Juan Pablo Espinosa, a Leading Man On and Off Camera

Juan Pablo Espinosa came out three times. First, as a gay man in a homophobic city. Second, as an actor in a country that didn’t applaud his dream. And third, on social media, where he went public with all aspects of his identity in hopes to be the role model he wished had existed when he was young.

On LATV’S The Q Agenda, Espinosa said:

“As [I] get older, [I] start to realize that every little aspect from childhood are the things that made me the man I am right now: my strengths, my insecurities.”

Espinosa was born in Colombia in the 1980s, where machismo culture was the norm. Naturally drawn to the arts and inherently more sensitive, has had no desire to take part in it.

At his all-boys Catholic high school, when the other boys played soccer during recess, he hung out by himself in the theatre. As a teenager, when the other boys experienced their sexual awakening, he took note that he did not share the same attraction.

“I was like, ‘this is interesting. I might be gay.’ That makes so much more sense,” he says. “But I wasn’t ready…to really understand what that meant.”

Being gay, for Espinosa and so many others, means grappling with your identity solo. This is especially difficult when your surrounding environment upholds certain expectations about how to live your life, and with whom.

“I never had role models, I never had references, we didn’t have Ricky Martin, [and] we didn’t have the internet,” he says.

Yet he was resilient.

Espinosa left Colombia for Boston to attend acting school, where he found people committed to artistry, self-expression, and community. He found people like himself, and that was liberating.

“I started falling in love – deeper and deeper – with acting, and the person I was meant to be,” he says, “and ever since, it’s been a journey of stages.”

Espinosa’s career took off and he became known as a leading man in several famous telenovelas. He has played macho straight men who passionately fall in love with women and occasionally even fight other men in bars. Though unreflective of his lived experience, his approach to becoming these characters (and sometimes overcoming misogynistic dialogue) has been grounded in sensitivity and realism.

Now, Espinosa resides in Los Angeles and is openly gay. On social media, he enjoys connecting with his followers and uses his platforms to spread positivity and inspire self-confidence.

“[There is a] beautiful quote by Oprah: ‘Become the person you needed when you were growing up,’” he says. “I’ve gotten to do that. And I’m so grateful for that opportunity.”

Check out the full televised interview with Espinosa on the next season of The Q Agenda!