Michael Johnston spoke publicly about his sexuality for the first time last month and framed the coming-out moment as the end point of a journey that began on television: "I am very proud of who I am," he said, and added that earlier work helped him get there.
Johnston’s name has been circulating again because he stars as Baron “Bear” Bailey in the horror film Obsession, written and directed by Curry Barker. In the film Bear works at a music store and pines for his childhood friend and coworker Nikki Freeman, using a mysterious toy called a One Wish Willow to wish Nikki would love him. The film was made for roughly $750,000, holds a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and has become a surprise commercial hit, grossing more than $60 million domestically and about $75 million worldwide.
That success has pushed conversations about Bear’s motives into the spotlight — and prompted Johnston to push back on a simple label. "I never thought of Bear as a villain," he said, explaining that he was drawn to the character's moral ambiguity rather than crafting a one-note antagonist. Many audiences have labeled Bear the film's primary antagonist, and Johnston acknowledged the gap between his intention and viewers' reaction.
The role has also reopened conversations about Johnston’s earlier breakthrough with queer viewers. He played Corey Bryant on the later seasons of Teen Wolf when he was 19, a casting he said was a "total coincidence." Growing up in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, he described the experience this way: "If I’m being honest, that was really scary, especially coming from North Carolina — the Bible Belt," and he recalled receiving "thousands of messages and letters from fans thanking me, saying how much my character in Teen Wolf helped them."
Johnston has been explicit about what that response meant to him personally. He said the Teen Wolf role "gave me the confidence to come out, or it just made me feel really good about myself," and that playing queer characters has been part of his ongoing self-understanding: "Playing these characters has absolutely helped me to better understand who I am." He added that he approaches choices through connection rather than labels: "A character’s sexuality isn’t the first thing I’m looking at. It’s more important that I connect with the story. Love is universal — that’s how I approach every role."
His credits beyond Teen Wolf include the 2021 film Endangered Species, as well as appearances in Slash and the series 9-1-1, but it is Obsession’s sudden reach that has introduced Johnston to new queer audiences discovering his work now. He said he "approach[es] every role with the same honesty and try[es] to find the humanity in it," a practical mantra that ties together his early TV work and his current film role.
The clearest unresolved question is how Johnston’s public acknowledgment of his sexuality, coming as Obsession propels him to wider visibility, will shape what he’s offered next. Johnston has not announced any new projects tied to the revelation, and for now the most consequential unknown is whether Hollywood will treat him differently — creatively or commercially — given the audiences who have already said his work matters to them.
