For Glamorous' Damian Terriquez, starring alongside Kim Cattrall in an uplifting new queer Netflix series was unimaginable less than a year ago. The actor, who is nonbinary and uses he/they pronouns, previously worked in Hollywood as a dancer and then behind the scenes in production roles, but often doubted if there would be a place for them as a gender nonconforming Latinx star on screen.
"My concern at the time was, are there enough roles to sustain a career to try to do this?" Damian said while speaking to HELLO! from their base in LA. "I got my manager and my agent through the people I met on set [in production], and I spent so much time there learning and thinking 'This is something that I want to do, but while being myself," they continued. But at most, the 25-year-old explained: "I thought I might get a job here and there, but it might just be one episode."
© Tommy FlanaganBecoming a 'glamorous' star
However, Netflix show stardom was just around the corner for Damian, who now lives just outside of LA with his fiancé Luke and their pet Miniature Schnauzers Nadia and new puppy Nala. Smiling, the young actor explained the "wild" moment when he got the call about starring in Glamorous. "I didn't get cast until after they started filming the first episode, so I already knew the other people that were attached, specifically Kim," Damian explained.
© Netflix"When I got the audition, I was like, 'Oh, I'm not getting this' because, you know, usually when you read that there's a famous person attached, especially someone as iconic as Kim, you're like, 'Someone else is gonna get that'." But it was Damian that the team wanted, and so it was Damian who was cast in the role of inspiring drag queen: the ironically named Dizmal Failure.
© NetflixGlamorous tells the story of Marco (Miss Benny), a young queer and gender-nonconforming makeup artist and enthusiast, whose life gets turned upside down (but for the better) when he lands a job working for makeup industry superstar Madolyn Addison (Kim Cattrall). Described by Damian as The Devil Wears Prada meets Ugly Betty, but queer and makeup focused, young Marco's journey eventually brings him to meet Dizmal.
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"Dizmal is the fun, club nightlife, grungy friend that is almost like a counterbalance to all the luxurious, glamorous stuff happening in the office," Damian explains. "I'm that friend that's like a shoulder to cry on… I offer new perspectives on the problems that the main cast is going through, and more often than not, I solve them." Dizmal – who is nonbinary – is also an inspiring figure, Damian says, offering Marco that "somebody in your life that seems like they have it all figured out" who he can look up to.
Personal story
For Damian, figuring out their own queer identity occurred alongside a largely supportive family life. His parents divorced and his father died when he was young, so San Diego native Damian was raised by his mom in what he describes as a matriarchal Mexican family. The family moved to his mom's hometown of Tijuana, Mexico when he was young, but moved back to California when he was in high school.
© Tommy FlanaganPart of a huge family in which their mom is one of nine and their grandmother is one of thirteen, Damian jokes "no one's ever really the first to do anything" — however, they did add they are "the first on television." Still, while the nonbinary actor says he's lucky not to have faced much discrimination or harsh judgement within the family, a few relatives have asked, "'Why do you have to wear that?' But it's not coming from a place of any sort of malintent," he says.
When it comes to more conservative reactions to his stiletto-wearing out and about it California, Damian also takes a healthy attitude to stares or hate. "I have this mantra that somebody else's opinion of me is nothing, it's not my business," they say. "There's definitely people who are trying to make you feel bad, but they're not worth your time," he says.
Future role model
Being an inspiration for the queer community and especially for queer and nonbinary Latinx individuals is something Damian will have to get used to now that they're a Netflix star. But crucially, Pride for the new star is a symbol that "the struggle is not over."
© Netflix"I'm quite lucky," the actor continues: "I'm lucky enough to be on television and to be visible and hopefully after the show, to have a platform. But I think Pride, especially in today's climate... it's a reminder that we're not done." They finished: "Pride isn't just about a parade in West Hollywood... It's about the people who can't afford socially or financially to be in those spaces. I think it's about the people who aren't there."
Life as a newbie Netflix star isn't completely without its problems, though. "It's a little intimidating, daunting and scary, because I'm so used to, I mean, I've only ever been anonymous," Damian admits. But also, the emerging actor explains the opportunities which come with being a breakout star are exciting.
© Tommy Flanagan"I've been working with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation here in LA since I was in college," he says. "And now with this coming platform, I'm getting to do more and more on the ambassador side." Damian is also working with the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center in LA, and again is so excited to be using their platform to promote their work. "So I'm trying to focus on all the good stuff, and the bad stuff can stay over there," they finish confidently on the topic of their new found stardom.
Working with Kim Cattrall
Another highlight from the experience of Glamorous was of course getting to work with its cast and crew, and especially Sex and the City icon Kim Cattrall. "When I got the job, I really didn't think I was going to do any scenes with her," Damian says humbly, but the script had different ideas. "We cross paths a couple times… and they're quite important scenes in terms of the actual plot of the show, which is exciting."
© NetflixBut what was the acting legend like to work with on set? "I was very nervous to talk to her," says Damian, who grew up enamored with Samantha's "fabulous" looks from the Sex and the City movies, which they admit they "watched a lot" when younger and figuring out their own passion for similar 'fits. In the end the two really hit it off behind the scenes, talking about all things theatre, fashion and design. Damian, who studied fashion at college, explained: "It was super cool, and it did feel like the whole world melted away," he continued, unafraid of cliché.
SEE: And Just Like That: Inside Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker’s friendship, fallout and feud
When it comes to the future of the pair's show, for which the 66-year-old is also a producer, Damian believes there's plenty more to come if Netflix allows. "This is just the beginning," they suggested, explaining: "There's a lot of growing that [the characters] have to do, and by the time the first season's done, it feels like, 'Oh, these are who these people are, now what?'"
Wedding plans
Alongside his blossoming career, there is also the matter of a wedding to sort out for him and his partner Luke. The couple, who met through dance, are slowly working towards making plans for their special day.
© Netflix"It all depends on the next year and future projects," Damian explains, but says they've already decided the ceremony will take place in Mexico "so that all of my family could be there… because it didn't make sense to fly 400 people to the US!" But Damian is already happy to refer to his Southern American partner, who's in his 30s, as his husband.
The couple's day-to-day life has recently mostly revolved around Damian's work for the Netflix series. "I work with my husband… I don't have a hair and makeup team, so I do my own hair, and my fiancé does my makeup for me," he explains, before adding life is "really fun" at the moment.
© NetflixBeyond Glamorous, Damian is also now far more enthusiastic about his future prospects in the industry. "I feel really great about it now. Especially after seeing all the stuff that's come across my desk [post Glamorous]." Hoping stories like Glamorous which feature such diverse casts and stories which share more of the queer experience than just the traditional coming out story mark a shift in the industry which is "just the beginning." "I'm excited and hopeful that I'll get to be a part of what that [new industry focus] looks like," Damian says.
Glamorous season one is streaming now on Netflix
