{"id":2440625,"date":"2026-06-01T18:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2440625"},"modified":"2026-06-01T18:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:51:14","slug":"meet-michael-johnston-the-openly-gay-star-of-obsession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/meet-michael-johnston-the-openly-gay-star-of-obsession\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Michael Johnston, the openly gay star of ‘Obsession’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Maybe you first saw him play the gay character Corey in the Teen Wolf TV series<\/a> or in the 2021 film Endangered Species,<\/a>, but now Michael Johnston<\/a> is heating up the silver screen as the beleaguered shy guy Bear in Obsession<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the hit movie, Johnston wishes for love and gets a whole lot more than he bargained for… and many queer fans are now discovering that the handsome actor is family.<\/p>\n\n

Johnston came out on social media in 2023<\/a> when he was dating his then-boyfriend, filmmaker and writer Anthony Sellitti<\/a>. His ex-boyfriend is staff writer on Marvel’s Emmy-nominated cartoon, X-Men ’97<\/a>, and it was just announced that Johnston will join the voice cast <\/a>as Nathan Summers.<\/p>\n

Last month, Johnston discussed his sexuality for the first time \u2014 and his breakout role in Teen Wolf \u2014 in an interview with Anthem Magazine<\/a>. <\/u>The 30-year-old Rutherfordton, N.C. native said playing a gay teenager when he was 19 was a “total coincidence.”<\/p>\n

“If I\u2019m being honest, that was really scary, especially coming from North Carolina \u2014 the Bible Belt,” he said. “Before Teen Wolf, there was also another movie I did called Slash. My character in that one is questioning. He\u2019s trying to figure out who he is and what he likes.”<\/p>\n

Johnston even revealed that he received a ton of fan mail from LGBTQ<\/a>+ viewers who saw themselves in his characters.<\/p>\n

“I did get thousands of messages and letters from fans thanking me, saying how much my character in Teen Wolf helped them. I had no idea what that representation would mean to so many people.”<\/p>\n

Two years ago, Johnston did a video with Fr Conventions in which he said his Teen Wolf role \u201cgave me the confidence to come out, or it just made me feel really good about myself. I really didn\u2019t ever think that it could have that kind of impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I am very proud of who I am. But at the same time, I wasn\u2019t sitting there thinking about how meaningful that representation would be. I approach every role with the same honesty and try to find the humanity in it. Love is universal \u2014 that\u2019s how I approach every role. A character\u2019s sexuality isn\u2019t the first thing I\u2019m looking at. It\u2019s more important that I connect with the story. Playing these characters has absolutely helped me to better understand who I am.”<\/p>\n

Gay Times<\/a> calls him one of the breakout stars of 2026 and predicts his leading role win the horror flick has put it on track to become one of the most profitable films of all time. The film’s budget reportedly was $750K.<\/p>\n

Written and directed by Curry Barker, the supernatural horror film centers on Baron \u201cBear\u201d Bailey, played by Johnston. He works at a music store and has an unrequited love for his childhood friend and coworker, Nikki Freeman, played to the hilt by Inde Navarrette.<\/p>\n

In the film, Bear breaks a mysterious toy that grants the user one wish, and Bear asks for Nikki to fall in love with him. His wish is granted, but with horrifying consequences that leave him fighting for his life.<\/p>\n

The R-rated film has received a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and this being a horror movie, there is a lot of blood, which Johnston said, caused him to form his “obsession.” Check out the trailer below!<\/p>\n

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