From Disney star to ‘gay serial killer’

Ross Lynch

Actor-singer Ross Lynch, formerly of Disney’s “Teen Beach Movie” and “Austin & Ally,” leaves behind squeaky-clean fare to tackle riskier roles.
He is playing gay serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the film adaptation of the graphic novel, “My Friend Dahmer,” about the late criminal’s younger years.

“I’m so excited for you to see it,” he told fans on Instagram, where he posted a promotional image of him as the psychotic killer.
“I was looking for a role that would be a challenge for me,” he recently told Entertainment Weekly. “I had done a lot of work for the younger demographic with Disney … and I was excited to do something that people didn’t expect from me.”

Lynch, 21, is not discounting the possibility of returning to the House of Mouse, however: “If Disney would take me, I’d love to go back … I love variety.”

“My Friend Dahmer,” costarring Anne Heche and Vincent Kartheiser, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last week.

Another former Disney actor, Lynch’s “Teen Beach” costar Garrett Clayton, previously tackled mature roles, as a gay porn star in the film “King Cobra” last year, and a scantily clad hustler in the play, “God Looked Away,” a few months ago.

X-Men vs ‘Dark Phoenix’

The next part of the rebooted “X-Men” saga is now officially called “Dark Phoenix,” set for release in November 2018. As the title suggests, one of the mutant heroes, powerful telepath Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), will be corrupted, threatening her teammates and the rest of the planet.

Sophie Turner

This isn’t the first time the storyline is being adapted for film. The poorly received “X-Men: The Last Stand” in 2006 featured Jean’s (Famke Jenssen) transformation into a destructive villainess. Some fans reacting on social media sites are hoping that the new movie will be a vast improvement and will stick to the details of the classic comic-book tale.

Ellen 2 decades later

It’s been 20 years since comedienne Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet. In a Time magazine interview in 1997, DeGeneres confirmed, “Now I feel comfortable with myself, and I don’t have to be fearful about something damaging my career if it gets out, because now I’m in control of it—sort of. No one can hurt me now.”

While the time immediately after that revelation became uncertain for the future talk-show host, things did eventually stabilize and pick up. She is married to actress Portia de Rossi, continues to inspire LGBT fans, and promotes related advocacies. She was congratulated by Twitter users, a number of whom shared fond memories of her coming-out.

The beloved host and “Finding Dory” voice actress joked, “20 years ago, these tweets would’ve been really different, mostly because Twitter didn’t exist.”—OLIVER PULUMBARIT