PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID REISS
STYLIST HOLLY MACNAGHTEN

From clanking down the Yellow Brick Road to cooking in Yorkshire, guarding half-human, half-vampire hybrids, and flexing his guns in a robot revolution, Max Parker’s career so far has been delightfully… unpredictable.

“I think the reason I got into acting as a kid was because I had so much energy, and my parents just wanted to give me an outlet,” Max tells Gay Times. “What I wanted to be always changed: I wanted to be a vet, a doctor, a policeman. Being an actor, you get to do all those things, but only for a short while, and then move on to something else.”

Max’s latest — and most high-profile — role sees him in Netflix’s coming-of-age dramedy BOOTS, following a closeted teen (Miles Heizer) enlisting in the 1990s Marines with his straight best friend (Liam Oh), forging bonds and discovering themselves amid the harsh realities of military life. Overseeing their training is Max’s elite Recon Marine, Sgt. Sullivan, who pushes his recruits to the limit while carrying secrets of his own.

As the series hits Netflix, we caught up with Max Parker to talk about stepping into the role of Sgt. Sullivan, exploring the show’s high-stakes military world, and the heart, humour and humanity at the centre of BOOTS.

(Major spoilers ahead.)

Max, congratulations on the release of BOOTS. How are you feeling, leading up to its release?

I’m very excited. We started filming about two and a bit years ago, so with all the strikes that have happened and the delay of the release, it feels like everything’s finally about to come out, and I just can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working so hard on.

The Gay Times audience, especially, has been so receptive to the show and its trailer. Why do you think there’s been so much interest?

There’s nothing like it, to be honest. I think there have been military shows before that look at it from a different angle. This is sort of a fun, moving drama. It’s just got so much to it, and I think the trailer, not only does it have one of the best songs ever in it, which obviously makes it great, I just think it looks exciting. I mean, I’ve seen the show and I know it is exciting, but sometimes a trailer can’t do something justice or shows too much, and I think this one is getting people excited.