Fans know and love actor Tramell Tillman from his roles in Apple TV+’s Severance, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the GLAAD Media Award nominated Sweethearts, and more. Now, Them is pulling back the curtain and letting the world get to know the real Tillman.
Appearing as the second cover star in Them’s Pride Month series, Tillman spoke with editor-at-large Michael Cuby about his newfound fame, his queer identity, fashion, and so much more.
While he’s been acting for over 10 years, Tillman’s role as Mr. Milchik in the critically acclaimed series Severance has launched him to an all new level of fame. He told Them how he’s still adjusting to this shift. “I’m running around to all these wonderful events, and then I come home and I’m like, ‘I don’t have any groceries.’ Or, ‘I’ve got to unclog my sink. It’s just this total disconnect from this glamorous life of being in these fancy suits and expensive jewelry on wonderful carpets.”
He shared how being noticed by fans has become a part of his day-to-day, “I’m doing laundry and people are talking about my dancing,” referring to two of his most iconic scene in Severance. “I’m like, ‘I got my wet drawers in my hand right now!’”
Tillman was easily amongst the best dressed at this year’s Met Gala. He shared that this was his first time at the fashion event and “I felt like a fucking king when I walked that carpet.” He added, “It was opulence. It was luxury. It was hiiiiiiiiigh-eeeeeeeend.” He also shared that at the event he had a “lovefest” with fellow Black gay actor Colman Domingo.
On his identity as an out queer man, he said, “I’ve always wanted to have a life of authenticity and integrity. I don’t want to have to feel like I’m lying about who I am. And if I’m dating somebody that I love and they love me, I don’t want to hide them because I’m ashamed.”
He brings this authenticity into the roles he plays as well, stating, “So, embracing my queerness now, I never want them to be seen as a joke, because we’re not. We’re human and we’re complex and we’re multifaceted.”
Tillman spoke to Them about how he came to terms with his sexuality, “It’s going to sound cheesy, but it came to me in a dream.” In it, he saw himself on a jumbotron, giving something like a “TED Talk or an Oprah’s Master Class,” he remembered. “And there was a guy seated stage-left, house-right. He had a child in his hands, and he pointed up to the jumbotron and said to the child, ‘You see? That’s Dada.’ I remember, in my body, knowing that that man was my husband and that child was my child.” He woke up in tears. “That’s when I knew.”
“I’ve never been a showy person,” he said. “Ideally, if I were to come out, it would be on a talk show and they say, ‘Tramell, how’s your dating life?’ and I’m like, ‘I’ve been on a couple dates with some guys and it just hasn’t really worked out.’” He has no problem discussing his sexuality. “But I never wanted to politicize my personal life. That feels inauthentic to who I am.”
He spoke about his dating life, stating, “I’m still monogamous. I don’t have a problem with people who are open. I respect that. But for me, I really believe in monogamy. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I don’t think it’s antiquated. I don’t think it’s anti-queer. I think it’s a choice. It’s also found in nature. There are animals that are!”
To close, he spoke about the power of following your dreams. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it was easy,” he had told me. “I missed out on funerals, birthdays, weddings. I ain’t seen some of my friends in years. But there’s nothing like following your bliss. There’s nothing like doing the thing that wakes you up. And this is it for me.”
Read the full article here and check out www.them.us for special Pride coverage all month long!