Thomas Dekker Open to Dating Men

In Cinema Verite, Thomas Dekker plays Lance Loud, television's first gay icon. The 23-year-old actor tells Out magazine that while this isn't a case of life imitating art, unlike most actors who dodge gay rumors, Dekker says he's not opposed to the idea of being with a man.

"I've only really had relationships with women, but I'm certainly not closed to it. If there are possibilities of being able to do anything in life, why would you say you would never take any up? In the later chunk of my teen years I was so all over the place with sex. It was terrible. I never really had a real relationship at all. During puberty, it's all about sex, and it's all about figuring yourself out. I think I overdid it when I was younger."

The actor, who has previously played gay on Heroes, says he didn't originally connect to the idea of playing Loud. But after watching clips of him on YouTube, he became obsessed.

"I mean he was bonkers -- the directors described him as a cross between a crackhead and Judy Garland, and I feel like he grew up watching actresses like Joan Crawford and Garland and Bette Davis, which influenced what he thought was 'star quality,' and that's partly why he comes off so flamboyant in a very noncontemporary way."

Read the full interview here.