This Teen Wolf Star Was Shamed And Almost Got Fired For His Identity

Dealing with popularity is not always as easy as it seems. With perks like wealth, followers, and a whole new set of career opportunities often come threats and abuse.

Some young celebrities handle the tension well and rise to the top in no time. Others are pushed to the breaking point.

It is hard enough to deal with being a minority, let alone a minority in the entertainment industry, where every single person feels entitled to comment on your identity and how you should deal with it.

Being gay and starring in the wildly popular teen drama Teen Wolf was not only challenging for Colton Haynes, it almost cost him his career.

The actor opened up about the experience in his memoir and commented on it in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"When I moved to L.A., I was basically told that I needed to change everything about myself. I had to learn how to be the way that I looked, which was a square-jawed douchebag, cocky athlete".

The type of roles Haynes was suited for did not sit well with being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, especially when pictures of the teenage actor half-naked with his partner in a magazine spread circulated on the internet.

The actor recalls the times he and his crew would delete them as they spread across the web "almost like a firing squad."

Those same photos almost cost him the Teen Wolf role, as CW executives were reluctant to cast him. While Heynes seems to hold no grudges, he does regret not coming out sooner and playing by his own rules.

He encourages his fans to do the same in an Instagram post with one of the scandalous pictures.

If you want to see Colton Haynes take back his power and reprise the role of Jason Whittemore in Teen Wolf: The Movie, you can stream it on Paramount Plus.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter