Heroes' Zachary Quinto: I'm a Gay Man
Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto came out in an interview with New York magazine, unambiguously citing his sexual orientation for the first time while addressing different topics.
When discussing his recent eight-month stint playing Louis Ironson — a man who abandons his AIDS-stricken boyfriend — in Angels in America, the former Heroes star called the role "the most challenging thing I've ever done as an actor and the most rewarding," but also says it opened his eyes. "And at the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like there's still so much work to be done, and there's still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed."
Check out photos of Zachary Quinto
Quinto refers to himself as a gay man later in the interview when asked about the bullying and subsequent suicide of gay teenager Jamey Rodemeyer. "And again, as a gay man I look at that and say there's a hopelessness that surrounds it, but as a human being I look at it and say 'Why? Where's this disparity coming from, and why can't we as a culture and society dig deeper to examine that?' We're terrified of facing ourselves."
Speculation about his sexuality has been rampant since the 34-year-old actor rose to stardom on Heroes. However, an interview in The New York Times last year said that Quinto "prefers not to feed the rumor mill with either substantiation or dismissal."
Quinto, also known playing for Spock in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, currently plays a gay man (albeit, a dead one) on FX's American Horror Story. He can also be seen in the romantic comedy What's Your Number?