Pop star Troye Sivan fights HIV stigma in first big film role

Australian pop singer Troye Sivan, whose YouTube videos and music have inspired a generation of young LGBTQ+ people, wants his first major film role to combat ignorance around HIV/AIDS.

In "Three Months", Sivan plays 17-year-old Caleb, who is exposed to HIV after a one-night stand on the eve of his high school graduation.

The film details the shame and anxiety Caleb experiences while waiting three months for diagnosis. Current medical guidelines require 12 weeks from exposure to be 100% certain.

Set in 2011, when a positive diagnosis was no longer a death sentence but fear and ignorance remained rife, the film explores the lingering stigma faced by people living with HIV.

"I think there's a lot of, not necessarily misinformation, but a lot of kind of ignorance (around HIV)," Sivan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a video call from Los Angeles.

"I would love it if this movie plays a part in getting rid of the stigma around HIV and educates people on the fact that with access to healthcare, this is not a death sentence at all anymore."

Sivan has had smaller roles in South African teen drama "Spud" and Hollywood blockbuster "X-Men".

But "Three Months" - to be released on Feb. 23 on the Paramount+ streaming platform - marks his first major lead role.

For the film's writer and director, Jared Frieder, Sivan was the obvious choice.

"I always thought of Troye for this role," Frieder said in a ,,video interview, adding that he started writing the script when Troye was rising to fame on YouTube...Reuters