upcoming Brazilian film The First Fallen (original title: Os Primeiros Soldados) on your radar, and now we’ve got another reason to get excited for the feature: Its gorgeous star recently came out as gay—and he and his boyfriend are adorable.From director Rodrigo de Oliveira, The First Fallen is a moving drama about the first year of the AIDS epidemic in Brazil, focusing on some of the first queer people to contract the disease in the coastal town of Vitoría.
Among them is a young biology student named Suzano, played by actor Johnny Massaro.Best known for his Brazilian television roles—including a villainous turn in the soap Beyond Illusion—The First Fallen represents a major breakthrough for Massaro, delivering a stunning lead performance that anchors the emotional drama.As Suzano, the 30-year-old has received some of the best reviews of his career.
But that’s not the only way The First Fallen has changed his life.Last fall, when the feature made its world debut Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, Massaro made the decision to publicly come out as gay.“I couldn’t talk about this film if I couldn’t speak publicly about my sexuality,” Massaro shared with Brazil’s POPline.
The actor said it “it wouldn’t make sense” for him to play a gay character and promote The First Fallen while hiding his true self.