Jack Falahee, who plays oversexed gay law student Connor Walsh in Shonda Rhimes‘ breakout hit “How to Get Away with Murder” says his sexuality is no one’s business but his own.
In an interview with Out magazine, the 25-year-old fan favorite refused to say whether he’s gay or straight.
“I don’t think answering who I’m sleeping with accomplishes anything other than quenching the thirst of curiosity,” Falahee explained. “Moreover, it seems reductive. It’s been really interesting to be in the middle of the industry’s fascination with the individual, because I never thought about that growing up or when I was at acting school. No matter how I answer, someone will say, ‘No, that’s not true.’ We still live in this hetero-normative, patriarchal society that is intent on placing everything within these binaries. I really hope that — if not in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime — this won’t be a question, that we won’t need this.”
But that doesn’t mean he’s not proud to be the new poster boy for gay sex on primetime TV.
“I’m glad that it is a big deal — it’s a huge deal — but you don’t think about that when you go to work. On Monday, I have to go and do a bunch of scenes, and I’m thinking about my actions and my goals and objectives — not, ‘I’m going to go make a difference.’”
Falahee’s graphic sex scenes have been among the most talked about water-cooler subjects since the show premiered in September. His legendary bedroom moves are so good, they can apparently make people’s eyes water with pleasure.
His TV sexcapades weren’t everyone’s cup of tea, however. One Twitter user complained to Rhimes that her “gay scenes” were “too much.” Rhimes quickly shot back, “There are no GAY scenes. There are scenes with people in them.”
But, Falahee says he’s been using his newfound fame to help promote awareness of gay issues.
“I’ve lost friends to suicide, a few of whom were closeted and didn’t have anywhere to turn. It pains my heart,” he said. “Now that I’m in a position where people are curious about what I have to say about things, I would like to help.”
You can watch Falahee and more of Shonda Rhimes‘ best scenes of 2014 here.
“How to Get Away with Murder” airs on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. on ABC.