Ryan Phillippe was “afraid” to play a gay teen on ‘One Life to Live’: “It was such a different time”

I used to be so younger that there have been parts of me that had been afraid as a result of it was such a special time.

I believe there have been some fears related to the time limit that we had been at and it being earlier than so many partitions and ceilings have been damaged in that regard. However I do know that any fears that anybody had about me doing it instantly went away as soon as I noticed the response that it obtained from the individuals who seen it.

[Queer fans & parents told him] ‘I’ve by no means seen somebody characterize me in any leisure earlier than in my life’ and ‘Watching this present on my lunch break gave me a technique to join with my LGBTQ youngster.’

As that job progressed, I spotted how essential it was to some individuals. And I used to be solely 17 years outdated, so that you don’t actually have a way of that. It was such a special time, however I very a lot matured via having had that have and seeing the impression that it had for others.

Ryan Phillippe, 50, chatting with People about his groundbreaking early ’90s function of Billy Douglas on ‘One Life to Reside,’ the primary homosexual teenager in a cleaning soap opera.