Hairspray Live! actor Garrett Clayton recently opened up about his experiences working on the set of King Cobra with James Franco. The 2016 movie, rated NC-17, chronicled the life of porn star Brent Corrigan with Clayton starring as Corrigan. The former Disney channel breakout star took a little time feeling at ease on the set,
“I was challenging myself mentally, saying, ‘This is a character. This isn’t me. It’s okay.’ It felt very vulnerable to be pretty much nude and insinuate sexual acts with basic strangers.”
However that ease was quickly shattered as the Teen Beach Movie actor recalls being publicly slut shamed saying, “the movie, I guess, made some people feel like they had permission to either say or do hurtful things.” Recalling the incident in greater detail the 31-year-old publicly out actor said,
“At one point during a shoot, I was on the couch with two men on either side of me, and they started making jokes about what a slut I was. They’re like, ‘this isn’t his first time.’ I felt like they were talking through me. It really got to me, I ended up leaving the room. They just wouldn’t stop saying such nasty horrible things right through me as if I wasn’t sitting right there.”
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Related: Garrett Clayton comes out and reveals his longtime boyfriend
The incident gave the Don’t Hang Up actor a glimpse into what his female friends dealt with on a greater scale,
“That was such a big eye-opening experience because a lot of my girlfriends have told me men have treated them this way. I’m not saying I understand the female experience completely, but this was probably the closest I’ll get to it.”
Garrett will soon be seen in The Mattachine Family opposite Nico Tortorella and Juan Pablo Di Pace in a story about two gay men who become fathers. Instinct covered the casting announcement of the film back in November. In his role in the film, the A Gay in the Life podcast host exclaimed,
“I have a cute spot in The Mattachine Family. I’ve played my fair share of scandalous characters, and I’m sure I will again, but right now I want to keep showing people my different colors.”
Sources: Queerty
OMG… What’s with all the sensitivity all of a sudden? Acting is Acting. If you’re not a slut, get over it.
I’ve heard gay actors get harassed alot mainly to stay in the closet.