Actor Miles Heizer speaks to L'OFFICIEL about starring in Coach's new Pride is Where You Find It campaign and shares a special behind-the-scenes look.

&ldquo;From 19 years old to 26, things changed a bit,&rdquo; <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/miles-heizer-interview-coach-spring-summer-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miles Heizer</a> says. While he could be referring to his own journey from a young actor on Parenthood to a star on the viral 13 Reasons Why, or his burgeoning <a href="https://soundcloud.com/milesheizer/sets/drowning-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">music career</a>,&nbsp;he&rsquo;s actually talking about how much <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/hari-nef-ugg-2021-pride-campaign-lil-nas-x-proud-prom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pride</a> has grown since he first attended.&nbsp;
Heizer, who came out when he was 19, made his Pride debut that same year, going to Los Angeles&rsquo; West Hollywood parade. &ldquo;I had a tragically typical [coming out],&rdquo; the actor shares. &ldquo;I was scared for a long time, and it took me a while.&rdquo; By that time, he was beginning to come out to his close friends and family, but the celebration of the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/iconic-fashion-tributes-to-lgbtq-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LGBTQIA+ community</a> really opened the floodgates. &ldquo;It was an amazing experience and feeling, because it was such a quick turn from being so closeted to so free and being myself,&rdquo; Heizer says. &ldquo;It was fun to be around people who I could actually relate to. I hadn&rsquo;t had that many experiences with people in the community up to that point, so it was such a nice feeling to be surrounded by people that understood me and had gone through the same experience as me.&rdquo; Plus, he got to see <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/demi-lovato-comes-out-non-binary-they-them-pronouns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Demi Lovato</a> perform.

Once initiated into the annual celebration, Heizer later went to Pride Toronto when visiting his boyfriend, Canadian actor Conor Jessup, where they marched in the parade with other LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. &ldquo;It was insane,&rdquo; Heizer remembers. &ldquo;It was definitely crazier than the one I went to in LA.&rdquo; Maybe Torontonians know how to throw a bigger celebration than Angelinos, but Heizer also thinks the difference has to do with the ever-growing community as more young people and allies show up and show out.
&ldquo;I hope with this Pride and all the other ones that are to follow, that we continue to lift up people whose stories aren&rsquo;t told as much,&rdquo; Heizer says. &ldquo;As Pride gets bigger, Pride itself has gained more of a voice and that allows us to amplify these different experiences and people that don&rsquo;t necessarily get heard as loud as others.&rdquo;

Using his own voice to advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Heizer stars in Coach&rsquo;s Pride is Where You Find It campaign. Along with other influential figures such as Bob the Drag Queen, Jack Mizrahi, Stasha Sanchez, and Rina Sawayama, the new campaign reminds us that it&rsquo;s the community that counts. While Pride celebrations continue to recover from the pandemic, with many either postponing their parades or opting for hybrid, virtual programming, we can still uplift LGBTQ+ friends and family and rep the rainbow flag. To that end, Coach launches a <a href="https://www.coach.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pride collection</a> of clothes and accessories featuring rainbow detailing and colorways of its Signature pattern. The brand is also making donations to its longterm partner the Hetrick-Martin Institute, as well as the Albert Kennedy Trust, Point Foundation, and CenterLink Community of LGBTQ Centers.
&ldquo;The line [Coach is] doing for Pride, giving people the ability to wear something that represents them and sends a message that they&rsquo;re proud of who they are, I know from personal experience, that can be a huge step for people and definitely was for me,&rdquo; Heizer shares.

Coach paired each of its campaign stars with emerging photographers, and Heizer had the opportunity to work with Clifford Prince King, who has become known for his work that challenges themes of masculinity. The images capture a soft side of the actor, outfitted in the Coach Pride collection and joined by two special guests. &ldquo;Need I even state the obvious, but the most exciting part was that the loves of my life were included, my two dogs, Crouton and Girl.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Sharing a bit of the behind-the-scenes experience, Heizer says that his Chihuahua, Crouton, who he describes as &ldquo;the devil, basically,&rdquo; even had a wrangler on set, but not just any wrangler. Being that they were in Hollywood, it was the same animal handler that was on set for Elle Woods&rsquo; Bruiser in <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/reese-witherspoon-iconic-roles-movies-tv-instagram-kids-daughter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legally Blonde</a>, &ldquo;so she got a serious celebrity Chihuahua experience.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Beyond the campaign, the actor plans on having a small Pride celebration this year with his best friend and Parenthood co-star Mae Whitman, along with some other friends. Here, you can watch Heizer speak about the importance of this chosen family in this exclusive Pride is Where You Find It video:

L'O Exclusive: How '13 Reasons Why' Star Miles Heizer Celebrates Pride

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