While Eric McCormack was a straight actor portraying a gay character on “Will & Grace”, that wasn’t the case for openly gay Sean Hayes, who played flamboyant Jack McFarland on the groundbreaking hit sitcom.
At the time the show was on the air, however, Hayes had yet to come out publicly — which he did in 2010, several years after “Will & Grace” had been off the air.
Waiting so long to come out, admitted Hayes in a speech this weekend, is something he still regrets.
“[The press release] said that I took the stereotypical gay sissy and made him human, lovable, flawed and real,” declared Hayes on Saturday night in his acceptance speech after being presented with an award at the 2016 Outfest Legacy Awards in L.A., reports The Hollywood Reporter.
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“While this may be true, I think you should’ve led with flawed because at the time, I was a young closeted actor having his first taste of a little success and unfortunately, in my mind, my lucky break was inextricably tied to me thinking that I had to stay in the closet in order to keep moving forward. Looking back at my choice to stay silent, I am ashamed and embarrassed. What was I thinking? As If any of you had any doubts. I mean, right, could a straight actor ever do this…?” added Hayes before launching into an impression of Cher.
He concluded with an apology, admitting he’d “be able to sleep a lot better” knowing he could have “made a difference in someone else’s life” by coming out sooner. “When it comes to nights like tonight and honours like this, I’m consumed with what I didn’t do,” he said. “I know I should’ve come out sooner and I’m sorry for that. Especially when I think about the possibility that I might have made a difference in someone’s life. I would probably be able to sleep a lot better than I do if I had acted sooner, but such is life. We learn our lessons only when we are ready.”