Alert,’ which is based on author Michael Ausiello’s best-selling memoir “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies.”
And since we’ll be seeing more of the hottie that is Ben Aldridge, let’s get to know more about him, shall we?
The 37-year-old English actor was born on November 12, 1985 in Exeter, United Kingdom. In a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, he recalled that he understood he was different at the age of 8.
Aldridge was bullied and was called “gay,” and he shared:
“I grew up in an evangelical household, and through osmosis, from society, had absorbed that being gay wasn’t really an option or a good thing to be.”
The actor added that he is no longer a Christian. At a young age, He had a desire to perform, and he wasn’t interested in sports. In fact, Aldridge even prayed “to be a normal boy.”
“I wanted to not be who I was, basically,” he expressed.
Despite his internal conflicts as a young boy, his parents were supportive of his true interests, and they allowed him to go to stage school for three nights a week, to attend dance school on the weekends, and to join the National Youth Theatre in the summer.
Aldridge stated,
“They really encouraged me, always making sure I could pursue those hobbies.”
Fast forward to his 20s, the actor first kissed a man when he was 23 years old, he then came out to his wider circle of friends at the age of 25, and he finally opened up about his sexuality to his parents when he was 26.
At the time, Aldridge had studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and he was already working, with his true self hidden on set.
“There was a sense of achievement to be playing straight roles despite who I knew I was inside,” the actor admitted, adding that he feels some shame about that at present.
He added,
“But along with that, there was a lot of paranoia, a lot of extra energy spent worrying.”
On June 27, 2020, Aldridge made a life-changing announcement on World Pride Day, and on his Instagram caption, he wrote:
“The journey to pride was a long one for me. I love the LGBTQ+ community and am incredibly proud and thankful to be a part of it. So much won. So much more to fight for.
#pride”
“I’d felt for quite some time that I was conveniently hiding behind an outward perception that I’m straight,” he stated.
The actor further explained that he doesn’t consider his Instagram post as coming out, but instead, he expressed:
“I view it as claiming my true identity. Just saying, ‘Actually, this is who I am, and I’m really proud of that.’ It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
And now moving back to Aldridge and Parsons’ upcoming film, ‘Spoiler Alert’ is scheduled to be released on December 2, 2022. In the meantime, you can watch the movie’s emotional trailer:
Source: latimes.com
I didn’t realize he was in Fleabag with another great gay actor Andrew Scott.