Hunter Doohan Discovered Gay Culture After Watching ‘Will & Grace’ – Out Magazine
Hunter Doohan stole the world’s hearts with his portrayal of the quirky-cute barista Tyler Gaplin in Netflix’s latest hit series Wednesday. With some steady roles slowly growing over the last ten years or so, nothing prepared him for the ambitious, months-long shoot in Romania alongside Jenna Ortega and Christina Ricci.
“It was so trippy even getting to stand between the two of them,” Doohan told Queerty. “I grew up with [The Addams Family] movies, so I just feel so lucky to be part of this.”
When asked about a piece of pop culture that played a big role in his coming out journey, Doohan said, “For me, it was definitely discovering Will & Grace in high school, which my girlfriend at the time introduced me to.”
While some may think that a bit of an oops, Doohan said, “No, no. Her name is Grace and she’s my best friend now — we actually moved to LA together!”
Despite the irony in the shared name, Doohan noted how the show shaped him and said, “That show was definitely the biggest exposure I had had to queer culture up until that point. And I loved it. I don’t even know how I was still ‘in the closet’ because I was getting Will & Grace DVD box sets for Christmas!”
Doohan recently married film producer Fielder Jewett after the couple first got engaged on December 31, 2020. Doohan’s Your Honor costar Bryan Cranston officiated the ceremony.
Cranston also plays Doohan’s on-screen dad in the drama, but when asked who Doohan would love to have as his on-screen daddy, he admitted he had a small crush on Matt Bomer.
“But he’s not old at all,” he said. “So he probably wouldn’t want to be daddy yet, haha. That’s not a sentence I thought I’d say today.”
In regard to other queer or trans creators Doohan thinks deserve more attention, he noted country artist Orville Peck as someone he’s currently “obsessed with.”
“I was kind of surrounded by country music growing up in Arkansas,” he said. “And I think part of me — when I was figuring out that I was queer — rejected country music because I didn’t feel like I had anywhere in that space that I belonged. But, as I’ve gotten older, I realized I do like country music, and that’s why I love Orville Peck so much, because he’s so himself.”
You can catch all of Doohan’s charm alongside the other stellar cast of Wednesday on Netflix.
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