New ABC sitcom Single Parents premiered last week to good reviews, and one star is using that platform and newfound popularity to talk about his identity.
On Single Parents, Jake Choi plays a 21-year-old single dad named Miggy Park in an ensemble show with cast mates like Leighton Meester, Taran Killam, and Brad Garrett. But, some LGBTQ fans may remember Jake Choi from his 2015 gay romance film Front Cover.
In it, he played an openly gay fashion stylist who worked with a closeted actor from China (played by James Chen). The two quickly found a connection and attraction to the other, and learned from each other (Chen’s character admired Choi’s character for being openly gay and Choi’s character admired the other for his pride in his Chinese heritage).
Now, Choi says that he considered himself straight when that movie was filmed, but his self-identity has changed since then.
In a conversation with Very Good Light, Jake Choi says that he considers himself both sexually fluid and partly gender fluid.
“When I shot the movie I identified as straight – that’s how I was conditioned,” said Choi. “Now, I identify as fluid.”
Choi says that working in that gay role left him with questions about his own sexuality and self-expression.
"Back when people questioned if I was gay after the [movie], I was like, ‘no, no.’ But after I did Front Cover, it made me think. A lot," he revealed. "Am I really living my truth? Am I really free? Am I still kinda, swimming upstream?"
"Every day I would think, What does it mean when I’m talking to a guy and connect with him emotionally with intimate energy? Maybe it’s not just sexual, but it could be. Maybe, shit, I’m attracted to everything. Maybe it’s more feminine or more androgynous. I realized yeah, I’m fluid. It’s not black or white. It’s grey."
Then on Instagram, Jake Choi thanked Very Good Light for giving him the opportunity to talk about his identity.
If you want to support Jake Choi, American viewers can watch Single Parents on ABC.
