No, Michael Cimino (@itsmichaelcimino) is not gay in real life. The Ethan actor is actually straight since he has never revealed that he is gay. Just because he played a gay role in a series does not mean that the character is based on his real-life sexuality or personality. After all, he is an actor.
Michael, however, has frequently expressed how excited he was to play a gay man in Love, Victor, and how much effort he put into making his performance credible. He also acknowledged that his gay cousin helped prepare him for the role in an interview with People.
However, there was more internal guidance involved in playing Victor, as the actor noted that he wanted everyone to identify with the character, regardless of sexual orientation. Michael, therefore, laced the part with some of his personality in addition to his cousin’s suggestions. Michael also added that he decided to play Victor because he wanted to stand up for his cousin saying,
I really wanted to kind of be that voice he didn’t have, and for the other kids who are or were in his position. That was a really big driving force for me, as well as I have a lot of friends that are gay.
Previously, Michael Cimino also revealed that he received a lot of criticism, including death threats, for portraying a role of a gay man despite being straight in an interview with Attitude. He said,
I’ve definitely had some criticism from the LGBT community for being in the role… I’ve had death threats, which is horrible. But the show is important to me. The messages of hate — I came into it knowing that would happen, regardless of how good I was.
In a different interview, Michael Cimino even admitted that many people advised him against taking on a gay role for his first significant role. But the talented actor went against the advice and did what he felt was right. He accepted the task to play Victor because he wanted to eradicate the prejudice and stigma towards LGBT roles.
