Miles Heizer isn’t one to pretend that stepping into a role completely unlike himself is always easy. The actor — known for projects like “13 Reasons Why,” “Parenthood” and “Love, Simon” — has often played straight young men navigating coming-of-age stories. “Sure, sure, I’ve tried,” he says with a laugh. Portraying straight characters isn’t exactly in his comfort zone: “I don’t think I’m the most convincing straight person.”
But with his latest role in Netflix’s Norman Lear-produced dramedy “Boots,” Heizer found himself in more familiar territory, resulting in his most personal work yet. He plays Cameron Cope, a closeted gay teenager who enlists in the Marines during the 1990s, a time when being out in the military wasn’t just dangerous — it was illegal. Heizer delivers a performance rich in lived experience, one that underscores the importance of authentic queer representation and makes a strong case for why LGBTQ+ actors are uniquely positioned to tell LGBTQ+ stories with the kind of depth and nuance that can’t be faked.
Based on Greg Cope White’s memoir “The Pink Marine,” the show blends humor, homoeroticism and history to explore queer identity in an intensely masculine world. For Heizer, who describes the role as “extremely relatable,” the project offered a rare opportunity to bring his full self to the screen.
At the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists convention in Atlanta, Heizer joined White for a screening and panel that made clear how deeply personal this story is for them both. In a recent conversation, Heizer reflected on the emotional weight of that moment, the experience of making the show and the power of authentic queer storytelling — especially in spaces where LGBTQ+ voices have historically been silenced.
During the NLGJA panel, it was so moving to witness Greg reflect on seeing his story told onscreen. What was it like for you to be in that room?
Once again, it gave me even more reverence for the show and for Greg. It was so beautiful. To this day, Greg is like, “I’m so excited for you and it must be so surreal for you,” and I’m like, “This must be extremely surreal for you.” Obviously none of us would be here without Greg’s incredible memoir. I just love getting any time that I can with him. Fortunately, he was here and it feels very right to spend the tail end of this [press tour] with him and [his friend] Dale, who Ray is based off of in the show.
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What do moments like the one you shared with Greg that day say to you about the importance of telling queer stories?
Growing up in the entertainment industry, I started at such a young age and a huge part of growing up was centered around this fear of being a gay person. I knew I was gay immediately, basically. [Laughs.] Never questioned that one. So I had a lot of fear of just what that would look like for being an actor in the entertainment industry. I had conversations with my representation as I got older about how to navigate that because, truly, not that long ago a lot of out actors sort of ruined their career. Obviously there are tons of gay actors who are in the closet, and I’m sure we’d be surprised to know, but I had just a lot of fear because that wasn’t something I was interested in doing, trying to be someone that I’m not. I just am who I am. I don’t think I’m the most convincing straight person [laughs].
And yet you’ve played straight characters.
Sure, sure. I’ve tried. [Laughs.] So, for me, to be in a world where “Boots” exists and to even just have studios like Netflix and Sony behind it, actually putting money into it and care, is so wild. It really is something that’s only happened in the last five years. So to get to be a part of this is so special and exciting for me, and still a bit shocking.
I remember getting the audition and reading the pilot and being like, “I am so shocked that this is being made by Netflix,” just because it’s not that common that you see a military show where the central character and the way into the story is through this queer lens, and it’s obviously what excited me the most about the show. So, again, it’s just not wasted on me how wild it is that this is actually happening.
The show is premiering shortly after a renewed ban on trans people serving in the military. What message do you think “Boots” sends in this current political climate?
When the show was just getting off the ground, and even when we were making it, the political climate was very different. I don’t think anyone went into this intending to send a message about today’s society. It really was meant to be a period piece about a specific time in history. The show really is about all these different people having a secret they’re hiding, and I think it’s easy to enter that through Cameron’s point of view because his secret is illegal, so the stakes are very high. Having mutual respect for each other is the message of the show. That would hopefully be the message in today’s political climate — showing all these people as people, which is the truth.
If you’re not harming people, I think that we can really come together and agree that, especially in the military, if someone is willing to make this sort of insane sacrifice to protect not just themselves, but literally everyone, to tell someone that they can’t do that because of this little thing about themselves that truly has no effect on anyone, doesn’t sit right with me. I honestly feel that the majority of people would agree with that, and so hopefully it opens up a conversation about that given where we are now.
You described parts of “Boots” as not just gay, but “so gay.” In that first episode alone, the homoeroticism is palpable.
What I love about the show is that entering it through this queer lens allows you to point out the humorous things about it. The reason I would say “so gay” is because of the terminology that’s used — the things that they’re doing are inherently funny to gay people. There’s this conundrum of this hyper-masculine place with “putting your blouse on” and “mounting the bed,” and obviously the insane intimacy of showering together and all of these things that are so gay, but they’re in this world that’s quite the opposite. I love that it’s not necessarily super sexual or anything. But especially for gay people, we will clock it and see the absurdity of the whole thing.
The thing that drew me to the show the most is we have these military shows and bootcamp shows or movies that sort of tend to focus on — and this is completely valid — the struggle and the intensity of that. Our show does that, but it also shows the lightness and the humor that can be found in a lot of it. It comes from Greg’s book. It’s like you read that and he’s so witty and funny and has such a funny perspective on the whole thing, and I hope the show translates that.
What about Cameron came naturally to you as a queer person yourself, and what challenged the way that you think about your own queerness after playing him?
I mean, sad answer, but virtually all of it was extremely relatable to me. I see actors interviewed and they’re like, “I want to do something that’s so different and so challenging,” and I’m like, I would rather do this. I am pulling from very personal experiences. I think for Cameron, he’s used to hiding himself and trying to blend in as I think a lot of queer people do. We find things we’re good at, and we stick to that because we don’t want too many eyes on us. We don’t want people to see this thing that’s different about us. That was just so me growing up. Even around other boys, I had this fear that they were going to somehow be able to tell I was gay and therefore make fun of me or make me feel like I didn’t belong or imply that I made them uncomfortable, just with my presence as a gay person. I denied myself of a lot of male friendships growing up because of that.
Cameron lives very much in the same world that I did. And so being put into this place where he’s forced to not only be around a bunch of guys, but also forced to fail and draw attention when he doesn’t succeed at things, is what ultimately ends up allowing him to have all this self-discovery and find out that he can do a lot of stuff that he didn’t think, and he can gain respect and love from people that he didn’t think he could connect with. And ironically, I sort of had that same experience going into this. I was a little nervous. I’ve never done a show that’s all boys, especially a show that’s about a world that’s very masculine. It’s the military, it’s bootcamp. So I was a little nervous — like, what is this going to be like as a gay person entering this? And I truly had the exact same experience as Cameron, where it’s like we pretty quickly were like, all right, we’re all in the same place. We have to spend all day together. We have the same goal, which is to do this show, and very quickly we are so there for each other because it was tough. It’s like 150 degrees outside and we’re exercising, and inevitably people are having a tough day or don’t feel like they have the energy to do stuff, and we all were there to help each other and uplift each other, and it really did mirror the show. By the end, I was so bonded to these people, and on paper, I would never think that I would be able to connect as strongly as I did with some of the boys.
Does it make you feel like you might’ve missed out on some relationships with straight men when you were younger?
I’m sure that I did. Genuinely not a single one. All girls.
What would you tell a closeted teen who might be watching this show, and what do you hope they take away from “Boots”?
I know it’s very complicated a lot of times because we don’t feel like coming out is safe. I know for some of us, there’s legitimate safety concerns. My forever advice would be to try and find someone or some type of community that you can open up to, because when you’re able to find people that love and uplift you, it’s so life-changing in a way you can’t really imagine. It’s just being able to breathe and be yourself.
Even if you’re not comfortable coming out to the world, just having a small group or even one person will really open up your world in ways you can’t imagine. I think Cameron has that with Ray, and I certainly had that as I was growing up. I grew up in a very conservative family, very nervous about how I would be perceived by them, and I think finding these people that loved me no matter what allowed me the strength to approach coming out in my own way as I felt comfortable. And I hope that the show sends that message as well. And also just that you might be surprised by the people that you’re able to connect with.
If “Boots” gets a second season, how do you hope Cameron’s story evolves?
Cameron’s arc is really centered around this character of Sergeant Sullivan that he sort of looks up to and idolizes. By the end, he starts to realize that this person is actually the exact example of what not to do, and who he doesn’t want to be. Then he’s given this alternative, which is to leave, but that alternative means just going back to his family who wasn’t there for him and didn’t uplift him. So he’s left in this weird middle ground of having to carve out a new path. I would just love to explore that and see where that takes him. And I would like to see a little romance for Cameron. It just does not pan out for him in the first season, and I think he deserves a little something.
