Hale Appleman portrays the role of Eliot Waugh, High King of Fillory, in The Magician. His character is a gay royal empowered by his otherness.
Like in reel life, Hale described his sexuality in real life as “definitely not straight,” identifying as queer. He has also talked about being open to playing gay characters.
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Hale Appleman is Queer
Since Hale portrayed a gay character in The Magicians, eyebrows were raised regarding his sexuality.
Much like his character, he identifies as queer in real life. He has been open about it in interviews.
The actor affirmed that he was definitely not straight.
He added, “I am about as queer as Eliot and at least as open and fluid when it comes to supernatural beings, women, and everything in between.”
Hale, who has embraced who he is, has said in interviews that he is open to playing gay characters.
Hale Appleman Enjoys Portraying Gay Characters
It was a dream come true for Hale Appleman to play the queer king of a fantasy realm. He took full advantage of the opportunity in Syfy’s The Magician.
Furthermore, the actor did not take the impact of a queer king lightly. He revealed that he did not have an Eliot growing up, but he was glad that Lev Glossman, writer of the Magicians trilogy, brought him up.
While Hale’s character was married off to a woman in the previous seasons, the latter part of the show saw his sexuality being referred to in broad strokes, which is yet to be fully explored.
In an interview with Advocate, Appleman added that it was great to see his character have more fully realized relationships with men in both non-sexual and sexual contexts.
He added, “While I don’t think Eliot is a stranger to fluidity or new experiences, I do hope he gets to have a real relationship with a man soon. I think it’s important to explore Eliot’s sexuality unapologetically, now more than ever.”
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Hale Appleman Was Previously Married To A Woman
Looking at his old Instagram posts, Hale was in a relationship with a woman named Stephanie Falcon Simbari. In January 2015, Stephanie shared a picture to wish him a happy birthday.
In the photo, he can be seen holding a “Just Married” placard while she has a ring on her finger.
Furthermore, in June 2015, he shared her picture, captioning it, “Love your wife love your life.” He also mentioned her now-deleted Instagram account.
Similarly, Hale’s lover also posted their photo and wrote the same for the caption. The couple shared several other goofy pictures with one another.
However, the duo has not shared any pictures of them since June 2016. Also, in an interview in April 2016, he revealed that he was single. So, the couple might have separated.
As for now, Hale enjoys his professional acting career. He updates his fans about his work and art on Instagram.
