Philemon Chambers is making history with his first feature film debut in Netflix’s Single All the Way. The film, which premiered on Dec. 2, is the streamer’s first gay holiday rom-com. Philemon plays the role of Nick, who’s best friends with Michael Urie’s character Peter. The two go home to visit Peter’s family for the holidays and try to pretend to be a couple to keep his family off his back, but eventually, they find themselves stuck in a tricky love triangle.
Even through the cheesy romance, you can’t help but get stuck on Philemon’s lovable personality and handsome looks. It’s almost hard to believe this is his first big project. Considering how big a deal this new holiday flick is, we have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of Philemon in the future. Ahead, get to know more about the Hollywood newcomer.
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His Role in Single All the Way Gave Him the Courage to Fully Come Out
Netflix’s new holiday rom-com isn’t just breaking barriers for viewers, it’s doing it for the film’s stars as well. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Philemon revealed that Single All the Way gave him the Black and queer representation he needed to really embrace his identity. “Going through this role with Nick, I became accepting of myself even more,” he said. “When you do learn to fully embrace who you are, a lot of different avenues in your life do open up. It’s of those things where I am still in awe of the power of Netflix to reach this global audience and allow me to be a vessel and a conduit to that.”
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He Realized He Wanted to Be an Actor After Seeing The Lion King
Philemon was 6 years old when he discovered he wanted to act, right after he went to see The Lion King on Broadway. He started acting professionally when he was a teenager, landing small roles on TV shows like Criminal Minds, The Forgotten, Good Luck Charlie, and No Ordinary Family, to name a few. But his big break didn’t come along until he starred opposite of his Single All the Way costar Michael Urie in their Netflix film.
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He's Confident There Will Be More Films Like Single All the Way
Netflix’s Single All the Way is a first-of-its-kind type of movie, but Philemon has high hopes that this is only the beginning for more LGBTQ+ representation in holidays films and beyond. “I definitely think this is going to be the first of many,” he told W magazine. “People are not afraid to tell these stories of being authentic and genuine. It means the world to me to have this type of representation, especially coming from a Black standpoint-again, I didn’t have that.”
