Troye Sivan hopes his new film Three Months will help educate people about HIV today and help remove some of the stigma and ignorance around the virus.
The new film arrives in Australia today, streaming on Paramount+.
Three Months is set in Florida in 2011 and sees Troye’s character Caleb come into contact with HIV during a one-night-stand on the eve of his high school graduation.
A doctor tells the 17-year-old that he must wait three months for a test to be able to detect the virus in his body.
While he waits, he forms an unexpected relationship with another teenager in a similar situation.
Troye Sivan said that there is still “a lot of ignorance” and stigma remaining around HIV today.
“The message of the movie, ultimately, is that no matter what, Caleb is going to be okay,” Troye explained to NBC News.
“Because these days, HIV-positive people with access to healthcare live long, healthy, beautiful, happy lives.
“That is something that I don’t think people talk about enough.”
Due to modern medical advances, those living with HIV on successful treatment are incapable of transmitting the virus.
And PrEP medication can dramatically reduce a person’s risk of contracting HIV through sex.
Troye Sivan said films, TV and media “painting the picture of what HIV is like today” are crucial.
“I’m surrounded by almost exclusively queer people and tons of gay men,” he said.
And the thought of “losing friend after friend” in the early days of the AIDS crisis, to him, “is just the most awful thing that I can imagine,” he said.
“So even though we know how far we’ve come medically and scientifically, that is still hardwired into all of our heads,” Troye said.
“So part of the effort of this movie is to kind of dispel some of that and relax some of that, because we just aren’t there anymore.”
Troye Sivan’s next acting role
Three Months is Troye’s first big-screen role since 2018 conversion therapy drama Boy Erased.
But now he’s currently filming a role in the upcoming HBO series The Idol, created by The Weeknd and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.
“It’s been really, really, really fun for me. And yeah, I don’t want it to end,” Troye told NBC News.
“If I have an off day and I’m just chilling, I might just like go to set anyways because I like it so much.”
Three Months is streaming in Australia on Paramount+. Watch the trailer below:
For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
No Comment