20 LGBTQ+ Entertainers Who Made the Out100 – Out Magazine
Actors Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins (photographed by Qurissy Lopez), Poppy Liu, Johnny Sibilly, Megan Stalter,
and Mark Indelicato
@hannaheinbinder, @carlclemonshopkins, @poppyrepublic, @johnnysibilly, @megsstalter. @markindelicato
One of the brightest spots of the year’s TV landscape was Hacks, the HBO dramedy centered on a legendary comedienne, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), looking to reinvigorate her career in Las Vegas. Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, the show has received acclaim and accolades; Smart won an Emmy for her delicious portrayal of the Joan Rivers-ian diva. But Out also took note of the plethora of trope-defying LGBTQ+ talent onscreen, which made Hacks a significant contribution to queer culture.
Hollywood has also taken notice. In addition to Smart, Hannah Einbinder and Carl Clemons-Hopkins were Emmy-nominated for their roles, which are both LGBTQ+. Einbinder, who is bisexual, plays Ava (also bi), a comedy writer looking to restart her career after cultural cancellation. Nonbinary actor Clemons-Hopkins portrays Vance’s queer CEO, Marcus. Rounding out the out ensemble are Johnny Sibilly as Wilson, a water inspector and Marcus’s love interest; Megan Stalter as Kayla, the hysterical-but-unreliable assistant to Ava’s agent; Poppy Liu as Kiki, Vance’s favorite blackjack dealer; and Mark Indelicato as Damien, Vance’s personal assistant.
Together, the LGBTQ+ Hacks cast reads as a Who’s Who of young queer Hollywood. Indelicato was already famous from his groundbreaking role as Justin Suarez, a gay youth on Ugly Betty. Stalter routinely goes viral for her zany characters on social media; her spoof of a fumbling small-business rep shamelessly gay-baiting almost broke the internet this year. Liu made The Advocate’s Champions of Pride list in 2019 for her work bringing visibility to queer Asian stories; she’ll soon be starring in an Amazon Prime Video series called Dead Ringers alongside Rachel Weisz.
Moreover, in addition to starring in Candyman this year, Clemons-Hopkins stole the red carpet at the Emmy Awards in a Christian Siriano-designed outfit printed with the colors of the nonbinary flag. Einbinder, in the vein of Vance, has long been acclaimed on the standup comedy circuit. And Sibilly is preparing to continue queer TV domination as a cast member on the Queer as Folk reboot.
Hacks’s LGBTQ+ visibility means a great deal to each of these actors. “I can’t even count how many times I’ve Googled ‘gay movies’ or ‘gay girl bi TV’ desperate to find something I can relate to in that way,” shares Stalter, who is bi. This representation “means the world” to Clemons-Hopkins. “It means more connectivity, more healing, and more confirmation of our glory,” they affirm. Einbinder adds that this contribution is “incredible, especially getting to play a bi character. She feels so real to me and is someone I personally have yearned to see on TV for so long. Love Ava so much.”
Sibilly notes that the success of Hacks is a milestone for out entertainers everywhere. “It’s incredibly important especially in an industry that often used to tell our LGBTQ+ family to hide and stifle who they were,” he says. “This moment is for them as well as those future baby queers.”
That these characters are not defined by their identities is especially important to Liu in an industry still plagued with stereotypes. “I love queer people just getting to be regular [people], nothing extraordinary, not unpacking our trauma, not coming out over and over again — just doing regular stuff like checking neighborhood water levels or being mediocre at our office job or being annoyed at our boss or complaining about our kid,” Liu says.
“It’s always a dream to work alongside those that you can relate to,” Indelicato concludes. “I can’t stress enough how inspiring it has been to be a part of a queer ensemble like that of Hacks, but also to be a part of a show that cherishes and champions queer artists and artistry. I would hope that the impact of such representation is yet another reminder that the notion of the ‘queer body’ is not a monolith. We, as the queer cast members of Hacks, have such varied lived experiences and relationships to our queerness. Being given the opportunity to be in a space where we can share those stories with one another and with the world is truly a gift.” — D.R.