The Disney Channel teencom Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-12) about a family of wizards, gave us a bear dad (David DeLuise), hunky sons Justin (David Henrie, left) and Max (Jake T. Austin), some hunky friends (Dan Benson, Gregg Sulkin), a bisexual daughter, and a huge number of gay subtexts (in spite of the heteronormative erasure in the scripts) .
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The sequel, Beyond Waverly Place (2024-26), features eldest son Justin as a middle school vice principal, charged by the Wizard Council with protecting the Chosen One, while raising his wizard sons, Roman (Alkaio Thiele, right) and Milo (Max Matenko).
Alkaio Thiele, 15 as of this writing, plays son Roman with the standard teencom hetero-horniness, but checking his Instagram and Facebook pages, I see hints of gay potential.
1. An interest in muscular physiques. He posts lots of photos of muscular co-stars, and at least three where he is wearing a muscle suit.
2. A drag piece where he is playing himself and his mother at the same time.
Wait -- that's his actual mother. I checked her Instagram and Facebook pages: masculine presentation, she/her pronouns, married to a man, two children. Previously a nurse, now Alkaio's manager. Kudos on your gender fluidity, Mom!
What are they up to? It looks like she is removing a hair net from his head.
3. This photo. No comment.
Alkaio grew up (rather, is growing up) in Castro Valley, near Hayward in the East Bay, 27 miles from the gay neighborhood of Castro Street in San Francisco.
He is of Greek ancestry. Alkaios, "Strength," was the son of Perseus and Andromeda, an ancestor of Hercules.
Left: a random Greek guy.
Alkaio began his career in musical theater, playing:
The Artful Dodger in Oliver!
Peter in Peter Pan and Wendy
Sam, a preteen with a girlfriend, in Love Actually Live.
Applegate, the Devil in disguise, in Damn Yankees.
Harold Hill in The Music Man
Two gay-subtext roles. Not bad.
More after the break