Out actor Wilson Cruz has joined the
cast of Star Trek: Discovery.
The new series from CBS Television
Studios premieres Sunday, September 24 on CBS and CBS All Access.
Producers of the series announced at
Comic-Con that Cruz will play Dr. Hugh Culber, medical officer of the
starship Discovery.
“Well, apparently, the cat is finally
out of the bag... I'm so THRILLED to be [a] part of the epic American
mythology that is #StarTrek!” Cruz tweeted on Saturday.
Anthony Rapp, who originated the role
of Mark Cohen in the Broadway musical Rent and
will play Starfleet science officer Lieutenant Stamets on
Discovery, announced the addition of Cruz during a Comic-Con
panel.
“I'm very proud of that and that he's
a scientist,” Rapp said of his character being the first openly gay
Star Trek character on television. “I can announce that
Wilson Cruz will play my love interest and my partner in the series.”
Cruz, 43, is best known for playing
Rickie Vasquez on the ABC teen drama My So-Called Life, Angel
in the Broadway musical Rent, and Junito on Logo's gay drama
Noah's Arc.
Cruz is also an outspoken LGBT rights
activist. In 2012, he became a national spokesperson for GLAAD.