The 27-year-old actor said his role in the drama helped him embrace his sexuality.
Ronen Rubinstein is embracing who he really is. The 27-year-old 9-1-1: Lone Star actor revealed that he identifies as bisexual in a new interview with Variety published on Wednesday.
"I fully identify as bisexual," Rubinstein expressed. "I literally just got goosebumps saying that. It feels so good to talk about it, it feels so good to finally be comfortable with it."
Rubinstein explained that his role on 9-1-1: Lone Star as T.K. Strand, Rob Lowe's character's gay son, helped him embrace his sexuality, adding that it's been "a journey."
"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 as any part of the community, you’re just not welcomed. It’s as brutally honest as that," he told the magazine. "It’s either you faced insane amounts of profanity, like the F-word was thrown around all the time or you would get your ass kicked if you were gay."
"So there was definitely a fear of sort of embracing how I felt. I was definitely 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 anybody about it," he said.
Rubinstein added that 9-1-1 fans' love for T.K. and his boyfriend Carlos Reyes (played by openly gay actor Rafael L. Silva), dubbed as "Tarlos," were "one of the biggest reasons" that he "finally felt safe and comfortable to talk about it and to finally embrace it and be happy about it."
The actor also noted that his girlfriend, Jessica Parker Kennedy, encouraged him to be vocal and has fully supported him.
"She’s actually one of the first people that sort of respectfully called me out on it,” he shared. "She’s like, 'Is there something we need to talk about?’ And I said, ‘Maybe.’ I didn’t know how that conversation would go. And it went probably as good as it can go. She definitely encouraged me to be vocal about it, just to live my truth. She’s like, ‘I love you for who you are, your full self and people will love you for who you are and your full self.'"
He even said they joke around and she tells him, "Just don't leave me for Harry Styles."
Another reason for now coming out with his sexuality is because he wanted "people to know that this is a hopeful and a happy story."
"I want people to know that they’re not alone and it’s definitely OK," he added. "Trust me, I know that it is not easy. My path has not been easy at all, but it’s just one more thing that I can share with people to help them and let them know that I’m here for them."
After the article published, Rubinstein posted a screenshot of the article on his Instagram, along with a message to his followers.
"Every single day, you guys give me your all. You opened your Hearts & Souls to me. I now give you me, my full, true self. Thank you for giving me the Courage. Thank you for always Accepting me. Thank you for Supporting me," he wrote. "Let us continue being our complete selves. Let us continue fighting for what is Right. Let us continue Loving each other and Supporting each other. Thank you. I Love You. Ro."
In a separate tweet, Rubinstein also thanked people for their love and support, writing, "Reading your thousands of comments through tear filled eyes. Only seeing Love & Support. I’m not surprised, because you guys are truly #TheBestFansInTheWorld I’m honored to share this moment with you all. I Love You. THANK YOU."
ET spoke with Rubinstein last year about his role as T.K. and portraying a gay couple onscreen.
"The fact that [executive producer] Ryan Murphy and the writers are willing to show this on primetime television, it's pretty epic. I am beyond honored to be part of it. And I think that's why people are grasping to it and are connecting to it because they've never seen anything like this on their television," he expressed. "It's just nice to be able to connect with a big part of the world that looks like Carlos and T.K. And I love that the writers made it a normal thing."
"It's been amazing to be a part of that and to tell this story and to connect with so many people," he added. "I talk to people every single day about this and they're just beyond grateful to see this and they're excited to see where it goes."
For more on Rubinstein, see below.
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