Tony Ardolino — Mr. Gay World USA — Says to Succeed: 'Just Be Yourself'

In an interview with the website Out in Jersey, Ardolino about what it was like growing up gay in New Jersey. "I felt like 'Beauty and the Beast,' like Belle walking through the village. I was so different. I felt like the kids were singing, 'Look there he goes, that guy is gay, no question.' I didn't have a lot of friends. I got bullied relentlessly. There were Facebook pages about how I was gay and useless, horrible things. I didn't have school to back me up, just my parents. My parents are my go to. I just kept on saying, "This will push me to be the best I can be."

But Ardolino didn't see being gay as a liability. "I didn't view it as a weakness. I viewed it as something that would make me stronger. I wanted to show the world what I could do. I had so many goals, dreams to fulfill, and I didn't want anything to get in the way. I didn't come out until I was 24. I was trying to have an acting career. I was nervous that if I came out that it would put up a wall for some parts. Even when I lived in West Hollywood, I didn't come out. I came out in Singapore, where it is illegal to be gay."

Ardolino said he's a "Jersey boy, born and raised in New Jersey, Rockaway Township, originally from Jefferson." As a teenager, he pursued performing, then, after graduating from high school, moved to Los Angeles, where he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

He did commercial work, and was employed at Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farms. Then he moved to Singapore with Universal. He moved to Singapore for two years, where he came out despite it being illegal in that city-state. He returned to the U.S., and toured with "Paw Patrol Live," followed by tours of "Grease" and "Happy Days," where he played Chachi.

Since coming out, Ardolino has worked on a number of projects related to LGBTQ+ representation. He made a short film called "Far, Far Away," he wrote a children's book called "Gill, the Merboy," and has started the Mr. Gay Big Brother Project.

"Growing up, there was no representation for LGBTQ people," he said explaining the genesis of his short film. "You could either be 'RuPaul's Drag Race' or you could be 'Brokeback Mountain,' but being gay is much more. So, I wanted to create my project, 'Far, Far Away,' the retelling of the famous fairy tales, 'Snow White,' 'Cinderella,' and 'Rapunzel,' with an LGBTQ spin. It's a gay Snow White. It's a lesbian Rapunzel, whose mother is making her grow out our hair so she could be more feminine. It's a trans Cinderella, who just wants to be their authentic self. These three characters go on a journey into the forbidden forest to get their wish. It won so many awards. From that, we also made a more comedic version of it as well, a web series that takes place in West Hollywood."

With "Gill, The Merboy" Ardolino fulfilled his dream of writing a LGBTQ+-themed book that was for everyone. He came to write the book after a meet-and-greet when he met a boy who wanted to be a mermaid. His father scorned the idea as not being masculine enough, but Ardolino told the boy: "You can be whatever you want to be." He then wrote "Gill The Merboy" "about a little merboy who's gets picked on because mermaids are supposed to be girls. He goes on this adventure to prove his worth to the ocean, and on this grand adventure he learns that the greatest treasure of all is just being yourself."

He also explained that he started his organization "My Gay Big Brother" because, when he was growing up, he had no one to support him for being gay. "It helps mentor young individuals and give advice to queer kids because they need that. They need to have somebody to talk to. They need a big brother. And that's the best thing I got from Mr. Gay USA is to put myself on this platform to create something that I wish was there when I was a kid."

Ardolino came to being part of the pageant scene by chance. "I was dating a guy who told me, 'I'm Mr. Gay Boston,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, sure, buddy. So am I.' He told me it was a beauty pageant. I'm such a big fan of 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' and 'Miss Congeniality.' I'm an entertainer, so I wanted to test it out, but he said, 'I don't know, Tony. I don't know if you're ready.'"

Inspired, Ardolino entered the Mr. Gay Maine contest and won. "Then I zoomed on over to Mr. Gay USA, representing Maine. It was literally a beauty pageant with different rounds, talent, swimsuit, formal, interviews. At the time, that guy and I broke up, so instead of dwelling on that, I used all my energy to create something special. I made all my costumes myself. My talent, I wrote myself." 

He saw that his authenticity was his strength. "I'm a 5'7" Italian Jersey boy, different from these 6' model types, but I kept on telling myself, 'Just be you. Just have fun.' For swimsuit, I dressed up as a little baseball player with a bedazzled bat. I swung it around in my star-spangled Speedo. For talent, I did a male version of '[Part of] Your World' from 'The Little Mermaid,' dressed up as a male Ariel, and I changed all the words to embody gay culture."

Asked if coming out had affected his career, Ardolino said: "If anything, it helped. Now, I'm making a whole career out of being gay. I wish I could have told myself earlier, 'Just be yourself because that's the greatest role you'll ever play.'"