EDGE Rewind: Watch: 'The Inspection' Star Raúl Castillo Says He Was 'Put on This Earth to Challenge Notions of Masculinity'

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"The Inspection" star Raúl Castillo believes he was "put on this Earth to challenge notions of masculinity."

The cis straight male actor has played a variety of queer characters in his career, and he says he chooses each role with the intent of telling a story that will help change attitudes in the world for the better.

As reported by IndieWire, Castillo was speaking about his career during a SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversation moderated by IndieWire's Eric Kohn where he talked about the messages surrounding the film.

"I had a conversation with Elegance when we were talking about doing press for the film. I did some media training with A24 pertaining to this film and to prepare me for the upcoming work, and it was a world where we were going to talk about this character like he was a hard-line, straight man. If you watch the movie, it leaves it open to interpretation, which I love," he explained.

From his breakout role in the gay TV series "Looking" to currently portraying a married but possibly closeted Marine in Elegance Bratton's "The Inspection," Castillo noted how the conversation around straight actors playing gay characters has changed.

"When I did 'Looking,' it was 2013 when we shot the pilot and the first season. I was playing a gay man in that show. The conversation almost 10 years ago was very different than about straight actors in these roles," Castillo said. "I come from a small town in South Texas. I'm first-generation American. I grew up in a really conservative environment and a really patriarchal machismo environment, and I was a sensitive boy, always."

He added, "I was considered a crybaby. I was never a typical macho man, I guess." But in terms of the film, Castillo believes he is right where he needs to be and in the role he is supposed to be.

"I think there's a reason that queer artists have looked out for me as a person throughout my career, even before 'Looking,' throughout my life. It's no wonder that Elegance sort of found me and put me in his film," he said.

Watch the full conversation with Castillo below.