‘Now Apocalypse’ star Avan Jogia doesn’t feel ‘comfortable’ labelling his sexuality
The Canadian actor says it would be "slap-dash" to try and box himself in.
By Steve Brown
Now Apocalypse star Avan Jogia says he’s never felt “comofortable” applying labels to his sexuality.
The Canadian actor, 27, is currently starring in Gregg Araki’s comedy drama as the sexually fluid, pot-smoking Ulysses who, in the opening five minutes, is seen with a man’s legs wrapped around his head.
Later in the same episode, he gets frisky with Tyler Posey down an alleyway… and that is just the first episode!
Jogia co-founded a charity called Straight But Not Narrow, an educational programme aimed to teach straight people to stand up to their LGBTQ+ friends, and the actor explains in Attitude’s 25th anniversary issue – available to download and to order globally now – that he believes placing strict limits on your identity is “unceremonious and “a bit slap-dash”.
Asked about his own sexuality, Jogia replies: “My personal feeling on the idea of labels… I feel there is so much at play when it comes to sexuality. Sexuality is a spectrum.
“It’s unceremonious and a bit slap-dash to label myself or anyone in a category like that.
“I have never felt comfortable with those kinds of absolutes and extremes.”
Jogia, whose breakthrough came in Nikelodeon kids TV drama Victorious, adds that Now Apocalypse creator Araki, who was heavily involved in the New Queer Cinema movement of the early ’90s, has helped reshape the discourse surropunding millenial sexuality.
“Sexuality is a spectrum and identity is not just one thing,” Avan says.
Photography: The Riker Bros
“It’s your racial background, religious beliefs, where you grew up… Your identity is built by so many things, not just one.
“Gregg has been talking about fluidity since the 1990s, and culture has finally caught up.
“His characters have never been updated for the modern world, the modern world has updated itself around Gregg’s characters.”
Now Apocalypse is on STARZ Play every Sunday and is available via Amazon Prime and Virgin.
Read Avan’s full interview in Attitude’s 25th anniversary special issue, out now.
Buy now and take advantage of our best-ever subscription offers: three issues for £3 in print, 13 issues for £19.99 to download to any device.
