When the curtains rose at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards 2026, the spotlight fell on a familiar face: Michael Johnston. The actor, fresh from the surprise hit Obsession used the moment to recount a journey that began in a small North Carolina town, where Sunday school lessons warned him that love between men was a sin and a ticket straight to hell.
Raised in a Southern Baptist family, Johnston says his first awareness of same-sex attraction surfaced at age eleven or twelve. The revelation, he recalls, felt like “the worst possible thing” because every hymn and Bible verse he memorised painted gay people as abominations. “I thought I was disgusting,” he said, describing the inner monologue that followed his newfound feelings.
From hidden identity to Los Angeles liberation
At eighteen, Johnston left the “Bible Belt” for the bright lights of Los Angeles, a move he credits with loosening the grip of his early indoctrination. In the city, he found a community that accepted his truth, and the acting world provided a stage to test it. Early gigs—most notably the role of Corey Bryant on MTV’s Teen Wolf (2015-2017) and a turn as Neil in the queer drama Slash (2016)—forced him to inhabit openly gay characters while he was still privately wrestling with his own identity.
“I wasn’t out yet, but playing those parts taught me to own who I was,” Johnston explained. He remembers an aunt’s teasing comment that his gay roles would “convert” him, only to realize years later that the characters actually helped convert his own self-perception, shifting the label of “weakness” to a source of empathy.
Turning personal pain into public advocacy
The flood of fan messages after his Teen Wolf stint surprised Johnston. Thousands of viewers wrote that seeing a sincere gay teen on screen gave them courage to tell their families they were queer. “Those notes showed me that my bravery could ripple outward,” he said, noting that the experience sparked his commitment to representation.
That commitment resurfaced when he was honored with The Film Award at the Attitude Awards. The ceremony, co-hosted by M&S, Virgin Atlantic and electric-car brand Polestar, celebrated not only his breakout turn as the “toxically hopeless romantic” Bear in Obsession but also his willingness to speak openly about the trauma of religious-based homophobia.
Future projects: a deliberately queer narrative
Fresh from the award, Johnston teased an “incredibly queer” story he will headline, promising a “steamy moment” that will satisfy LGBTQ fans. He clarified that he is looking for a role that feels “really intentional” and “meaningful,” even hinting he might write the script himself to ensure authenticity.
While details remain under wraps, the actor also confirmed talks to join Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the forthcoming fourth installment of The Mummy signaling his rising star power across genres.
Visibility beyond the screen
Johnston’s recent public appearances extend to fashion, where he walked the runway for Lacoste at Paris Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2027. The event, set on the iconic clay courts of the French Open, marked a personal milestone: his mother traveled from the United States to support him, a poignant reminder of how far family acceptance has traveled since his childhood days of fearing divine judgment.
Looking back, Johnston says every gay character he has seen—whether on TV, film, or now in his own career—has been a lifeline. “When I saw someone like me on screen, I thought, ‘I’m not alone.’ If I can be that beacon for someone else, the work is worth every struggle,” he reflects, underscoring the enduring power of representation.
