Playing a gay character on screen is not an easy task. It might be easy for gay actors, but not for straight actors. Sometimes portraying a gay role on TV can hamper ones personal dating life as well. And Chris Carmack is one of those heterosexual actors in showbiz who portrays the role of gay on television. He currently plays the role of Will Lexington, a rising country music star in ABC’s American musical drama, Nashville.
Despite playing such a challenging character, the actor is quite open about it. It usually talks about it in interviews and we haven’t heard him complaining about the effect of Will Lexington on his real life, especially his dating life. Talking to PEOPLE earlier this year, Carmack said that playing a closeted character was humbling.
He told PEOPLE how important his character is, not just for him but for everybody else as well. He said that he interacted with people in real world about his character and how he struggled for his identity as a gay man.
"I definitely have conversations with people in the real world about this character and what he's going through," the actor told.
"I've had people come up to me in a bar here in Nashville and say, 'So, what's that like man, having to play the gay guy?' Then I talk to them a little bit about the character and what he's going through. And I've gotten some real flabbergasted responses of people going, 'Wow. I never thought about it that way.' It's humbling to play a role and realize maybe that person came away thinking about things a little different."
"It's not just about gay or straight; it's a very universal theme about a guy who feels like he has to sacrifice happiness in order to achieve his dream," he further added. "I hope it exposes an audience that may feel uncomfortable with the subject to a really great story that opens up dialogue. I know it has for me. I don't have any expectations that this character will change the world, but for those people for whom it opens up a little compassion and understanding, I think it's a very important role."
In an interview with Huffington Post, he admitted how badly he wanted to do justice to Will’s character as he slowly discovered his sexuality. He also revealed that he always had a doubt that Will would turn out gay sooner or later and it did.
"Each time I'd get the episode, [I'd think], 'Is this the one? Is this the one?'" Carmack stated his view on Will’s coming out of the closet. And he also added that as his character came out, he felt pressure on him to do justice, not just to Will, but the whole LGBT community.
“This is a part and this is a script that when I get it, I think to myself, 'I want to get this right,'" he said. "So I wasn't nervous because I didn't think I could do the job, I just wanted to do it right. Fortunately, I had Callie Khouri directing that episode, she's the creator of the series, and she really helped me find a nuanced performance.”
Carmack said that his role as gay man actually reflects the equality that the LGBT community has been seeking and fighting for a long time and have finally got.
"This is something that's always been here, and now it's just finally getting some light shined on it and it's getting some recognition," Carmack said. "It's having a moment, and hopefully it's here to stay."
As we told you earlier, despite playing a gay character, Carmack is straight and he has dated former actress and girlfriend Amanda Bynes. He is currently single and we all know that girls just love it when he goes shirtless and shows off his toned abs. And if you want to date him or get married to him, now’s your chance. Who knows? One might just get lucky(wink).
He has an estimated net worth of $2 million. He is not active in Instagram.