'Arrested Development' Star Alia Shawkat Comes Out As Bisexual

The actress cited the influence of "male and female energies" in her work.
"There’s no more delicacy in being quiet," Alia Shawkat said.
"There’s no more delicacy in being quiet," Alia Shawkat said.
Andrew Toth via Getty Images

Alia Shawkat opened up about her sexuality in a candid new interview.

The “Arrested Development” star told Out magazine that she identifies as bisexual, and will star in a queer-themed film that she also co-wrote later this year.

“I was a tomboy growing up, and I remember my mom asking me when I was 10, ‘Are you attracted to boys or girls?’ I said ‘I don’t know,’” Shawkat said. “Now I consider myself bisexual, and I think balancing my male and female energies has been a big part of me growing as an actor.”

Shawkat’s wildly addictive TBS series, “Search Party,” doesn’t shy away from LGBTQ themes, and enjoyed a sizable queer following when it debuted last fall. Her upcoming project, “Duck Butter,” goes a step further by featuring a same-sex couple as its protagonists. The 28-year-old said the film was written with a heterosexual couple in mind, but she and the creative team opted to make it about two women instead. “I love that it was written for a man and a woman, but we couldn’t find the right guy, so now it happens to star two women [as lovers],” she said.

The actress, who hits the big screen Friday in “Paint It Black” opposite Alfred Molina, said growing up in Los Angeles and “being exposed to lots of gay artists” helped shape her identity as a performer. The current political climate, she said, has inspired her to be more outspoken.

“As a woman, an Arab-American, and a member of the LGBTQ community, I have to use whatever voice I have,” she explained. “There’s no more delicacy in being quiet.”

Read the full Out magazine interview here.

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