Supergirl and Grey’s Anatomy star Chyler Leigh comes out in moving essay about her journey with her sexuality
Chyler Leigh arrives at the 6th Annual Thirst Gala on June 30, 2015. (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty)
Actress Chyler Leigh has come out as a member of the LGBT+ community, revealing that her storyline in the CW series Supergirl helped her understand her sexuality.
Best-known for playing Lexie Grey in Grey’s Anatomy, Leigh currently stars in Supergirl as Kara Danvers’s sister Alex, who slowly comes to realise she is a lesbian in the show’s second season.
In a recent post on the Creating Change website, an LGBT+ organisation the actress co-founded, Leigh revealed she had no idea how much that scene would resonate for her personally, and how significant it would become.
“When I was told that my character was to come out in season two, a flurry of thoughts and emotions flew through and around me because of the responsibility I felt to authentically represent Alex’s journey,” she wrote.
“What I didn’t realise was how the scene where she finally confessed her truth would leap off the pages of the script and genuinely become a variation of my own. IRL.
“My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest each take we filmed, every time presenting another opportunity to get those honest words out of my mouth. Though they don’t exactly match my personal dialogue, the heart behind it surely did. From the director, the press, the media, the cast, and the fans, I’m still told that it was the most realistic coming out scene they’d ever witnessed.
“And to steal from Alex’s words, that’s because there’s some truth to what she said about me. The scene is in season two, episode six if you wanna see for yourself.”
Chyler Leigh threw her heart and soul into the touching scene, which was widely praised as one of the best coming out stories in years – and we now know why.
Unfortunately though, not everyone in her life was supportive. Leigh went on to explain that playing a lesbian character in a high-profile show caused her to lose some of her friends and family.
“Since that episode aired, I was told from dear friends (and even avid watchers of Supergirl) that they would no longer watch the show because of the fact that Alex’s journey took a turn from their less than acceptable beliefs,” she said.
“Soon after, they began to distance themselves and eventually my family and I were outcast, marking the loss of many folks we loved.
“However, after the initial sting, I don’t hold a grudge towards the negative response, because as I said, we all have had a hard time in one way or another with acceptance (whatever the subject may be) whether towards ourselves or others.”
The Supergirl star continued: “It’s been a long and lonely road for both my husband and myself but I can whole-heartedly say that after all these years, he and I are still discovering the depths of ourselves and each other, but throughout our journey we’ve learned to be proud of who we are, no matter the cost.”
