The Walking Dead spin-off casts gender-fluid bisexual actor Nico Tortorella
Nico Tortorella is joining the cast of the new Walking Dead spin-off. (Getty)
Nico Tortorella, the gender non-conforming actor and model, has won a lead role in the upcoming Walking Dead spin-off series.
Tortorella will play Felix in the upcoming series, the third in the apocalyptic zombie franchise
Deadline described the character as “an honourable man of his word who isn’t afraid to fight for others’ safety and acceptance,” and said that the new, as-yet-unnamed series will not interfere with the actor’s series regular role on Younger.
Tortorella confirmed the news, writing on Instagram: “Get ready y’all. This is it. Felix is the one.”
Nico Tortorella comes out as genderfluid
Though Deadline used he/him/his pronouns for Felix, in real life Tortorella goes by they/them/theirs.
They came out as gender fluid in May 2018 to none other than Drag Race legend Trinity The Tuck.
In a makeover video for Them, Tortorella told the All Stars 4 winner: “This isn’t actually anything I’ve talked about on a public level quite yet, but I just pretty recently have come to terms with the fact that maybe I’m not fully cisgender.”
They joked that they identify as a “cissy with a C… because it’s kind of cisgender-ish but a little soft.”
Nico Tortorella opens up about being bisexual and polyamorous
Tortorella had also previously come out as sexually fluid before settling on the bisexual label.
“I really like the term,” they told Pride Source in June 2017.
“I use the word bisexual because people have fought for so long for this word and the fact that it even exists in part of the LGBTI-etcetera is just a beautiful thing.”
In March 2018 Tortorella married Bethany Meyers, who also identifies as non-binary.
The couple tied the knot in matching white dresses worn over trousers, in a ceremony they described as “genderbending” and “androgynous.”
The couple are polyamorous, though Tortorella has said that they are a “serial monogamist inside of a polyamorous relationship.”
Speaking to Pedestrian, they explained that they are demisexual, meaning they do not experience sexual attraction unless there is a strong emotional connection.
