thomas doherty shirtless

For the 2021 Power of Young Hollywood Result, Variety profiled three young stars making an bear on in the amusement industry. For more, click here.

On HBO Max's reincarnated "Gossip Girl," Thomas Doherty plays Max Wolfe, a 17-twelvemonth-old romantic omnivore who seduces all the boys and girls — and even a male instructor — at his Upper Eastward Side loftier school. But on this mean solar day in late July, but a few weeks after the debut of his breakout TV role, Doherty isn't kissing anybody.

The 26-yr-erstwhile Scottish actor logs on to a Zoom phone call, dressed in a blue hoodie. His eyes are groggy; his vox sounds hoarse, and his words are interrupted by a throaty coughing. Apparently non even our brightest TV stars are impervious to COVID-19, which Doherty contracted a few days ago — postponing our photo shoot and an in-person coming together.

Lazy loaded image — Heather Hazzan for Multifariousness

"It'southward mild, fortunately," says Doherty, who briefly lost his sense of olfactory property and taste. "I actually feel OK now."

Then he sheepishly admits that he hadn't gotten vaccinated even so, because he'd heard about other people getting ill from their shots and he'southward been working since last October, shooting "Gossip Girl" around the clock. "I was to go to coffee with you, and then direct after, at 6 o'clock, I was meant to get vaccinated," Doherty says. "We booked information technology. So I got COVID."

Only there'southward no demand to alert DeuxMoi. Like a storyline from the more inclusive and sexually adventurous — and incomparably nicer — "Gossip Girl," this saga has a happy ending.

A week later, after two negative COVID tests, Doherty bounces back, appearing at a two-hour photograph shoot involving multiple costume changes (including a throwback to Brad Pitt circa "Thelma & Louise," with a white cowboy chapeau, sitting on a bale of hay) and an impromptu manicure where he paints his nails. He ponders a black polish before deciding on cherry-red — a better match for the sleeveless denim jeans vest that he dons without a shirt, showing off some of his 13 tattoos.

Among his cast of previously unknown 20-something co-stars, Doherty has been in the business the longest, and is perhaps the most recognizable histrion in the group because of his days every bit a Disney Channel star in 2016. He's enjoying the move to Park Avenue. With the help of "Gossip Daughter" creator Joshua Safran, Doherty has crafted a leading man for Gen Z ¬— office old Hollywood, role polyamorous, with supreme confidence and nontoxic masculinity. His functioning has put him on the map equally one of the actors to spotter in the 2021 Television set season.

Max is a gleeful scenery chewer, both dramatic and bitingly funny, whose dialogue seems designed to go viral on Twitter.

During the role player's audition, Safran noticed that Doherty was making the character besides sinister, closer to Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) from the original series. "I worked with Thomas in the notes session," Safran says equally he recalls telling Doherty: "'Actually, this guy has more Cary Grant about him, like a rakish winking — you're in on it with him.' In one case I said that to him, Max was built-in."

Long before his shirtless on-screen bed-hopping, Doherty got his big break in 2016 at age xx on the Disney Aqueduct U.K. series "The Lodge," after juggling odd jobs as a bartender and ringing upwardly teen apparel at Hollister. He crossed over to U.South. tween audiences in the Television movie "Descendants ii" and its sequel, in which he played Captain Hook'southward crooning son and, in existent life, became function of a Disney couple, dating his co-star Dove Cameron.

"Disney is such a huge platform and there's a lot of exposure, then it definitely gave me that," Doherty says. "Information technology was my first time on a film ready, which was really exciting." The function earned him a devoted fan base of operations — he now counts 4.4 million followers on Instagram. "Americans love Disney," Doherty muses. "They become mad for Disney, and so that was interesting: getting stopped on the street and asked for pictures and stuff."

But he was fix to graduate to more serious fabric. Doherty'south first adult role arrived in 2020, in Hulu'south "High Allegiance" Telly serial. Although he appears in but three episodes, he fabricated an impression as a musician who sleeps with Zoë Kravitz'due south record-store owner Robyn Brooks. "I lived in Greenpoint [Brooklyn] when I was shooting that, then I knew I wanted to stay here," Doherty says virtually his apartment. On his days off, he takes acting classes and stone climbs at an indoor gym.

The new "Gossip Girl" takes a more with-the-times approach to its young characters, portraying a world where non everybody is cisgender, white or straight. The plot follows Zoya Lott (Whitney Superlative), a new student from a relatively modest background who, with the aid of a scholarship, reunites with her queen bee one-half-sister Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander). This fourth dimension around, the identity of Gossip Daughter is laid out upfront — it's the school's instructors, led by English language teacher Kate Keller (Tavi Gevinson), using an anonymous Instagram account to keep their students in check.

Doherty binged the original "Gossip Girl" years after its run (he was too young when it premiered in 2007). "It wasn't something that I would take always watched when I was 12," he says. "But then a couple months after, I heard that they were rebooting 'Gossip Girl.' I was similar, 'Oh, that's cool. I wonder who they are going to cast.'"

Fifty-fifty the original actors might blush at Max'due south script pages. His arc involves making out with his friend Aki (Evan Mock) in a steam room and having sex with Aki'southward girlfriend, Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), behind both of their backs. In another episode, subsequently learning that his gay dads are on the verge of a breakup, Max goes on a bender, and is dropped off at school the side by side day in a car from Mount Sinai Infirmary. He kisses a male and a female person nurse on the street earlier stumbling to class. "I think I actually kissed about four of them," Doherty says with a laugh. "They only showed two."

Doherty is careful not to dish likewise many spoilers about the show. Merely the 12-episode get-go season, which is nonetheless filming, will have an intermission before the remaining 6 episodes air after this yr. As a result, Doherty has had to shoot winter episodes of "Gossip Girl" in the sweltering New York summer. "I did a scene the other day, and I had boots on, trousers, a tank top, a shirt, a big jacket and a scarf," he says. "And I was halfway through a scene and I was similar, 'Can we finish?," considering I could experience the sweat dripping down my confront."

He has worked difficult to perfect his American accent and carry himself every bit a teenager. The first "Gossip Girl" aired on The CW, but HBO Max allows the new version to be racier. "I knew I was going to be naked," Doherty says. "So I was like, 'Do 17-year-olds accept hairy chests?' I can't remember if I always did."

Doherty recalls a tardily-night shoot that made the real-life gossip pages. On his way from the makeup trailer to film a locker room scene, he opened his robe as a joke, flashing his abs and Tom Ford briefs. Simply when it was too late did he see a row of paparazzi camped on the sidewalk outside. "I was like, 'Oh fuck!'" Doherty says. "And they were like, you're going to exist famous tonight."

• • •

Inhabiting Max has been an eye-opening experience for Doherty. "I have always seen sexuality as a spectrum," he says. "But playing Max, a pansexual character, was incredibly liberating. It was very educational, and it definitely fabricated me challenge my own preconceived notions, my indoctrination, of 'This is who you love, this is what you do, everything else is wrong.'"

Like many of his age-group peers, Doherty says he doesn't believe in labels. "I remember information technology is very limiting, and I think as I get older and experience life a trivial bit more, you constantly evolve and you're constantly growing," he says. "I experience like labels limit y'all. They're almost walls to your growth."

Asked later about how he identifies, Doherty — who is reportedly dating model Yasmin Wijnaldum — says that he wouldn't use a label to draw himself. "It'southward just been girls," he says of his romantic relationships. "That's a preference. Merely 26, living in New York …" He trails off as he gives a devilish grin.

Unlike Max and the kids on "Gossip Daughter," Doherty isn't ane to alive his life on the cyberspace. "I'thou non a huge fan of social media," he says. "I don't think it'due south a very positive addition to the world, and I worry for younger people on it." His interactions on Instagram are express to posting pictures and DMing his fans dorsum. He explains: "I actually unfollowed everyone on my Instagram because I was similar, this is only dissonance. Information technology's counterproductive."

Doherty's career dream would be to brand the leap to Broadway. And when he'south not filming "Gossip Girl," he has been fine-tuning his theater chops. "I'thousand hoping to build some singing muscles and dancing muscles support," Doherty says. "At that place's cipher better than the stage. It's just and then open and it's free — and the energy." What would be his dream musical? "I'd dear to exercise 'Next to Normal' or 'Bound Awakening' before I get as well erstwhile. And 'Ragtime' would be and then absurd."

"He'll be the next Hugh Jackman," predicts Kenny Ortega, who directed Doherty in the "Descendants" movies and worked with Jackman on the Australian tour of "The Boy From Oz." Ortega recalls discovering Doherty out of a stack of self-fabricated audition tapes while casting Captain Hook's son. "And about No. 36, Thomas appeared and just slayed me," Ortega says. "He just had something rare. He reminded me of a immature Christian Bale." (Ortega directed Bale in the 1992 Disney movie musical "Newsies," which has since become a cult hit.)

Thomas Doherty Power of Young Hollywood

Doherty reveals that he auditioned to play Riff in Steven Spielberg'due south remake of "West Side Story." "I didn't get that, and I was so sad," he says. "That was the greatest heartbreak of my life. I merely love 'Due west Side Story,' and I actually, really wanted to practise that."

Back on "Gossip Girl," Max volition exist the one breaking hearts, thank you very much. When asked how long he'd like to be on the show, Doherty deadpans: "You're going to get me fired."

"Honestly," he continues, "I'thou having a really good time. Information technology's so holistic in terms of acting. It's a fun gig. I become to meet loads of cool people. I call back three seasons would be cool.

Four, peradventure? But who knows?" When asked for comment, Gossip Girl could not exist reached.

Product Pattern: Daniel Luna; Styling: Warren Alfie Bakery/The Wall Grouping; Grooming: Geo Brian Hennings; Manicure: Kiyo Okada/Kramer + Kramer/Chanel Le Vernis; Look 1 (white suit): Suit: AMI; Vest: Hermes; Await 2 (tank peak): Tank: Dolce & Gabbana; Pants: Sandro; Necklace: Mudd Pearl; Look three (denim jacket): Jacket and jeans: Levis; Necklace: Elise Frieda; Look 4 (tank with cowboy hat): Chapeau: Planet Cowboy; Look 4 (pinkish sweater): Sweater: VINCE

Source: https://variety.com/2021/tv/features/thomas-doherty-gossip-gir-hbo-l-pansexual-1235038120/#!