Ryan talks about playing a gay teenager in the documentary: 'Visible out On Television'.

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[jasonthewatchmansson]

Ryan Phillippe went on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Leno - sort of out of the blue - started to mock the fact that Phillippe had played a gay character on a soap back in the 90s. Leno tried to get Phillippe to join in the mockery of his own work on the show, at one point asking Phillippe to turn to the camera and make a "gay look." Philippe refused to go along and, as I recall, after some back-and-forth, stated that he was proud of the work he did on OLTL. It took real courage to do that, since it risked getting blacklisted from the show.

[bicknell]

The fact Ryan did this is so awesome. His portrayal of Billy was groundbreaking.

[sevendegrees]

I was 16 and a sophomore when this was airing. Being closeted myself id set my bedroom vcr to record one life to live everyday at 1pm. I was lucky because this storyline happened on summer break and I never would have been able to sneak and watch it otherwise. It was a huge deal to me back then. To mention I just had the biggest crush on him. I followed his career ever since. Thanks for being an early ally Ryan. I probably wouldn’t be here otherwise.

[robbyel]

Hopefully Ryan reads some of these comments and sees how so many of us appreciate his courage to play a gay teen. It is people like Ryan who have given many of us the courage to be ourselves.

[UnionAdvocate]

1992 was a difficult time for gay teens. I was 16 and spent that summer seeing a me on tv. I needed that at the time. And of course AIDS deaths were raging in ‘92 as well. If we weren’t bashed would we get sick and die. I asked myself that a lot.

[erikcareswell]

We can never measure the effect his performance had on the development of social norms, particularly regarding gay youth.. but we CAN know that the impact was exponential, and that we might not be where we are right now, if not for that performance. So thank you, Ryan Phillipe, for all the lives you potentially saved, and the difference you have made so far. ❤

[Logick]

Even the fact that he kept those letters just goes to show what a wonderful person he is.

[freemangriffin]

It was crazy that Ryan Phillipe didn't win an Emmy for his work on One Life To Live! But I resented that the show got rid of Billy so quickly and he wasn't a regular character - if he had been Vicki's son it would have been different. But wow! Ryan was AMAZING in the role!!!!

[troygaspard]

He would go on to play so many roles, a few of them gay. He gained insight and empathy at a young age.

[jimmywait]

I've always loved Ryan since I saw him on OLTL

[drhacknslashzombietimelord]

I never watched ONE LIFE TO LIVE. I was an AS THE WORLD TURNS watcher. Don't judge me, my grandmother got me hooked on that in 1978. It wasn't until 93 or 94 that they started having their gay teenage characters. And, it's all thanks to ONE LIFE TO LIVE bringing the character to the TV screen, and the performance of Ryan Phillipe, which from what I read was a brilliant, honest, and realistic portrayal. And the fact that they didn't have Billy as the typical gay stereotype. He just happened to be a regular guy who was gay. I do hope Ryan is proud of the important role he played in laying down the strong foundation for future characters to come.

[nbkhmb]

Bravo 👏🏼 to Ryan Phillipe for being so brave and being a pioneer 🎉

[ChucksCherubs]

OLTL was my favorite soap back then (I actually watched it from the late 80s until its very last episode in 2012) and I obviously remember this storyline. When I saw I Know What You Did Last Summer, I was happy to see that "Billy" had made it to the big screen! No surprise though as I thought Ryan Phillippe was a very good actor. I also remember seeing him in interviews, and I recall being a little disappointed at the way he answered some questions as he seemed to try hard to distance himself from the role. All these decades later, seeing this gives me a better perspective on what was going on with him behind the scenes.

[Effective_tool_of_Satan]

Ryan also knows he was the awakening for lots of us gay men.

[bishbosh]

If i lived in the 90s he wouldve been my gay awakening, he was GORGEOUS

[JohnColeman]

Wow! I know that this is an old post but when Ryan began reading the letter I started tearing up. I believe Ryan is a good person. Maybe one day during the summer I will bump into him in Rehoboth or Dewey.

[kalmanta]

1:40 and it’s still the way to this day for some folks. I’m so glad I got out of Church.

[fernandabluntkrasinski]

He is a terrific actor, I want him to get more recognition

[mitchelllord]

Thank you, Ryan Philippe, for such a courageous performance, especially given the background you came from! To this day, your portrayal of Billy is important & iconic. And yes, many thanks to Agnes Nixon for dealing with so many crucial issues on her shows.

[edwardtjbrown]

Groundbreaking performance. Especially for the early 1990s, Alas, Billy was written off the series in 1994.