Jason Caceres Opens Up About the Importance of LGBTQ+ Exposure

Actor Jason Caceres has been seen on screen for over a decade, from commercials to network TV, soap operas to film shorts, music videos to web series, he’s done a bit of everything. He’s currently having his moment in the gay independent series world with two major series that have recently dropped. Exploring the world of current-day romance and sexuality, he is the eye candy and voice of the younger generation in both Boy Culture: Generation Xand Open To It.

Before dealing with his sexual identity, Jason grew into his cultural one. He hails from Miami and was immersed in family, being the younger brother, and keeping a busy school schedule with karate, Boy Scouts, water polo, and art and theatre classes. As a Cuban American, he was finding his footing.

Growing up in Miami was almost surreal. I had the opportunity to grow up in between two cultures which, I believe, made me a bit more open-minded to the world around me. I got to experience the Cuban culture first-hand at home, listening to Celia Cruz, dancing with salsa with my relatives at every family gathering, learning Spanish as my first language, and then, alternately, I lived an American life in my schooling, attended social gatherings with my friends where we listening to punk rock, and eventually joined a fraternity in college. Not to sound corny and quote Hannah Montana, but it was kind of the best of both worlds.

Photo by Arthur Marroquin

Of course, with that comes a few struggles as well. It does split your sense of identity in half at times. I did find myself questioning whether I was Cuban or American, or some combination of both. I grew up listening to amazing stories about my family’s antics back on the island, but I had never been. I would learn very interesting things in school in English, and then have trouble translating it to my everyday life in Spanish. It can be a little overwhelming. My brain still sometimes skips when I’m asked a question in Spanish and wants to answer in English and the inverse also happens when I’m asked a question in English and the best answer for it comes in Spanish.

Before acting, he was immersed in art and writing, starting instruction at the age of 5. By the time he was 15, he was a published author when his poetry was published in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans two years running. He also had the opportunity to showcase his artwork in museums around Downtown Miami.

My parents always encouraged us to find our passion, whatever that may be. My mom used to say, “I don’t care if you’re a garbage man as long as you’re safe and happy.” That’s the mentality that led us to try a bunch of different things. You can’t possibly find what you love doing without trying a bunch of different things first. When I was growing up, I was always writing. I had a very active imagination. I would write little, short stories, very bad jokes. I remember I wrote a book about a boy who gets trapped in a video game once. I have no idea where that went.

Surprisingly, Jason came to theatre by way of his deep involvement with the Boy Scouts of America for over 15 years. During camping trips, Jason would write, direct, and act in skits for the final banquet. He was hooked. He would attend Florida International University and earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Performance. As he continued his discovery of his heritage and his passions, he also started to identify his sexuality.

My first realization was in middle school. I had a huge crush on one of my classmates who was openly gay at the time. I remember struggling with it a little bit but only because he didn’t like me back. My coming out story is very anti-climactic, which is, I guess, what we’ve all been working towards.

My father found out, I believe, when I was about thirteen, and only because I hadn’t learned how to clear my browser history. (Sorry, Dad.) We never really spoke about it though. He was using my laptop and asked me what some website was. I looked at it and panicked. I believe I said it was some sort of pop-up. His response was, “Weird. Nothing else seems to be popping up.” Then he kissed me goodnight and left. I was mortified! I told my mom when I was eighteen because I had my first serious boyfriend. She kind of already knew. The funny thing about this story is my parents have never separated. They are still married. I asked my dad why he never told my mom and he said that it wasn’t his story to tell. My parents have always been very supportive of my process. They’re great people.

After getting his bachelor’s degree he decided to make a major move from Florida to pursue his career. After heading to New York for a brief stint, he decided screen acting and the hot weather were better suited for him, and he made his way to Los Angeles. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he appeared in a bevy of commercials and screenwork that ranged from Criminal Minds to Where The Bears Are to ATT. It never occurred to him to be in the closet for his film career.

I never made an active decision to be an openly gay actor. I kind of just fell into it. I think it all comes from growing up in Miami and being around my family. My mom used to say, “Whatever you do in the dark always comes to light.” She encouraged me to always be myself, and so, I was. Not to say that there wasn’t a lot of self-doubt and struggle initially like everybody goes through internally when you’re a teenager, but the overarching theme was always “We love you no matter what.”

Photo Boy Culture: Generation X

Photo Boy Culture: Generation X

Photo by Matthew Rettenmund

I also didn’t grow up in “the industry.” I had no concept that this was something that may hinder you professionally. Since I was coming of age right around the time that social media began to spike, my true self was already out there. So, when I moved to Los Angeles, I was already out and in a relationship. That’s just how I presented myself to the world.

Does Jason think being an openly actor is limiting, even in today’s boom of LGBTQ representation?

Absolutely. I know that now. I didn’t when I first moved out here. I still wouldn’t change anything. I can’t imagine the struggle that so many closeted actors go through to keep their professional careers alive. I can’t handle that kind of stress. My only struggle now is to find work while being my authentic self, but it is absolutely still limiting to be an openly gay actor in this industry.

This reminds me of a story though. My very first agent out here in Los Angeles actually dropped me for being openly gay. She called me up one day and told me I needed to consider taking accent reduction classes. I was a bit blindsided but was very young and open to notes. In my head, I thought she meant my “Miami” accent, which is English with a slight Cuban twang. So, I responded with the fact that I didn’t know my Cuban accent was that strong, and her response, and I can remember it now, was “No, the gay one.” I was shocked. I wasn’t aware I had a gay accent or that one even existed. I remember getting very upset with her on the phone to which her response was to drop me from her agency.

This is all to say, yes. It is still somewhat limiting and I’m sure people go through a version of that on a much higher level where much more is at stake.

In Boy Culture: X Generation, Jason plays Chayce, who, simply put, pimps out an escort to a variety of clients while teaching his protegee how to use hookup apps and teach him what is current in the world of gay sex and dating. In Open To It, Jason plays Princeton, a younger, sexually active gay man whom a couple invites into their home to try a threesome and open their relationship. Both roles showcase Jason in a variety of sexual encounters with not much left to the imagination. As an actor who acts in mainstream and LGBTQ content, did he have any trepidation in showing so much skin in an overtly gay sexual environment?

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I love this question. The answer is both, of course, and, not at all at the same time. The only trepidation came from society telling us that it’s wrong and could ruin your career. But if we take a step back and look at the issue of sensuality on a wider scale, it has always existed. There have always been nudity and sex scenes in the entertainment industry. Granted, there is so much more now, but it’s always been there. It has mostly been at the expense of women. So, my first thought on this issue is, why not level out the playing field? Why is it, and has it, been ok to exploit a naked woman’s body for art but we have shied away from men? Shows like Euphoria and Sex Education have started to break down those barriers, so we are seeing much more male nudity now, which I think is great. Bodies in general are a form of art. We need to get rid of this taboo and over-sexualization of nudity. At the end of the day, it is just a body.

My second thought on this issue is the double standard that the gay community is presented with when it comes to nudity in film and television. I grew up watching franchises like American Pie, National Lampoon, and all those silly college straight comedies. There is so much nudity in those and those actors are elevated as opposed to denigrated. Why can’t the queer community also have silly campy comedies that are just fun to watch without it being labeled cheap or softcore porn? How is a male queer nude body different than a straight male nude body? They’re not.

And on a higher level, we see A-list actors go full frontal for an arthouse film or an independent movie and they are lauded as brave or heroes. We actually see their profiles rise in status because they dared to strip down for their art, but when an openly queer actor does it for their art on a television show, we shoot them down and label them as sell-outs or pornographic. That has never made any sense to me. Sorry for my tangent but it’s a double standard I don’t understand. All of this is to say, that if HBO comes calling, let them know I’m ready for my close-up. [Laughs]

In Jason’s opinion, why is showcasing the sexual part of a gay relationship on screen so important?

It’s important because the fight for equality is not over. Just because we are seeing progress doesn’t mean that we’ve arrived. The best way to help people overcome an issue is through education, and the best way to educate is through exposure. The more we see queer people being represented in media the more “normal” we become. Which is a word I hate because what even is “normal?” I think it’s important to show all aspects of queer life. Yes, what makes us different is who we are attracted to and the way we have sex, but that’s not all we are. We have romantic lives, we have professional lives, we go on vacations, and we have struggles. The more people know about the “monsters” they’re afraid of, the less scary they become. We’re all just people.

Much of the gay media and social media fans have latched on and commented on Jason’s twink looks and fit body… and booty. With the focus on his looks, has he ever felt overshadowed as an actor by his physical appearance?

Not at all! The way I see it, an actor’s body is part of their toolbox. What actors have to work with are the lines they’re given, the subtext they create, and the look that got them the part (This is a gross oversimplification by the way. There is so much that goes into preparing for a role). That’s not to say that everyone has to be incredibly fit or you won’t work. Not at all. At this stage in my life, my looks cancel me out of a lot of jobs. But as I age, I’ll grow into those other roles. I could also be offered a role that would require me to reconstitute my physique. It’s part of the job. I love embracing it and I’m very proud of what I’ve done with it. To me, my looks are part of the package, and I won’t have them forever so may as well use them while I’ve got them! Plus, I do think my physique has helped with garnering some publicity for my projects. [Laughs]

With his innocent good looks, he wants to flip the narrative in future roles and would love to play something on the darker side. A serial killer perhaps? He continually wants to challenge his acting chops and look for projects that say something. Having been an integral part of so much gay programming, what does he think the future of LGBTQ content look like?

Hopefully plentiful. I think we’re going to see less and less specifically gay content and we’re going to see more and more LGBTQ+ characters and storylines integrate into mainstream media. There will always be a need for queer content but as the movement progresses, I think we won’t need a gay movie because there will be movies where people happen to be gay, if that makes sense.

You can follow Jason on IG: @JasonCaceres