There is no denying that Brandon Flynn has nowhere to go but up after being catapulted to stardom through Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. At the time, the star was battling his own real-life demons–drugs.
Brandon has been filling up his acting portfolio with a plethora of roles both on-screen and on-stage. The 30-year-old even went on to star in the dark comedy film Looks That Kill where he played a high school student whose looks literally killed anyone who saw his face. If there were ever a perfect casting choice, this would be it. Just look at the man:
Working in Hollywood is challenging enough, but being an openly gay man in Tinseltown comes with its own set of difficulties. For LGBTQ+ individuals, being in the public eye often makes it harder to “come out” on their own terms. While there’s no obligation for anyone to come out, questions about an actor’s or actress’ sexuality always seem to become a topic of discussion in the industry. In an interview with Variety, Brandon discusses the challenges of having a voice that is overshadowed by prejudice:
“I came out to my family and my friends around 10 years ago. So even when the industry caught wind of me being bisexual or gay or whichever one they choose to go with, it didn’t feel like it was my own.“
He explains further by saying there was no actual need for him to let people about his sexuality, but since people were already making assumptions according to how they wanted to see Brandon, he had no choice but to come out:
“It didn’t seem that it would make a difference whether I came out or not because it’s just my life…But it did feel like I had to come out — even though I didn’t ever come out to the public, in a weird way, I just one day read an article where I came out in the terms that they wanted me to come out.”
When Flynn played Justin Foley in 13 Reasons Why, he connected with the character’s struggle with drug addiction. Fortunately, both he and his character overcame their addictions. Brandon shared with Vogue Hong Kong:
“Justin has lived a difficult life and dealt with substance abuse problems for many years. When we finished filming, I found that I was ready to face my own problems, and I think that This experience contributed to my determination to quit drug addiction, and it was probably one of the most significant and profound realizations in my entire career as an actor.”
Brandon has also managed to become a brilliant director. Go check out the video:
You can catch Brandon in Apple TV+’s Manhunt or binge watch a bunch of his acting on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and Ratched. In the meantime, check out some of Brandon’s hottest looks to totally thirst over. You can scroll over his Calvin Klein looks slowly…Don’t worry, this is your safe space.
It’s possible he was wearing jeans in this one, it’s hard to tell:
Source: Vogue Hong Kong, Variety