It's A Sin star Nathaniel Hall contracted HIV after losing his virginity aged 16.
The actor - who stars as Donald Bassett, the boyfriend of Olly Alexander's Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 show - spoke out on his experiences in an interview with Attitude magazine in 2019, which has recently been re-released.
Revealing he found out about his diagnosis just after his 17th birthday, the 34-year-old said: "It was like being hit by a truck. I was told at the time that I had a prognosis of 37 years. That was so hard to hear, to have a date on it.
Advert
Growing up, he went on to keep his HIV positive status a secret from many of his loved ones.
"I was living with so much fear and stigma, self-hatred and shame," he reflected. It wasn't until 2019 that Hall decided to speak out on his condition.
The actor starred in a one many show called First Time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which he put on in partnership with HIV Scotland.
Advert
On telling his loved ones, he said: "I wrote them a letter because I couldn't bear the thought of having to do it face to face.
"I knew they were going to be supportive, but that was the power of the shame."
Nathaniel makes his debut in the third episode of It's A Sin, appearing as an actor who attends many of Ritchie's auditions, and ends up dating him.
Advert
Written by Queer as Folk and Years and Years veteran Russell T Davies, It's a Sin follows five 18-year-olds who move to London in 1981.
Dubbing their home 'the Pink Palace' and hosting regular parties, their lives are turned upside down by the AIDS crisis, with the drama exploring the impact the virus had on the LGBTQ+ community in that time.
Olly Alexander leads the cast as Ritchie Tozer, while Keeley Hawes stars as mum Valerie, Neil Patrick Harris plays Henry Coltrane and Stephen Fry is Arthur Garrison.
Having first aired on Channel 4 last week and the entirety of the five-part series being made available on All4, viewers have been so compelled by the drama they binged it all in one sitting, while others found it too painful, and had to watch it in small doses.
Hailing It's a Sin as a "masterpiece", viewers having taken to Twitter to heap praise on the show.
Advert
"TV should educate, empower, shock and open our eyes to the world around us and that's what It's a Sin has just beautifully and effortlessly done," one fan wrote. "It wasn't sugarcoated or romanticised, it was raw, pure and truthful. Everyone NEEDS to watch this."
"Went to bed crying last night after finishing It's A Sin, and have cried 3 times today, it's tipped me over an emotional precipice," another wrote about the show's moving subject matter.
"It's A Sin is extraordinary TV. One of the best dramas I've ever seen," added a third.
"Watched 'It's a Sin' last night. I howled like a banshee. Lived through it as a student yet it's only in hindsight that you realise how dreadful, cruel and unfair it all was. It's an excellent watch," said a fourth.
Advert
Another wrote: "It's a Sin is simply a total masterpiece."
"It's every bit as devastating and incredible as you've heard and then it's even more than that. It's a Sin is so heartbreaking, so unfair and important," concurred a fellow fan of the show.
The series has also acquired a ton of famous fans. Chat show legend Graham Norton wrote: "The best five hours of television I've seen in years. Your heart will be broken, warmed and lifted. Cast amazing. Soundtrack epic but most of all it's about the genius and compassion of Russell T Davies."
Meanwhile, journalist and commentator Caitlyn Moran added: "Three days later, and I'm still chewing over It's A Sin - a different bit every time. Can't say anything specific because of spoilers, but man alive, it stays with you. Russell does the lifeiness of life, and the deathiness of death, better than anyone.
Even the actors who were part of the series felt a gut-punch of emotions while working on the show.
Speaking at a roundtable for It's A Sin ahead of its release, a tearful Keeley Hawes told press: "I've been doing interviews and I can't talk about the cast and how gorgeous and generous they were to me.
"I can't talk about the characters. You carry them with you, they don't leave you. And that is down to the cast and down to their performances and down to Russell's writing."
Featured Image Credit: Channel 4Topics: TV News, TV Entertainment
