Actor Daniel Franzese, who played gay teen Damien in Mean Girls, has revealed he and costar Jonathan Bennett confided in each other over being in the closet while shooting the hit 2004 movie.

Asked in a new interview with Gay Star News whether there was an ‘open dialogue’ between the two on set, he replied: ‘We both were sharing in our little private misery of having to be in the closet. We definitely confided in each other.’

Daniel, who went on to play another agenda-setting gay character on HBO’s cult queer series Looking, furthermore says he’s ‘proud’ of Jonathan for coming out publicly in 2017.

‘He just wasn’t ready’

Daniel added that he urged Jonathan to come out publicly after the positive reaction to his own 2014 public letter in which he addressed his sexuality.

‘When I came out, I urged him to come out,’ Daniel explained. ‘He just wasn’t ready at the time. I’m glad now he’s at a place in his life where he can feel free to be himself. I’m proud of him.’

Our full interview with Daniel, in which he also discusses his iconic role on Looking, turning 40 and his crusade against single-use plastic straws, will be published later today.

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