A fan-favorite Mission: Impossible actor has shared the emotional story about coming out as gay to his mother.
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While speaking to Variety, Tramell Tillman opened up about his mother’s reaction to his sexuality. Although she didn’t cast judgment on him, she did worry about how being gay would impact his career.
“I don’t want this to ruin your career,” the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning actor recalled his mother telling him.” I don’t want you to be backballed.”
He then said she told him she didn’t want to be “pigeonholed” as well. However, she further shared her support, noting, “Anyone you bring home, I will embrace him as my son.”
Tramell Tillman Became the First Openly Gay Black Actor to Receive Outstanding Supporting Actor Emmy Nomination
Chief Awards Editor at Variety, Clayton Davis, praised the actor, who earned an Emmy Award outstanding supporting actor nomination for his performance as Seth Milchick in Severance.
“[Tillman is] the first openly gay Black man to be recognized in the supporting actor drama category,” Davis pointed out. “The only Emmy acting category that has yet to crown a Black winner.”
Tillman spoke about the news, noting he was “shaking all morning” while waiting for the nominations to be announced. “I kept telling myself, ‘I just want it to be over. I want 11:30 to come and go so I can just know and move on with my life.’ I kept telling myself, ‘Tramell, no matter what happens, it’s OK. It’s all right. It’s not the end of the world.'”
He further noted that his manager had set up a Zoom link for the team. If it had gone the way they all hoped it would, they would have celebrated the news. If it didn’t, there would be no pressure.
“So when the list came out, my manager says, ‘Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series: Tramell Tillman from Severance!’ and I was jumping up and down. That’s when my team revealed their screens, and they all had ‘Tram-Emmy’ shirts on.”
Regarding potentially making history if he won the award, Tillman added, “Do I feel a weight? No. I feel honored to join the legacy of these incredible storytellers. I’m ambitious and would love an Emmy, but I’ve learned it’s not up to me.”