‘Euphoria’ Star Jacob Elordi Opens up About Being Called Gay at School

In a recent interview with GQ, actor Jacob Elordi opened up about being called gay at school as a result of his blossoming acting career. The Euphoria star made his foray into the acting world at age 12 when he began starring in school plays, alongside playing for his school’s rugby team in Australia and was often met by disapproving comments from his peers.

“From the moment I did a play I was called gay at school,” Elordi told the publication. He added that “But I had this abundance of confidence in myself. Because I could do both: I was quite good at sport and I think I was quite good at theatre. I felt like I was above it, or it made me feel older. It made me feel wiser. I never was worried that my peers would think that I was less than a man.”

In reference to appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in his younger days, Elordi explained

“When they said I was gay, I remember leaning into the makeup. I was like, if I’m going to be the King of the Fairies, I’m going to be the f***ing hottest King of the Fairies you’ve ever seen. I started welcoming those kinds of characters. I started welcoming the femininity.”

Since starring in Euphoria, the actor has spoken about the sexuality of his character Nate, too, explaining that “His whole thing is secrets, keeping everything hidden. So he’s deliberately misunderstood because he doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. It’s impossible not to misunderstand him because he’s never being honest.”