Michael Theo grew up thinking he was “inferior to other people and invisible”.
The Wollongong-based star of the hit TV show Love on the Spectrum would choose to be alone during school holidays.
He knew he was different to everyone else, but he did not know why until his mother told him he had Asperger’s syndrome when he was 13.
“Having Asperger’s never really bothered me at all and it’s something that I’ve always been proud of,” he said.
“It’s actually pretty great and it makes me stand out in a way.”
In his early teenage years he became more social and comfortable around people at school.
He said he became “surprisingly popular” because he was likable.
Appearing on Ellen
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Having recently appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after Love on the Spectrum became available on Netflix, his popularity has gone global.
“It was a very honourable experience,” he said.
“I enjoyed meeting her [Ellen]. She’s a really great person and I was surprised to find she wanted to interview me because I’m nowhere near as famous as Tom Hanks.
“It’s [fame] flattering but it’s also sort of overwhelming at times.”
Reality TV queen Kim Kardashian also shared screenshots of Love on the Spectrum to her 266 million Instagram followers, saying the show warmed her heart.
“The show changed my life in the way that it put me in the public eye and it made me well known in Australia and overseas,” he said.
“I’ve been getting heaps of followers every day and getting a lot of messages from people about how much they love the show.”
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New podcast to ‘bring light and love’
The aspiring actor has recently launched his own podcast titled Mr A+.
He once told his mother that his ideal “A+” partner looked like him, so she started calling him the name.
“I wanted to make a podcast because I wanted a way to entertain people and bring love and light into people’s lives,” he said.
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