Billy Harris Opens Up About Portraying a Gay Character in ‘Ted Lasso’

Billy Harris has quickly rose to fame after landing the role of footballer Colin Hughes in Apple TV+’s hit comedy-drama series, ‘Ted Lasso.’

(c) Instagram: @billharris__ / @1883magazine

In the show’s second season, Colin made a passing comment about the gay dating app Grindr. It sparked speculations on his sexuality, and it was confirmed in Season 3 when it was revealed that he is in a relationship with a man named Michael, who is portrayed by Sam Liu.

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In a recent interview with Variety, the 29-year-old British actor opened up about playing a gay role, which has a significant storyline in ‘Ted Lasso’s current season.

“In Season 2, I was doing a little more here and there, as my character was developing, and I was very happy. Then there came the line about Grindr. And I read that, and said, “That’s a story in itself. A young guy on a football team talking about Grindr.” So, I realized, this is something that may flourish in the future,” he stated.

He continued by sharing how the LGBTQ+ community responded to the hint on his character’s sexuality in Season 2, expressing:

“What I loved the most, what I felt like from the moment the line was said, is a community felt represented in their favorite TV show. And I have nothing but love and loyalty and gratitude to every Colin Hughes fan, because they’ve been there from that moment. I’ve read pretty much every tweet, which I know I shouldn’t do, but I just love Colin and to see that support from other people is just really, really nice.”

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(c) Twitter: @lassoleil

Harris’ character resonated with a lot of members in the community, and he revealed a memorable message that many of them had told him.

“I’ve spoken to some amazing people. People basically saying that they wish their younger self could have watched this. I’ve had so many people telling me: “I loved football, but I was also gay in school and I knew well the prejudices that go hand-in-hand with being gay and being a footballer. To have watched this would have really helped me,” the actor shared.

He further expressed how he feels after receiving heart-warming messages about his character, stating:

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“That’s been amazing. It’s been so lovely to see the responses to the story.”

More about Harris’ character Colin is revealed in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3’s recently released Episode 6, which is now available for streaming on Apple TV+.


Source: variety.com

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