Lamar Latrell of 'Revenge of the Nerds' finally breaks silence about backlash for playing gay role

He was very effective playing the gay role in ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ that many believed he actually was gay. And now Larry B. Scott reveals how that breakout role led him to be shunned and helped shape his career moving forward.

Those who’ve seen the 1984 cult classic film ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ will never forget the character Lamar Latrell, the ‘Tri-Lamb’ frat brother who rocked daisy duke shorts and cracked everyone up. Lary B. Scott portrayed hat gay frat boy, and to this day he clearly remembers the backlash he received after taking on the role.

Decades later, 52-year-old Scott is speaking up about the impact his portrayal of Lamar had on him and his life. He said that apart from people believing he was homosexual, he also got shunned by black men at the time. He told Telegram News during the 2018 Comic Con,

“Back then I got shunned out by a lot of the brothers. Now it’s fine, everyone loves me. My name became,”That’s him!” They were thinking, “We finally got a brother on screen and he has to be gay!”

With people thinking he was gay, Scott also recounted how they would be recognized everywhere as “the gay guy” which became an obstacle for him especially because he was a heterosexual who was trying to go on dates with women.

“On the streets I get noticed from Nerds 10, 20 times a day. But it’s [as] ‘that dude’ or ‘the gay guy,’ which is exactly what you want to hear when you’re on a date with a girl."

But Scott chose to see the bright side and considered his portrayal as a portal for more opportunities for him as an actor.

“Nerds opened up a lot of doors for me, no pun intended. Folks didn’t realize I could act.”

Scott also admitted he never once hesitated or felt nervous about taking on the role.

“No because it’s your job as an actor to take on a challenge. I’m from the hood, the projects. I wasn’t brought up that way so I knew that wasn’t me. I did my part I can’t force the audience to like and accept it. A long time since then I’ve had the right to pick and choose my roles.”

Today, Scott is enjoying his life to the fullest as a straight man who’s married with two sons. His wife is Valerie Scott and their two sons Tyler and Brandon are very close to him.

The comedian is now also an acting coach. He runs the acting studio W.I.T. (Whatever It Takes) Filmwerks and has tied up with TSAW (Tasha Smith’s Acting Workshop) to provide his students more training.

Still honing his craft, Scott is also currently part of the cast of the TV series ‘Black Jesus.’