Everything you need to know about queer Elle star Gabrielle Policano
Who is Elle star Gabrielle Policano? (Jo Hale/Getty)
Rising star Gabrielle Policano has got everyone talking about their breakout role in the new Prime Video series Elle.
The 24-year-old New York-based actor and spoken word poet is part of the LGBTQ+ community and has shared their views on how queerness is relevant to the Legally Blonde universe.
As we’re bound to see more of Policano following her scene-stealing performance, here is everything you need to know about the actor…
Is Gabrielle Policano queer?
According to Policano’s self-verified IMDb account, they identify as bisexual.
From their Instagram posts, it seems that Policano is in a relationship with fellow actor Autumn Best, who starred in Woman of the Hour.
What are Gabrielle Policano’s pronouns?
Policano’s has shared on their Instagram account that their pronouns are she/they.
Furthermore, their Instagram bio reads “handsome prince”.
Is Gabrielle Policano in Elle?
Legally Blonde fans loved Policano in Elle, and the actor has also reflected on the show’s positive portrayal of queer youth with PinkNews.
Policano plays Liz in the show, an out-and-proud lesbian musician at Rainer West High School whom Elle befriends.
Policano highlighted that it was refreshing to see “an openly queer character who’s also 16 that is actually doing okay, in the sense that this story is not focused on her being gay.
“We have a lot of stories that focus on the tragic gay storyline, how hard it is to be gay.
“We need those stories, we need to tell those narratives, and I think that it’s going to be really exciting for young queer people to see someone who’s actually doing just fine and is gay, but that’s not the most interesting thing about them.”
Policano also added: “It’s my dream for some young queer person who’s maybe not in the most accepting space to watch the show, press pause and go into the living room and come out to their parents, ’cause they’re like, ‘Oh, it can be fine. It can be okay.’
“I feel really honoured to get to tell that story.”
Furthermore, Policano remarked that Elle Woods is “a gay icon”.
Policano then added: “We don’t see queerness depicted in the way it is depicted necessarily in this show all the time, especially for young people who need it the most right now more than ever.”
What has Gabrielle Policano been in?
As well as Elle, Policano has worked on other film and theatre projects.
Their theatre credits include Let the Right One In (Berkeley Rep) and Richard II (Luna Stage), as well as workshops with NYSAF and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
She is also an award-winning spoken-word poet, having performed regularly with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
Furthermore, Policano was a supporting star in the A24 film Baby Girl, opposite Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson.
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