Empire star Jussie Smollett is gracing the newest issue of OUT magazine and opening up on his sexuality, his upbringing, how he handles the fame after his career skyrocketed and more.
The actor rocks various styles and was shot by Michael Muller and styled by Grant Woolhead in the accompanying shoot. Check out the excerpts and shots below.
On appreciating his super successful career
“I don’t take this career for granted,” he says, “and I have been given a very special platform through Empire to speak on a weekly basis about love and truth and acceptance.”
On losing his dad right as Empire was taking off
“He passed away that morning — so, yeah, it sucked. But I had no choice but to be grounded,” Smollett says. “I was so rooted in family and in love when it all happened that if I was going to change, it wasn’t going to happen now.”
Smollett’s eyes fill with tears. “My father was far from perfect, but he was OK with changing, with becoming a better man — so I had my dad before he left us. I didn’t have him necessarily all through my childhood, the way I would have liked, but I had him in those last years, and for that I’m forever grateful.”
On Taraji P. Henson giving him advice on addressing his sexuality to the public
“She said, ‘Who gives a fuck? I don’t tell these motherfuckers that I’m straight. Why the fuck do you have to tell them that you’re gay?’ That was so O.G., and it just made me love her even more.”
On opening up on his sexuality on the Ellen show
“She told me, ‘You don’t have to.’ I will be forever grateful to Ellen for the kindness she showed me. And that made me want to talk about it.”
“It was a much bigger deal for other people than it was for me,”
On life after his announcement, labeling & possibly falling in love with a woman
“I am a gay man with an extremely open heart,” he says, easy and assured until he’s asked to elaborate on what that means to him. “God, I’ve never had to talk about this, so I’m trying to find the words. If I had to label myself, I would label myself as a gay man. With that said, I believe that love is the only thing that matters, and I would hope that anybody would leave themselves open — not to gender, but to love. I would hope that people would not close themselves off from what could be if, lo and behold, you meet somebody that just sweeps you off your feet, and you just can’t do anything about it. If we truly believe that we are born this way, then why do we try to stifle the way we were born? If I fall in love down the road with a woman, I’m going to love that woman.”
“I’m sure that those words will be misconstrued,”
On being told by executives not to speak out on racial issues
“I was told by two executives, ‘You know, maybe just wait. Just wait,’ ” Smollett says. He was planning to travel to Washington, D.C., speak on the steps of the Capitol as part of the March 2 Justice, and then help deliver a legislative package on police brutality to Congress.
“[The executives] were talking specifically about politics. My response was, ‘But they’re listening now.’ And if millions of people are listening, you should say something worth hearing.”
“People were telling me, ‘Don’t do it.’ But I felt like, If I lose my career based on this, then I don’t need that career.” He shrugs, acknowledging a certain amount of rhetoric. “I know damn well that this is the career for me, but I don’t know how to turn a blind eye.”
“You mean to tell me just because I make movies and TV and music that I can’t talk about what’s going on in the world I live in? Really? That’s not fair. Forget that. Because I’m scared that maybe viewership is going to go down? Or my next single isn’t going to do as well? Or I won’t get a movie?” He rolls his eyes. “At some point, I was going to say what I believe anyway.” (In the fall of 2015, Empire frequently referenced the Black Lives Matter movement and many of the key issues raised by its advocates. Daniels concurs: “Many people don’t like that I’m blunt about it. I get in trouble a lot, but I don’t care.”)
You can view the full article HERE.
