‘VisionQuest’ star Ruaridh Mollica says playing bisexual Marvel hero makes him feel ‘so seen’

Ruaridh Mollica, the Scottish actor who plays Tommy Maximoff in Marvel’s “VisionQuest,” says being a bisexual actor in a bisexual role is an honor.

“I feel like Marvel did a great job by casting a bisexual actor for this and it’s such an honor to be portraying that in the MCU,” Mr. Mollica told Variety in an interview published Friday. “I feel so seen.”

Mr. Mollica said there had been some discussion about the fact that Tommy is not shown onscreen being attracted to men. The character flirts with Lisa Molinari, but Mr. Mollica said that makes him feel more represented, not less.

“It’s not necessarily about who you’re dating, it’s about who you are inside, and who you want to flirt with,” he said. He added that he hopes his casting is “good for people to feel seen and represented.”

Tommy’s bisexuality is established in Marvel Comics, but the show has not confirmed it. Before the Disney+ series began streaming this week, Mr. Mollica said in a September interview with SFX Magazine that he did not know whether Tommy’s sexuality would be “explicitly referenced.” He said he hoped his own identity would come through in the performance and could be “explored in the future.”

In the Variety interview, Mr. Mollica also spoke about his co-star Joe Locke, who plays his twin brother, Billy. He said he is glad there are “these queer twin brothers in the MCU together.”

Mr. Mollica said Tommy is introduced midway through the first episode as a teenage hustler, pickpocket and conman on the streets of London. “He’s a grifter,” Mr. Mollica told Variety, citing Matt Damon’s performance in “Good Will Hunting” as a reference. “He’s an orphan,” he said. “He’s had to build who he is by himself, and there’s a loneliness to that, and a yearning for family.”

Mr. Mollica, who broke through in the 2024 film “Sebastian,” was nominated for a breakout performance award at the British Independent Film Awards that year, Variety reported.