Colton Haynes Comes Out

Arrow actor Colton Haynes recently sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he talked about suffering from anxiety, and addressed his sexuality. Here's what he had to say:

About taking a break from Arrow:

“I asked to step away because I cared more about my mental and physical health than my career at the time. I’ve had terminal anxiety my entire life. Physically ill, fainting. I’m 27 years old, and I have an ulcer. I had to step back.”

On his social media posts:

“People think there’s this working machine behind it all, but the machine is my weird personality. I think I have a good outlook on life, and I like to share that. There’s no filter. I mean, a couple of Instagram filters, but not an actual communication filter.”

On replying to a Tumblr post about his "Secret Gay Past" by saying "Was it a secret?"

“It was a complete shock. I wasn’t ready to be back in the headlines. I should have made a comment or a statement, but I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t feel like I owed anyone anything. I think in due time, everyone has to make those decisions when they’re ready, and I wasn’t yet. But I felt like I was letting people down by not coming forward with the rest of what I should have said...People want you to be that GQ image that you put out, but people don’t realize what it’s like to act 24 hours a day. I’d go home and I was still acting. People who are so judgmental about those who are gay or different don’t realize that acting 24 hours a day is the most exhausting thing in the world.” 

On how he's doing now, after completing a rehab stay for his anxiety:

“It took me so long to get to this point, but I’m doing so good. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and healthier than I’ve ever been, and that’s what I care about.”