Ryan Phillippe displays on ‘profound expertise’ of enjoying first homosexual teen on daytime TV in early ’90s

ONE LIFE TO LIVE - Ryan Phillippe gallery - 6/2/92Ryan Phillippe played Billy Douglas on Walt Disney Television Daytime's "One Life to Live." ONE LIFE TO LIVE - Ryan Phillippe gallery - 6/2/92Ryan Phillippe played Billy Douglas on Walt Disney Television Daytime's "One Life to Live."
Ryan Phillippe in 1992. Credit score:

Steve Fenn/Disney Common Leisure Content material by way of Getty

Ryan Phillippe was scared to painting the primary homosexual teenager on daytime tv when he starred on One Life to Live greater than three many years in the past, nevertheless it turned out to be a "profound expertise."

The actor, 50, was simply 17 and a newcomer to Hollywood when he joined the cleaning soap in 1992 to painting Billy Douglas, the closeted pal of Joey Buchanan who agonized over whether or not to return out to his mother and father.

"I used to be so younger that there have been parts of me that had been afraid as a result of it was such a distinct time," he advised PEOPLE in a brand new interview.

These near him even discouraged him from taking the half. "I feel there have been some fears related to the cut-off date that we had been at, and it being earlier than so many partitions and ceilings have been damaged," Phillippe stated. "However I do know that any fears that anybody had about me doing it instantly went away as soon as I noticed the response that it bought from the individuals who considered it."

Ryan Phillippe at Prime Video's "Motorheads" special screening held at the Ted Mann Theater at the Academy Museum on May 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California
Ryan Phillippe in Might 2025.

Mark Von Holden/Selection by way of Getty

The response was "nearly instantaneous," Phillippe stated, recalling the fan mail he acquired from teenagers and fogeys with remarks like "I've by no means seen somebody characterize me in any leisure earlier than in my life" and "watching this present on my lunch break gave me a option to join with my LGBTQ baby."

Ryan Phillippe has made peace with losing out on Anakin Skywalker role Ryan Phillippe attends the opening night world premiere of "Miranda's Victim" during the 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theatre on February 08, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California; Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Ryan Phillippe commemorates his longest stretch of sobriety Ryan Phillippe

"As that job progressed, I spotted how vital it was to some folks," the Merciless Intentions actor added. "And I used to be solely 17 years outdated, so that you don't actually have a way of that. It was such a distinct time, however I very a lot matured by way of having had that have and seeing the affect that it had for others."

ONE LIFE TO LIVE - 7/11/92Ryan Phillippe (Billy) and Wortham Krimmer (Rev. Carpenter) in a scene on Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Daytime's "One Life to Live."
Ryan Phillippe and Wortham Krimmer on 'One Life to Dwell' in 1992.

Steve Fenn/Disney Common Leisure Content material by way of Getty

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Phillippe stated taking up the function, which he performed till 1993, was a "actually profound expertise."

Whereas the function broke new floor on tv, he did admit that it was some extent of competition within the Phillippe family. "I'd grown up going to Baptist college, Christian college," Phillippe advised KFC Radio in 2020. "My first function ever popping out of the Christian college once I was a senior in highschool, I performed the primary homosexual character on a cleaning soap opera, so I used to be shunned at that time."

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