Johnny Sibilly of ‘Hacks,’ ‘Queer as Folk’ reboot loves gay roles
Before Johnny Sibilly was an out-and-proud star of game-changing LGBTQ+ shows like “Pose,” “Hacks,” and the “Queer as Folk” reboot, he was an actor in a class, trying to find his voice and place in the entertainment industry.
In this LGBTQ-focused course — called Act Out, in New York City, where he met now-prominent trans actors like Laverne Cox, Trace Lysette, and Jamie Clayton — his coach asked him to alternate playing Lucy and Ricky Ricardo with a Bronx accent.
The result was “very John Leguizamo vibes,” Sibilly recalls. His coach was blown away. “Why don’t you put that out into the world instead of all these masc-for-masc selfies that you’re taking?” he said, as recounted by Sibilly in present day. “What do you mean?” Sibilly asked.
The coach replied, “You don’t know your full potential until you lean into those parts of you that are special.” That moment marked a major turning point for Sibilly, who had previously believed in high school and college that “maybe I have to butch it up in order to be taken seriously” as an actor.
