'Bros' Star Luke Macfarlane Talks Masculinity and Gay Identity

When Luke Macfarlane signed on to star in the gay rom-com "Bros," it was reportedly because he related so much to the character.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Macfarlane says understands how toxic masculinity affects his character and "shuts him off a little bit from finding his authentic self."

Speaking about his own career and his own '90s upbringing, Macfarlane shares that his ideas of masculinity came from questionable sources.

"Our ideas of masculinity came from Abercrombie & Fitch or Calvin Klein ads, and that was very confusing to gay people of a certain age," he told THR. "You're like, 'Do I want to be with that or do I want to be that?'"

Bros covers all of those feelings in some of the most complex and emotionally revealing sex scenes of his career, he explained. "We had an intimacy coordinator on 'Bros,' but Billy and I felt really comfortable," he said. "We gave each other permission to go for it."

Written and starring Billy Eichner, Macfarlane's character (Aaron) in "Bros" is a probate lawyer struggling with a mundane life until Eichner's character at a gay club.

"When I first read the Bros script, I really connected with Aaron on the idea of, where does his masculinity fit into the gay spectrum?" says Macfarlane.

The film is already breaking ground when it comes to LGBTQ representation and being the first gay rom-com presented by a major studio. But Macfarlane never thought he would have had a trailblazing role in an LGBTQ film.

"If I closed my eyes when I was 25 years old and imagined my future, I'd have said I'd be chasing a tank down the street in an Iraq war movie or something," he said. "We go to movies so we can understand the world, and that's what people are going to get when they see this. And they'll be fucking entertained along the way."

Bros hits theaters Sept. 30.