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Johannesburg - Disney child star Nick Jonas is all grown up and he’s making his mark on TV as conflicted Nate Kulina, a talented MMA fighter in Kingdom (2014-current).
Nate’s got to deal with more than just an opponent on the other side of the octagonal ring: he’s hiding his sexuality from the world, fearing that they won’t accept him as gay. And just like Nate, Nick has left jaws on the floor – he stripped down to his undies for the cover of Flaunt magazine in 2014, showing off a ripped body that’s a million miles away from the scrawny youngest Jonas Brother we got to know in mid-2000s!
Here’s more on this teen heart-throb and his hard-hitting role:
1. Nick actually went to train at an MMA bootcamp to get into shape for Kingdom, which is available to stream on internet TV service ShowMax with brand-new episodes airing 24 hours after they first air US. “I had six weeks to build 10kg of muscle,” says Nick. “I was doing three sessions a day: one fight-training with Kingdom's coach and two strength-building with my trainer.”
2. Besides taking punches, Nick wasn’t afraid to tackle Nate’s greatest problem: getting others to accept that he’s gay. “The attitude I take in the stories I want to share and my personal life and my view is that I think we’re in a time where there’s a new progression. For all people of all walks of life to accept all people.” The 23-year-old is an advocate for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender) community and was seen last year as another gay character, playing Boone Clemens in slasher comedy Scream Queens (2015-current).
3. Besides showing off his six-pack in magazine shoots and flexing his muscles on Kingdom, Nick’s exposed his softer side too – revealing that he uses his relationships to inspire his music. Like his split from Miss Universe 2012 winner Olivia Culpo in 2015, which heavily influenced his upcoming album Last Year Was Complicated (due out this month). Says Nick, “After (the break-up), I dove in headfirst and wrote about all of it. I think it was the most meaningful relationship I've ever been in – and it was the longest (2 years).”
4. In case you’ve forgotten what Nick sounds like as a singer, ShowMax has you covered with The Late Late Show With James Corden (2015-current). The British talk show host does carpool karaoke with Nick in season 1 episode 188.. Nick and gal-pal bestie Demi Lovato cruise around town and do an impromptu performance on the streets of Los Angeles with James.
5. While he’s single now, there is a lady in Nick’s life – Demi. The pair are going across the US on their Future Now tour, to cross-promote their new studio albums – Demi’s is called Confident and was released in 2015. Singer, model, actor, fighter… is there anything that Nick Jonas can’t do?
Watch the trailer here:
(Sources: Dailymail.co.uk, eonline.com, glaad.org, Hollywoodlife.com, imdb.com)
