Get to Know Philemon Chambers From Single All the Way

1 His Role in Single All the Way Gave Him the Courage to Fully Come Out

Image Source: Getty / Alberto E. Rodriguez

Netflix's new holiday rom-com isn't just breaking barriers for viewers, it's doing it for the film's stars as well. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Philemon revealed that Single All the Way gave him the Black and queer representation he needed to really embrace his identity. "Going through this role with Nick, I became accepting of myself even more," he said. "When you do learn to fully embrace who you are, a lot of different avenues in your life do open up. It's of those things where I am still in awe of the power of Netflix to reach this global audience and allow me to be a vessel and a conduit to that."

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2 He Realized He Wanted to Be an Actor After Seeing The Lion King

Image Source: Getty / Vivien Killilea

Philemon was 6 years old when he discovered he wanted to act, right after he went to see The Lion King on Broadway. He started acting professionally when he was a teenager, landing small roles on TV shows like Criminal Minds, The Forgotten, Good Luck Charlie, and No Ordinary Family, to name a few. But his big break didn't come along until he starred opposite of his Single All the Way costar Michael Urie in their Netflix film.

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3 He's Not the Only Actor in His Friend Group

Philemon knows the power of surrounding himself with other talented people. You may have seen his best friend, Warren Egypt Franklin, star on a few episodes of Grown-ish as Chlöe's love interest in season four. Philemon even gushed about his excitement over his bestie's role, writing in an Instagram caption, "My BestFriends on @grownish and I'm so proud of you! We booked both of our projects at the same time and couldn't say anything! I'm grateful I got to be apart of celebrating you yesterday. I can't wait to see what's in store for your future."

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4 He Has a Lot of Love For His Mom

If you follow Philemon on Instagram, it's pretty clear to see that he has a close relationship with his mom. In 2019, he dedicated a Mother's Day post to her, writing, "Not many words can I say to describe how I feel about my moms...a couple stuck out but THANKFUL is one that I keep saying. I've been truly blessed to have the mom I do!" He even introduced her to his Hollywood lifestyle and brought her to the premiere of Netflix's Red Notice as his date.

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5 He's Confident There Will Be More Films Like Single All the Way

Image Source: Getty / PATRICK T. FALLON

Netflix's Single All the Way is a first-of-its-kind type of movie, but Philemon has high hopes that this is only the beginning for more LGBTQ+ representation in holidays films and beyond. "I definitely think this is going to be the first of many," he told W magazine. "People are not afraid to tell these stories of being authentic and genuine. It means the world to me to have this type of representation, especially coming from a Black standpoint—again, I didn't have that."

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