Hallmark fan favorite Jonathan Bennett has opened up about being a leading man after he came out. Bennett has been part of the Hallmark family since 2009. In 2017, Bennett came out. Now he’s reflecting on how that changed him as a leading man because he was allowed to be his authentic self.
Jonathan Bennett Talks Being a ‘Different’ & ‘Unique’ Hallmark Leading Man
All Hallmark stars are unique in their own way, making them all very different. However, for Bennett, a layer was added when he felt he could bring more of himself into roles.
“I’m really quirky. I’m not cool. I bounce off the walls. All the things that are the opposite of Aaron Samuels. Aaron Samuels is like cool guy. He comes in, he’s like, ‘Hey, you want to do some math problems?’ I’m like, ‘Let’s put on Chicago in the living room.’ And so to play all these roles that were in early my career, I thought I had to strip all the parts of Jonathan away to be a leading man. And I realized after doing movies, after coming out, is that all the things that I thought were my weaknesses are my superpowers,” he shared with The Daily Beast.
Bennett explained that anyone watching Hallmark Channel can see there is no one like him on the network, and that’s perfectly fine.
“They’re all leading men, and I’m a leading man, but I’m a much different leading man, and I have much different mannerisms and speech patterns and the way I act, the way I talk, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a leading man. It just means I’m unique and that uniqueness makes me like a unicorn,” Bennett spilled.
The “General Hospital” star added that people should want to be a unicorn because it makes them special, and that’s how he looks at himself. Bennett can be authentic rather than hiding parts of himself in roles, as he did in “Mean Girls.”
“I don’t strip away anymore. I just put them into the character,” he said, “There’s all these things that make me unique, and what’s so fun is that the audience responds to it.”
Bennett loves how the audiences react to certain characteristics he brings to each role. It’s a far cry from when he used to hide certain things that looked “gay” or “dumb” when he was in his 20s. Now the “Halloween Wars” host proudly embraces all the things that make Bennett who he is, adding to his amazing acting talent.
Jonathan Bennett Celebrates ‘Mean Girls’ Day
Despite insisting he’s nothing like his “Mean Girls” character Aaron Samuels, Bennett has nothing but love and appreciation for the character and film. “Mean Girls” changed Bennett’s life. The actor happily and proudly celebrates “Mean Girls” day every October 3.
In the movie, Aaron asks Cady (Lindsay Lohan) what day it was. Cady said October 3, creating a new pop culture phenomenon that is celebrated every year.
Bennett stopped by “Good Morning America” on “Mean Girls” day this year to gush over being part of the film.
“It was my breakout role in Hollywood. I have so much respect and love for it,” he shared before adding that he never gets sick of October 3 or being known for the iconic movie. Bennett considers it a privilege to be part of something with such a legacy, and that brings people so much joy.
In honor of the day, Bennett was tested on his “Mean Girl” knowledge. Bennet was given a line from the movie and three characters who may have said it, and he had to pick the correct one. The actor did pretty good considering it’s been 22 years since the movie came out.
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Hallmark’s Jonathan Bennett Gets Honest About Being a ‘Different’ & ‘Unique’ Leading Man