9-1-1: Lone Star actor Ronen Rubinstein goes bisexual after playing a gay character

Actor Ronen Rubinstein has gone bisexual after playing a gay main character in the procedural thriller 9-1-1: Lone Star for two seasons.

The 27-year-old spoke about his sexuality in an interview with Variety that was published Wednesday and told the publication, “I fully identify as bisexual.”

“I literally only had goosebumps saying that,” Rubinstein said through a Zoom interview from his home in Los Angeles. “It feels so good to talk about it, it feels really good to finally be comfortable with it.”

Rubinstein recounted his anxiety about how his character would be received by his friends and family in his hometown of Staten Island in New York City.

Although he shared that he played TK Strand, the gay son of Rob Lowe’s main character, he was afraid to say that his character had a passionate kissing scene with officer Carlos Reyes, played by openly gay actor Rafael L Silva.

“Carlos and I have a huge makeup scene where, as if, we burst through the door and unveiled our clothes,” Rubinstein said. ‘It’s very hot and it continues. It just doesn’t stop. We are bumping into the walls and then we end up on the couch. I warned my parents and friends for months.

“I said,‘ Listen, I understand that if you don’t want to see it, I understand that you’re likely to say very ignorant and close-minded things or that you may not want to see it and I understand that as well. ’

But regardless of their feelings, the romance on screen was well received by fans, who quickly gave them the couple’s name “Tarlos”.

Rubinstein wasn’t out at the time, but he said his character took him on a “journey” that helped him accept his attraction to both men and women, feelings he had tried to keep beneath the surface for years.

“The most important thing for me is where I come from, it’s like people like me and people who have identified as bisexual or gay or like anyone in the community are just not welcome. It’s so brutally honest. like that, ”he said.

“Either you faced a madness of desecration, as if the letter F was thrown all the time or you were fucked if I was gay. So there was definitely a fear of hugging me the way I felt. I was more aware of it in high school, I was aware of my feelings and how I started looking at men, but I couldn’t talk to anyone about it.

But thanks to his role as 9-1-1: Lone Star, a derivation of the series produced by Ryan Murphy 9-1-1, and the positive reception of the character, he felt willing to embrace his true self.

“Fans, especially Tarlos fans, are one of the most important reasons why I finally felt safe and comfortable talking about it and finally embracing it and being happy with it,” he explained.

Rubinstein had the support of his stage partner Silva and Murphy, along with his girlfriend Jessica Parker Kennedy, best known for starring in Black Sails and The Flash for The CW.

“She’s actually one of the first people to call me respectfully,” Rubinstein said. She says, “Is there anything we need to talk about?” And I said, “Maybe.” I didn’t know how that conversation would go, “he said, though” it probably went as well as it can go. “

“She definitely encouraged me to be vocal about it, just to live my truth. She says, ‘I love you for who you are, your complete self and people will love you for what you are and your complete self.’

Rubinstein clarified that his relationship with Kennedy was as great as ever after his departure, though he could still laugh.

“Sometimes he jokes, ‘Don’t leave me for Harry Styles.’

In addition to appearing in the spin-off of 9-1-1, the actor headed the film “The Smiley Face Killers” last year, which was written by American novelist Psycho Bret Easton Ellis, and previously appeared in the third season of Orange Is The New Black.

Rubinstein, who was born in Israel before moving to New York City as a child, concluded his interview by explaining that he hoped to go bisexual to help other LGBTQ youth who do not feel accepted.

“I want people to know that this is a hopeful and happy story,” he said. I want people to know that she is not alone and that she is definitely fine. Trust me, I know it’s not easy. My path has not been easy, but it is something else that I can share with people to help them and let them know that I am here for them. “