Joshua wasn't joking, and realization hit him during the filming of the Disney series!
Last month, Joshua Bassett expressed he thought Harry Styles was "hot" in an interview, later adding that it was his "coming out video". The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actor has now revealed he wasn't joking at the time, and revisited the moment he realized he identified as queer.
It Was During The Show's First Season
In his new interview with GQ Magazine, the 20-year-old actor and singer revisited a scene from the first season of the HSM series reboot, which made him cry uncontrollably.
Bassett revealed he had "chills" while watching the fifth episode, where Carlos [Frankie Rodriguez] and Seb [Joe Serafini], the franchise's first openly gay couple danced at Homecoming.
He recounted the memory, "That's why when I watched Joe and Frankie [Serafini and Rodriguez, who play a gay couple on the show] film the scene in season 1, episode 5, 'Homecoming,' where for the first time they danced together, I just remember full body chills, weeping."
Bassett went on, explaining that he couldn't fully understand why the scene made him so emotional, but he does now. "I didn't connect the dots why until recently...the reason that made me so emotional."
"I'm getting so emotional now because they were speaking their truth despite the inevitable reaction that they were going to get," said Bassett, referring to the characters.
The actor-singer mentioned he would "love" to have his character, Ricky, explore his queerness on the series, if given an opportunity.
As of late, the actor has found himself in the middle of an unexpected love triangle between his HSM co-star Olivia Rodrigo and their fellow Disney star, Sabrina Carpenter.
Olivia and Joshua reportedly dated for a while before he moved on to a relationship with Sabrina. None of the actors have confirmed nor denied the rumors, but Bassett has finally spoken! The actor detailed why he had decided to stay silent about the drama.
"People don’t know anything they're talking about," said Bassett, adding "Why don't we focus on these women for who they are? Let's focus on the art that they're making and how great they are instead of their relationship to a boy."
