Maria Bello Comes Out in NYT Piece

Philly-bred actress Maria Bello came out of the closet in a first-person Sunday NYT piece, declaring she’s creating “a more honest family.”

My feelings for Clare aren’t the same as the butterflies-in-the-stomach, angst-ridden love I have felt before; they are much deeper than that. As we grew closer, my desire for her grew stronger until, after a few months, I decided to share the truth of our relationship with my large, Italian-Polish, “traditional” Philadelphia family.

My father’s response came between puffs of his cigar while we sat on the roof of a casino in Atlantic City. “She’s a good girl, good for you,” he said. My mother and family echoed his sentiments. Maybe they weren’t so traditional after all.

We were going to make a joke about how Bello’s revelation finally explains the notorious hat she wore two years back in NBC’s ill-fated remake of Prime Suspect. Turns out: Maybe that’s not a joke:

 I came across a black-and-white one of my best friend and me taken on New Year’s Eve. We looked so happy, I couldn’t help but smile. I remembered how we had met two years before; she was sitting in a bar wearing a fedora and speaking in her Zimbabwean accent.

Finally. Understanding. Maybe the hat wasn’t just a quirky acting choice—but a silent signal to a loved one. It makes a lot more sense this way.