If only every gay person struggling with their sexuality had a friend like Stephen Amell.
I sat down with the actor earlier today while he was promoting his new movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (in theaters June 3) and asked him about his former Arrow co-star Colton Haynes coming out as gay in a magazine article just two weeks ago.
"I'm so happy for Colton," Amell said. "A fan three or four months ago at a Comic-Con convention basically tried to bait me into outing him. I got in touch with [Colton] and was like, 'Hey, man, this happened [and] I didn't know what to say. I simply deflected and we moved on.'...He emailed me back and said, 'You know, I really appreciate that and I've recently made some decisions over the past few months and I'm excited about what's in the future.' I'm excited for him, too."
Haynes, 27, confirmed his sexuality in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He also revealed that he checked into a rehab for anxiety and returned to the hospital several times because of the issue. But now, he told EW, "I'm happier than I've ever been, and healthier than I've ever been, and that's what I care about."
Amell, 35, told me, "I've seen him struggle with anxiety and that's why he, well certainly one of the reasons why, he left Teen Wolf and he left Arrow. When he came back to Arrow this year simply for an episode, it was such a different version of Colton. He and I bonded more. I'm very very happy for him."
He'd also like to see Haynes return to the show again. "All he has to do is basically show up and we'll write him in," Amell said. "He's a good guy and he's a good actor...Such a goodhearted gentle loving guy. I'm happy that he's happy."
And Haynes is certainly making Amell laugh. "He sent me a very funny text message yesterday for National Send a Nude day...He enjoyed it and so did I," Amell said.
He teased, "It might have been Colton and I engaged in some after hours Arrow cave activity with our heads Photoshopped on other bodies. I'll leave it at that."