The Untold Truth Of Thomas Doherty
Thomas Doherty is a theater kid living out his biggest dreams. Now, he's taking on a significant role as he steps into the world of "Gossip Girl." The 26-year-old Edinburgh, Scotland native began acting as a child before going on to attend Royal High School and later, The MGA Academy of Performing Arts (per The Famous People).
"I feel I always loved doing acting," he told Interview Magazine. "When I was younger, I think I was really annoying for my mom, so she sent me to an acting college because I was really hyperactive. And then I just started to fall in love with it. I did a lot of musical theater and it grew from there."
Like many young actors, Doherty found himself working a day job while auditioning for roles that would help his star rise. He worked as a waiter in Edinburgh, going to auditions on his days off (per Edinburgh Evening News). Though he'd done a little work when he was a kid, Doherty got his first taste of the big time when he landed a Disney Channel UK series.
Thomas was considered the Scottish Zac Efron
Thomas Doherty's days working as a waiter in his neighborhood were numbered. Shortly after landing his role on the Disney Channel UK series "The Lodge", the Edinburgh Evening News described him as "Edinburgh's answer to Zac Efron." That comparison wasn't a coincidence, of course. It was made after he landed his breakthrough role, as Captain Hook's son Harry in Disney's "Descendants 2," then rumored to be Disney's biggest hit since the "High School Musical" franchise.
That comparison would seem eerily apt when he found Doherty found himself in the midst of a relationship with a fellow Disney darling. Dove Cameron talked about how others on the "Descendants 2" set would comment on her and Doherty's chemistry. "People were like, 'When you guys walk into a room together, it's insane. Have you ever talked to him?' And I'm like, 'No, not really.' And they're like, 'You need to,'" she recalled in an interview with J-14.
"And they're like telling him the same thing, like something needs to happen. And we're like 'No, we're fine.' But Kenny came up to me and was like, 'I think you guys would be really good together."
Thomas and Dove's four-year relationship was seriously intense
Thomas Doherty and Dove Cameron may have quickly become the Disney set's It Couple, but things progressed a little more naturally behind-the-scenes. That's especially due to the fact that their early relationship was long-distance, with Cameron in Los Angeles and Doherty in London. "It's not too bad, we are both working and we are busy humans," she told People of the arrangement. "It's nice. We can chunk out visiting, and you work out the time difference. When I'm getting up, he's going to sleep, and it's nice. It's not too bad."
The couple drew even more fanfare by documenting their relationship on social media. Doherty even gushed about Cameron in interviews. "She is just the most incredible person I've ever met," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I think people see her as so talented — because obviously that's her job, to perform and all the rest of it — but she's the most compassionate and the most patient and the most genuine, loving person I've ever met. And so kind and so generous. She's amazing."
Thomas and Dove's relationship fell victim to quarantine
Thomas Doherty and Dove Cameron were living together when the world went into lockdown in early 2020. Cameron opened up about the struggles of quarantining together in an interview with People. She explained that shortly before stay-at-home orders were issued, she and Doherty had downsized from a large house to a large studio apartment, which seemed like more than enough space for the couple who were often in and out of their living space. That didn't prove to be the case when forced to be home together.
"Even the healthiest of relationships right now, you need space," she noted. "You need your alone time for your own relationship with yourself to flourish, but then also your romantic relationship."
In December 2020, Cameron came forward in an Instagram post and said the two had parted ways in October."In October, Thomas and I decided to part ways," she wrote (per J-14). "The decision was incredibly difficult, but we still have love for each other, and will remain friends. Thank you for allowing us our privacy in this time."
Thomas has a love for tattoos and reading
In the fanfare around his place in the Disney machine, many people grew to be big fans of Thomas Doherty without knowing much about him. That changed as he began opening up around his roles in "High Fidelity" and "Gossip Girl," set to premiere in July 2021.
"I always look at doing Disney as an apprenticeship," he admitted in a W Magazine interview. "It was an amazing platform. There's a lot of exposure. You also get a young fan base that will hopefully be with you throughout your career, which is amazing. I do underestimate how influential the fans are. They really are supportive."
He discussed maturing in his craft, but he's also working on growing as a person in his life off camera. "I kind of like to read and I just moved into an apartment so I have to decorate which is fun," he told Interview.
He also confessed to having quite a few tattoos. "I think I've got eleven tattoos ... I just got a 'La La Land' tattoo. That's my favorite. I got the poster of them dancing together."
There's some mystery surrounding his role on 'Gossip Girl'
There's been a lot of mystery around the "Gossip Girl" reboot because so much has changed since the original series. A lot of the behaviors that were on display for fans to fall in love with would not fly in 2021. It's made for an intriguing air, especially because we have limited knowledge of who the characters are.
Thomas Doherty plays Maximus Wolfe, who has been compared to the original series' Chuck Bass, "a sexually fluid flirt with a devilish grin" (per Vulture). "I really dive into the characters and peel them back like an onion," Doherty said of his approach to tackling the character (per Vanity Fair). "I look at how they've been brought up, what they've been exposed to."
In an interview with Man About Town Magazine, Doherty says the character is pansexual and described by the word "freedom" (per Out).