MICHAEL CIMINO

When crowd-pleasing romcom Love, Simon hit cinema screens at the start of 2018, it was a massive moment not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but the entertainment industry as a whole. It was the first movie from a major Hollywood studio to focus on a gay teen romance, but perhaps more importantly, it showed young gay love to be just as desirable and attainable as everyone else’s love, an important message for queer teens who often feel that a ‘normal’ life isn’t written in the stars for them. Of course there was a coming out moment - and what a beautiful scene that was - but the overarching story was about Simon finding love, something (almost) every teenager wants to experience at high school. It was groundbreaking.

So when the prospect of starring in a spin-off TV series came up, rising star Michael Cimino jumped at the chance to be a part of the franchise. He was a fan of the movie long before signing on for the new series, and had put it into the universe that he wanted to appear in something just as powerful. “I was with a few of my best friends