Best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight” (2016), Ashton Sanders is a 27-year-old American actor. He had his acting debut in the film “The Retrieval” in 2013. But he only had his breakout role when he was casted as a teenage Chiron in “Moonlight”.
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The actor, who enrolled in Amazing Grace Conservatory to hone his acting skills, initially started acting to escape his family situation.
I initially started acting to escape my family situation and tap into other people’s lives. When I was on stage, in character, I wasn’t worried about anything. I was that character.”
Sanders told Issue Magazine
His most notable films in the past 10 years of being active in the entertainment industry are “The Retrieval” (2013), “Moonlight” (2016), “The Equalizer 2” (2018), and “Captive State” (2019).
Due to his convincing portrayal of a gay teenage character in one of his films, Ashton Sanders was assumed to be gay by some of his fans. This, coupled with his vocal support for LGBTQ+ rights, led to speculation about his sexual orientation. Now, let’s explore whether there is any truth to these speculations. Is Ashton Sanders gay? Continue reading to find out.
VOTE: What is Ashton Sanders’ Sexuality?
What Started the Gay Rumors About Ashton Sanders
Speculation about Ashton Sanders’ sexuality started after he did “Moonlight” in 2016. In the coming-of-age drama film, the actor portrayed teenage Chiron, who is a teenage gay. The plot follows the character’s struggles to come to terms with his own sexuality. It tells the journey of understanding his own self and connecting with people who truly understand him.
The movie was a huge success. It received massive critical acclaim and bagged several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture – Drama, and three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (for Mahershala Ali).
Sanders, who plays a gay boy who has gender issues in the movie, was also praised by critics for his performance. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian even called his performance “powerful”.
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The actor said in a 2009 interview that he can relate to the character because he considers himself a little weirdo as a kid. Growing up, he found it hard to fit in.
I was a little weirdo as a kid. My imagination was all over the place, I was definitely in my own world.”
Ashton Sanders told Another Man
I didn’t really have a lot of friends growing up. I just did my own thing. Even now, I’m most comfortable being by myself. Maybe that allowed my imagination to grow? I grew up an ‘other’, kind of a black sheep in my community. I don’t know if it was because I knew that I was an artist, and art in the black community at that time was not considered the ideal thing for a young black boy to be doing. I would be doing plays, not playing sports. Barriers are being broken now, but that was not really welcomed in black communities back then.”
the actor added
But being able to deliver the role so well somehow started rumors about the actor’s sexuality. Fans began to speculate whether he was really gay in real life.
Ashton Sanders, however, had not directly answered the rumors about his sexuality. So there’s really no telling about the actor’s sexual preference. We cannot just assume that he was gay just because of the roles he played.
Is Ashton Sanders Gay?
It’s hard to tell someone’s sexuality if there is no dating history to base it on. Ashton Sanders has been really secretive about his personal life. If he dated anyone, he did a very good job of keeping it under wraps.
If there’s anything the public knows about the actor’s dating life, it’s the fact that he was said to have dated someone who was only known by the name Kvmvni. The actor remained tight-lipped about his relationships if there are any, so there was really no information about the romance. It is not even confirmed if Kvmvni is a girl or a guy.
Thus, Ashton Sanders’ sexuality remains a question. Not that it really matters.