Dylan O’Brien has spoken about his deep appreciation for the LGBTQIA+ people in his life, especially his trans sibling.
Later this year, O’Brien stars in the highly anticipated queer drama Ponyboi, led by River Gallo as a young intersex sex worker and laundromat employee who is forced to confront his past after a botched drug deal sends him on the run.
O’Brien plays Vinny, a sleazy drug dealer having an affair with Ponyboi—unbeknownst to his pregnant girlfriend and Ponyboi’s best friend, Angel, played by The Haunting of Bly Manor’s Victoria Pedretti.
The cast also includes Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) as an alluring cowboy who helps Ponyboi navigate New Jersey’s underworld in search of freedom, and Indya Moore (Pose) as Charlie.
In an interview with Vulture, which also featured Gallo, Pedretti, Moore, and director Esteban Arango, O’Brien said it was important for him to be involved as an ally.
The Teen Wolf star added: “I have a trans, nonbinary sibling and I know people in my personal life as well who are queer, and I am so grateful for how much it deepens my experience in this world.”
O’Brien’s sibling, Julz O’Brien, is trans-masc and uses he/they pronouns. On Instagram, Julz frequently shares family photos—including with O’Brien, whom they’ve described as their “very first best friend”—and often expresses pride in being part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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In a separate interview with Adobe, O’Brien discussed Gallo’s experience growing up “not really seeing anyone like them on screen,” and called Ponyboi “tremendous” for representing such a marginalised and underrepresented community.
“Going in, I was extremely uneducated on intersex and the intersex community,” he added. “This was such an enlightening experience to me and [River is] someone that I hold so dearly to me now that I’ll have with me for the rest of my life as a friend.”
Ahead of Ponyboi’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2024, Gallo released a statement calling it a “dream come true to have written, starred and produced” their first feature film.
“Girl, Ponyboi prevailed. I couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible cast and crew who became my Ponyboi family and made this movie a reality,” they said.
“From the bottom of [my] heart, I cannot thank everyone who touched this film enough, especially our fearless director @esteban_arango who bravely and boldly ran with me on this journey with a wild heart.
“We made this movie for the intersex baddies, dolls, misfits, and outsiders, and for it to finally be out in the world is nothing less than revolutionary.”
Following its Sundance debut, Ponyboi received critical acclaim for Gallo’s writing and performance, as well as for O’Brien’s unexpected shift into darker, more dramatic territory—showcasing a new side of his acting range.
Ponyboi hits cinemas from 27 June via Fox Entertainment Studios and Gathr.
This year will also see the release of another LGBTQIA+ project from O’Brien: Twinless. Written, directed, produced by and starring James Sweeney, the film follows two young men who meet at a support group for people who have lost a twin. As they bond over their shared grief, they form an intense and unlikely connection.
Set for theatrical release on 5 September, Twinless premiered at Sundance in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category, where it won the Audience Award.
The film received overwhelming praise, earning a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics applauding Sweeney and O’Brien’s performances and praising the film’s blend of, in the words of The Hollywood Reporter, “dry humor, gutting devastation, and emotional poignancy.”
Visit here for more information on Twinless.
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