"I am finally at a point where I'm not trying to be something that the industry might want," the A Friend of the Family star tells Out.
Ricky CornishLio Tipton is navigating the entertainment industry on their own terms.
Starting in the modeling world, Tipton placed third on Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model and eventually moved into the acting space.
The star has secured a few notable roles throughout the years in projects such as Crazy, Stupid, Love and Manhattan Love Story.
"I feel like the last ten years have been extremely intense," Tipton says.
Between modeling and acting in high-profile projects for over a decade, the star announced in June 2021 that they are queer and identify as nonbinary.
"I am finally at a point where I'm not trying to be something that the industry might want," Tipton tells Out. "I'm really proud that I'm still working and that I can work and also be who I am, which I don't think I ever really thought the two would be so separate."
In their latest project, Tipton is dipping into true crime by playing Gail Berchtold, the wife of pedophile Robert Berchtold, on Peacock's new miniseries A Friend of the Family.
The new show focuses on Jan Broberg Felt, an Idaho teenager who was abducted by her neighbor Robert Berchtold in the 1970s on two different occasions.
"Gail's relationship with Jan was really important. [It] was motherly, real, and I wanted to bring empathy to a character that otherwise would not get any empathy."
Tipton hopes to shed a little more light on Gail's position in the midst of Robert's manipulation and schemes.
"She was a victim of the grooming as well. I really think it's important to bring that kind of awareness. She was a person. She was affected by this too. These actions hurt everyone that he knew. [It's] so much more complex. The more that we can understand those different points of views, [we can] understand that there are pieces that happen constantly under our noses. I think it's just really good to not point fingers."
A Friend of the Family premieres October 6 on Peacock. To see the full interview with Lio Tipton, check out the video below.
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