Amanda Bearse Joins Cast of Billy Eichner-Starring Queer Rom-Com Bros

Out actress Amanda Bearse will be joining Billy Eichner and the rest of the LGBTQ+ principal cast in Universal Picture's history-making film Bros, the first studio production to be feature an all LGBTQ+ principal cast.

The rom-com features Eichner and Luke Macfarlane as two gay men who meet and are "maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love...Maybe. They're both very busy."

Bearse will play Macfarlane's mother, according to Deadline.

"I'm delighted to be a part of this project. I had no idea how deeply the LGBTQ roots were going to be on this project [until recently]. But leave it to Billy Eichner; I should expect nothing less," Bearse told the outlet. "He's just so on the cutting edge, and this film will be too. I'm glad to be invited to the party."

Billy Eichner wrote on Twitter, "This makes me so happy. Amanda Bearse - the iconic MARCY D'ARCY from Married With Children - came out publicly in 1993! Even before Ellen and Rosie! I am SO damn excited to welcome her to the cast of BROS!"

The actress will also star in the upcoming comedy Tapawingo, co-starring with Jon Heder.

Bearse's breakout role was as Marcy D'Arcy on Married...with Children. She came out in 1993 while on the show, and she became the first primetime actress to come out as a lesbian.

She graced the cover of The Advocate that year, where she discussed being outed by tabloids and being a lesbian in Hollywood at the time. Asked what she thought of the impact of her coming out, Bearse said, "It was important for me to do this for myself and for our community because the more people who come out, the safer it will be for even more people to come out."

Bearse also had roles in All My Children, Anger Management, and Drop Dead Diva. Bearse shifted to spending time behind the camera as a director working on 31 episodes Married...with Children, as well as on series including The Jamie Foxx Show, Dharma & Greg, Reba, MADtv, and The Big Gay Sketch Show.

She also took the time to raise her daughter. Now that her daughter is grown, Bearse told Deadline that it was time to consider acting again.

"I thought, well maybe, I'll just give this a go and see what happens, and as long as it stays fun and exciting, I'll stick with it. I'm just having a good time acting again. It's really been such a very long time, and I didn't realize how much I'd missed it," she said. "So, it's just been a great new beginning, is really the best way to put it."

Bros, directed by Nicholas Stolle, is scheduled to be released on August 12, 2022.