Michael Urie: ‘I was encouraged to stay in closet on Ugly Betty’

Michael Urie has revealed that he was encouraged to stay in the closet during his time on Ugly Betty.

The actor – who played Wilhelmina Slater’s out gay assistant Marc St. James – publicly spoke about his sexuality towards the end of the show’s four-year run.

Explaining the decision, Urie told Frontiers Magazine: “This was before Neil Patrick Harris had come out. Even though I was playing an openly gay character, we thought we might want to keep the mystery of what I do behind closed doors.”

Despite concerns, Urie found that coming out as gay only helped his career. He has gone on to star in a number of gay roles in The Temperamentals, Angels in America and CBS sitcom Partners.

“For me, coming out only added to my career,” the actor said. “It might not be good for everyone, but I have gotten to play so many wonderful roles. If at any point decide not to play gay characters anymore. I would work a lot less. To me, it’s way better to have jobs and get great parts.”

However, Urie said that coming out is still something that actors known for taking on certain types of roles have to think about, as casting directors are less keen to take “big risks”.

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