As the first gay adult romantic comedy from a major Hollywood studio, Bros marks a watershed moment for queer cinema. Written by Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller, with the latter also directing the film, Bros has broke new ground for LGBTQ+ representation with a principal queer cast; even the straight roles are played by actors of the LGBTQ+ experience. Upon release, the film received universal critical acclaim from critics who praised Eichner for “reinvigorating” the genre, its hilarious script and – because the straights have dominated rom-coms throughout history – its originality. 

“I realised that we are just so hungry as LGBTQ+ people, as gay men, to see accurate, multi-dimensional and genuinely funny and genuinely smart depictions of ourselves that we don’t get,” Eichner told GAY TIMES earlier this year, adding that it was crucial for him to depict gay people as “funny, sad, lonely, extremely confident, messy, brave, horny and hypocritical adult human beings”. 

As well as providing some much-needed LGBTQ+ visibility on the big screen, the star-studded cast of Bros are finally receiving recognition for their incomparable contributions to popular culture. From the Beyoncé-approved Ts Madison to Amanda Bearse, one of the first mainstream actresses to publicly come out as LGBTQ+, get to know the cast of Bros below.

Billy Eichner

Billy Eichner memorably rose to prominence with Billy on the Street, for which he received three nominations at the Emmy Awards. Following Eichner as he walks the streets of New York City and questions pedestrians about popular culture, the game show featured special guest stars such as Chris Evans, Mariah Carey, P!nk, Maya Rudolph and Debra Messing (you gays!). Eichner later became notable as an actor in Parks and Recreation, American Horror Story and American Crime Story, as well as for voicing Timon in The Lion King, which grossed over $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office. He will reprise the latter role in the upcoming prequel Mufasa: The Lion King and has been confirmed to write and star in a “big, gay divorce comedy” for Prime Video. 

Luke Macfarlane

Canadian-American actor Luke Macfarlane is best known for his five-year stint on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters as Scotty Wendell, whose romance with Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) is often regarded as one of the greatest in television history. The star – who plays Bobby Lieber’s central love interest, Aaron – came out as gay in 2008, the same year Scotty and Kevin tied the knot. Following the series’ conclusion, Macfarlane led the science-fiction series Killjoys for five seasons as D’avin Jaqobis, a former soldier and RAC bounty hunter. More recently, the actor has been hailed as the king of Hallmark television movies – appearing in 13 to date such as The Mistletoe Promise, Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen and A Magical Christmas Village. Macfarlane will next star opposite Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in Apple TV’s upcoming comedy series Platonic.