Ryan Phillippe Remembers His ’90s Gay Soap Opera Role: Fans Said It Gave Them a ‘Way to Connect with’ Their LGBTQ Children

Ryan Phillippe Remembers His ’90s Gay Soap Opera Role: Fans Said It Gave Them a ‘Way to Connect with’ Their LGBTQ Children

Long before “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Godford’s Park” made him a major big screen presence, Ryan Phillippe’s “One Life to Live” character broke ground on television. Phillippe portrayed Billy Douglas between 1992-93, the first gay teenager depicted on daytime TV. In an interview with People, the “Cruel Intentions” star said that, among the large volume of fan mail he received during his time on the series, many came from parents wri…

Ryan Phillippe reflects on his breakout gay role in soap 'One Life to Live'

Actor Ryan Phillippe has reflected on his breakout role playing a gay teenager in the soap opera One Life to Live. Phillippe was just seventeen when he was cast as Billy Douglas, the character was the first gay teenager to be featured on daytime television. Philippe stayed with the show from 1993 until the following year. Reflecting back on the role more than three decades later the actor has described it as a “really profound experience” in a n…