Miles Heizer on playing a closeted Marine cadet in 'Boots'

"The call came two days before the new Netflix series started production. Miles Heizer had landed the lead role of Cameron Cope, a closeted gay teen who in 1990 impulsively joins the Marines and heads to boot camp. The actor had two days to get to New Orleans for the production. As number 1 on the call sheet, Heizer couldn't be late to start this journey with a group of other young men in what would become two years of physically challenging boot camp training"

"Screenwriter, author, and former Marine Sgt. Greg Cope White met Heizer at Los Angeles International Airport to help chaperone his dogs to this new adventure in the Deep South. The 31-year-old gay actor and former star of Parenthood and 13 Reasons Why had only ever interacted with the show's producers and staff via Zoom, and meeting White felt daunting. After all, White wasn't just another part of the show's team;"

""I was so nervous. I've never played a real person," Heizer says. "There's the fear that they're going to see you and not connect with you. ... Greg told me up front, 'I want this to be Cameron's story, not Greg's story.'""

Miles Heizer plays Cameron Cope, a closeted gay teenager who in 1990 impulsively joins the Marines and endures boot camp in New Orleans. Production required rapid travel and logistical challenges, including Heizer transporting two dogs and meeting former Marine Greg Cope White, whose memoir inspired the series and shaped the character. Heizer felt nervous about portraying a real person and sought reassurance from White. Boots follows Cameron as he seeks escape from a difficult home and belonging in the Corps while his friend Ray enlists to prove himself to a strict father. Vera Farmiga plays Cameron's narcissistic mother; the series was Norman Lear's final production.

Read at Advocate.com