9-1-1: Lone Star actor Ronen Rubinstein comes out as bisexual after playing a gay character

Actor Ronen Rubinstein came out as 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, which was published on Wednesday, telling the publication: “I fully identify as bisexual.”

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

Rubinstein described his anxiety about how his character would be received by his friends and family on Staten Island, New York.

Although he said 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 gay open actor Rafael L. Silva.

“Carlos and I have a huge scene where we, as if, burst through the door and rip off our clothes,” Rubinstein said. ‘It’s very hot and continuous. It just doesn’t stop. We hit the walls and then get on the couch. I’ve been warning my parents and friends for months.

“I said, ‘Listen, I understand if you don’t want to follow her, I understand you’d probably say some really ignorant things with a close mind or you just might not want to follow them and I have that’s me, ‘he remembered.

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

Rubinstein was not there at the time, but said his character took him on a “journey” that helped him reconcile with his attraction to both men and women, feelings he tried to keep beneath the surface of years.

“The biggest thing for me is where I come from, it’s like people like me and people who have identified as bisexual or gay or any part of the community, you’re just not welcome. It’s just as brutally honest, ‘he said.

“Either you faced some crazy blasphemy, like the word F was thrown all the time, or it would have hit you ** if you were gay. So there was definitely a fear of hugging the way I felt. I was definitely more aware of that in high school. I was aware of my feelings and the way I started looking at men, but I couldn’t talk to anyone about it.

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

“Fans, especially Tarlos fans, are one of the biggest reasons I finally felt safe and comfortable talking about this and finally embracing him and being happy about it.” , he explained.

Rubinstein received a lot of support from his stage partner Silva and Murphy, along with his actress friend Jessica Parker Kennedy, best known for his roles in Black Sails and The Flash for The CW.

“She’s actually one of the first people to call me respectfully,” Rubinstein said. “She’s like, ‘Do we have to talk about something?’ And I said, “Maybe.” I didn’t know how that conversation would go, he said, though “it probably went as well as it could.”

“It certainly encouraged me to be vocal about it, just to live my truth. She says, “I love you for who you are, your full self, and people will love you for who you are and your full self.”

Rubinstein made it clear that his relationship with Kennedy was as great as ever after his departure, although she was still able to laugh about it.

“Sometimes he jokes, ‘Just don’t leave me for Harry Styles. ”

In addition to starring in the 9-1-1 spin-off, the actor directed last year’s slasher film The Smiley Face Killers, which was written by American psycho novelist Bret Easton Ellis and previously appeared in season three of Orange Is The New Black movie.

Rubinstein, who was born in Israel before moving to New York as a child, ended his interview by explaining that he hopes bisexual dating can help other LGBTQ youth who do not feel accepted.

“I want people to know that this is a story of hope and happiness,” he said. “I want people to know that they are not alone and it is definitely okay. Believe me, I know it’s not easy. My path has not been easy at all, but it is just an extra thing I can share with people to help them and inform them that I am here for them.