never expected to become a cultural phenomenon with an unofficial holiday ( , after all), let alone change the course of his life. Two decades later, he still feels the film's impact. “I knew it might be someone’s favorite movie, but I never imagined it would be everybody’s favorite movie,” said Franzese, who, at 26, landed the role of Damian, the “almost too gay to function” teenager who became one of the most beloved characters in the high school comedy.
The 2004 film was a , but as Franzese told Yahoo Entertainment, “Everything is a two-sided coin.” At the time, he was quietly navigating his own identity in an era when being openly gay in Hollywood could end a career. As Damian became a beacon of hope for generations of LGBTQ youth — a rare, unapologetic role model in mainstream media — Franzese found himself in the position of embodying the character’s boldness while still grappling with his own truth behind the scenes.
“Damian in the movie was between ‘I think I’m gay’ and ‘my first kiss,’ which is pretty much where I was at [in my personal life] too,” Franzese explained. But while his co-stars rode the wave of the film’s success, he struggled to find his next roles. It was a bittersweet moment when he realized the very character that empowered so many seemed to be holding him back.
"Everyone [else] in got rich, and I just couldn’t afford to hang out with them anymore,” Franzese recalled. “They were like, ‘We’re all going t.
