High school confidential
by Nelson Branco
Photos Brendan Meadows

Think you have a killer coming-out story? Imagine having to perform every gay man’s rite of passage in front of millions of viewers, just as you’re only beginning to suspect you may also be gay yourself. That’s what happened to Degrassi: The Next Generation’s breakout star Adamo Ruggiero.

Ruggiero landed the role of Marco, introduced in the critically acclaimed show’s second season, when he was only 14. “I didn’t know the part was a gay role when I signed on,” the sweet-mannered star, now 21, tells fab in an exclusive interview over a burger and soup at Toronto’s Big Mamma’s Boy. “[Executive producer and co-creator] Linda Schuyler prefers to hire real-looking actors for her show, and then she writes to their strengths and personality. Marco wasn’t intended to be gay until I came along.” In fact, Ruggiero originally tested for the part of troubled straight artsy guy Craig Manning.

The Degrassi franchise—which began with the 1983 CBC broadcast of The Kids of Degrassi Street—has always emphasized realism. That means the actors have a lot of input into the show, so Ruggiero’s experiences helped shape Marco’s. “We’d constantly tell [Schuyler] what was happening in our real lives—and that was often [the litmus test] if a story was real or not. Degrassi isn’t run like a Hollywood show.”

By the 2003 season, nice guy Marco Del Rossi, after surviving a crush on his best friend Ellie Nash, realized he likes boys, not girls. The groundbreaking storyline catapulted the actor onto centre-stage as his character came out onscreen to millions of viewers in more than 150 countries. It’s earned the show GLAAD Media nominations for Outstanding Drama Series in 2004 and 2008, along with a 2003 Young Artist ensemble nomination for the actor. Ruggiero found himself cast as the public face of queer youth and got involved in work with charities like The Trevor Project, a US-based suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth (www.thetrevorproject.org).

But all through this, Ruggiero was struggling with his own sexuality off-screen. “I don’t want to play the violin, but every question I had about my sexuality, my character began to have. I couldn’t even escape my real life by seeking refuge in my work.”

As art imitated life, Ruggiero was perplexed. “I was receiving fan mail from kids who wrote to thank me, saying ‘I came out to my parents and friends because of you.’ Since Marco came out before I did, I felt like a fraud. I hadn’t opened up to my own parents, yet I was inspiring a generation to do just the very opposite. Basically the biggest question you have in your life is broadcasted for everyone to answer, so I never had that moment for myself—or the opportunity to answer it myself. Privacy wasn’t an option for me.”

Ruggiero began questioning whether or not he could do justice to the role as an actor. “I kept thinking, ‘How can I act this when I’m not there yet personally?’ It was overwhelming because I was leading three different lives: I had my straight life, my gay TV life and my real gay life.” Still, there were artistic benefits. “I was walking step-by-step with Marco. I guess you can credit my authenticity in my portrayal to that. When he was quivering, I was quivering.”

Schuyler says she’s in awe of Ruggiero’s inspiring journey as both an actor and as a young man. “I have always been impressed with how Adamo has approached being a role model, both on and off television. He has embraced who he is completely, and is an amazing person. He continues to encourage his audience to be true to themselves. I am so proud of him.”

Deciding to wait before coming out was a no-brainer for the Mississauga-raised Italian-Canadian Catholic teen. As young actors face pressure to come out by the media (yes, we mean you, Perez Hilton), many pundits wonder what effect this has on stars who may not even know themselves if they’re gay.

“It’s a battle of self-worth,” says Ruggiero. “Who was I to give these kids advice about coming out, when I couldn’t take it myself? That’s why I ask my fans to sympathize with me because I really wished I had come out sooner and been honest with everyone. But at the same time, I never had the opportunity to make my own personal choices because Marco always beat me to it! I was so involved in playing him that my private life took a backseat. Sometimes in this business, you’re put in an unfair situation. I was genuinely afraid for most of that time.”

He was 18 before he came out to his parents. His mom Amalia runs a clinic that provides cancer patients with hair replacements or wigs; dad Tony is an accountant.


“My mother’s an open, liberal and spiritual entrepreneur,” says Ruggiero. “My dad’s an intellectual—and he’s willing to learn new things and has an open mind. I come from a traditional Italian family but they aren’t so traditional that me being gay was a [deal breaker].”

Though coming out was nerve-wracking, Ruggiero had learned what to expect through Marco’s storyline.

“Ironically, in another case of life imitating art, I came out the very same way Marco came out to his mother, just by sheer accident,” he says. “My brother Adriano—who is completely hetero and the sweetest man you’ll ever meet— knew before I told him. When Marco came out to his mom on the show, he texted me and wrote, ‘Marco’s mom knows and now I know.’”

Like many other gay youth, Ruggiero was harassed in elementary school. But he didn’t have to deal with being bullied in high school, thanks to his enrollment in an arts school.

“I wasn’t on the field playing soccer, I was more obsessed with my Spice Girl stickers!” he laughs. “We were all artists. I was blessed and it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. There was some animosity and jealousy when I landed Degrassi but, at the end of the day, everyone got over it and was happy for me.”

Growing up in Toronto instead of Hollywood has been another blessing. He got to be a working actor on a successful TV show without suffering the pitfalls that come with L.A.’s relentless media glare.

“After going to L.A. a lot for personal appearances and being treated like a big star, and then coming home to my bedroom in my family’s house, having dinner with my parents, taking the garbage out, I’d climb into bed at night, asking myself, ‘What the hell just happened?’ I’ve experienced two extreme realities of being an actor and I much prefer living in Canada.”

The privacy of Toronto also made it easier for him to go to gay clubs and bars without having to explain anything. “I think that’s one of the benefits of being Canadian—no one gives two shits,” he says. “I love that in the gay world there is no hierarchy. If I’m waiting in line to get into Buddies, no one gives a crap who I am. Sometimes some kids will recognize me and they’re always incredibly sweet and say hi and thank me for helping them come out, which is overwhelming….Of course, some gays have approached me and said, ‘Yes, I won the bet! I knew you were gay!’”

Ruggiero has just left his family home to move into his own place with costar Lauren Collins, who plays Paige. (Marco moved out last season, but at first didn’t tell his father he was moving in with his boyfriend.) And he’s been in a real-life relationship with his boyfriend for one year (that’s all he’s saying—he prefers to keep his personal life private).

As for his coming out, Ruggiero expects more of a brouhaha down south than in Hollywood North. The show is hugely influential in the US (The New York Times hailed it as the best teen show on TV, while Time screamed “we love Degrassi!”) and his sexuality is already discussed on blogs—but not how you may think. “Do you know how many kids out there in America believe I’m straight because they want to believe it?”

Ruggiero first worried about the stigma of being a gay actor playing gay. “Some would argue that’s not acting at all, so then I would ask, ‘How much of an actor am I?’” But he has grown to realize that not all gay parts, like straight ones, are created equally.

In The Next Generation’s seventh season, which just started this month on CTV, Marco faces situations where he feels left out of the gay scene and, in a desperate attempt to fit in, becomes friends with the wrong crowd. With his role reaching its inevitable end—Marco graduated from Degrassi in the 2006 season—Ruggiero is excited about the future. “I’m eager to start living my own life and making my own choices now, as an actor and as a person. I’d ideally love to get into film and work behind the scenes as a producer. I don’t mind being typecast as the gay kid from Degrassi but I want to pursue my other artistic interests and continue to challenge myself on every level.”

Ruggiero’s close pal, Fashion TV host and producer, Jeanne Beker applauds Ruggiero’s courage and talent. “Besides being totally gorgeous, both inside and out, I expect all kinds of greatness from him, in terms of his career, and in terms of reaching out to people in general. I think he’s done a lot of soul searching, especially lately. And I think he has a lot to say. I really do love the guy.”

One thing’s for sure. Ruggiero won’t be moving to Hollywood. “Toronto is my home base. Personally and professionally, this is a new age for me—and I want to ride the wave. Everything and anything is possible now.”

Nelson Branco writes for Hello! Canada and numerous other publications.

Grooming by Gregory Graveline. Styling by Christopher Sherman. Clothing and footware provided by H&M and Converse. Shot on location at The Drake Hotel with the assistance of Marcello Cabezas.