‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ star J. August Richards reveals he is gay
Actor J. August Richards, known for his roles as Deathlok in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Charles Gunn in cult favourite Angel, has come out as a gay man on social media.
The 46-year-old actor made the announcement in a one-on-one chat with fellow actor Sarah Wayne Callies, who stars alongside Richards in the new US sitcom Council of Dads.
Callies and Richards were discussing Richards’ character – a black, gay, married parent – and the impact of that kind of visibility on television.
“If I think about why I even got involved in this industry, it was really to combat oppression,” said the actor whose career spans back to the 80s.
“I knew how I was affected by the people of colour I saw on television or that I didn’t see on television.”
“Being a married gay man with a family I realised that on television I don’t take anything I do lightly and you have an opportunity to put an image into millions of homes and I wanted that image to be honest and I wanted it to be correct,” Richards’ continued.
“I knew that I could not portray this gay man honestly without letting you all know that I was a gay man myself… I’ve never done the people I worked with.”
“I knew how important it is to other people out there like me, who would need to see that role model.”
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