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“Quantico” Star Tate Ellington On Simon’s Sexuality: “I Love That He Doesn’t Necessarily Have A Label”

Will viewers find out if Simon Asher is gay—or if it's all part of some diabolical scheme?
by 10/19/2015

Is he or isn’t he? That’s the biggest question surrounding Quantico’s Simon Asher (Tate Ellington), who is still insisting he’s gay despite mounting evidence it may be a ruse.

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ABC

How long before out FBI trainee Elias Harper (Rick Cosnett) finds out the truth—and could he and Simon end up getting closer than just colleagues?

NewNowNext grabbed some time with Ellington to get some answers.

Elimon? Silias?

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ABC
Should we start shipping the two characters? “I would say at this point, he’s a thorn in his side and I can’t wait for you to see what’s coming up,” Ellington said carefully.

“There’s definitely some really cool stuff with them.” And while Simon may seem annoyed with Elias now, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t start indulging in the cat-and-mouse game they’ve been playing. “I think it actually opens more doors up later [and] I really do think Simon, as much as he might be afraid of things that Elias may or may not find out, I think he enjoys it.”
 

Simon’s Surprise Skills

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On last night’s episode, we saw that Simon is pretty good with a gun, and Ellington told us he’s got even more skills.

“He doesn’t mean to show what he knows [but] even in the shooting scene, he knows what he’s doing but has to joke it off.” We’ll have to wait to see if Simon is going to reveal more hidden skills in future episodes.
 

No Gummies, Please

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ABC
Appearing alongside hunky co-stars Jake McLaughlin and Graham Rogers means Ellington has had to up his workout regimen. He says friends have noticed his six-pack, watching his diet has been something of a challenge. “I’ve got to keep an eye on it because slowly but surely [the pounds] start adding up.” He admitted gummy bears are a particular weakness.
 

What Ellington Knows

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The 35-year-old actor confesses he doesn’t know as much as you might think about what’s going to happen next on Quantico.

“I love getting information if I can, but it doesn’t necessarily destroy me if I don’t have it,” the Mississippi native told me.

In fact, he added the not knowing alleviates some of the pressure. “You don’t necessarily know what the outcome of it is so you just play the scene for what it is. Later you go, ’Oh, I got it right’ or ‘Oh, I was terribly wrong.'”
 

On-Screen Tension

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While there’s a lot of antagonism between Simon and Elias, things couldn’t be more different in real life. Ellington calls Rick Cosnett “freaking hilarious and an amazing actor. We’ve had some really good scenes together and some really intense ones, and he just kills it. ”

But in a show where anything can happen, Ellington says his fingers are crossed that Simon sticks around.
 

The Grateful Undead

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AMC
He’s popped up in Straight Outta Compton and The Mindy Project, but Ellington says appearing on The Walking Dead for two episodes last year really opened doors for him.

“No matter what, if someone sees it on the resume, it always prompts so many questions and talking in the room when you go for auditions,” he shared. “The show just carries so much gravitas to it and so much weight… It’s like ‘We can take this guy seriously because he was on The Walking Dead.'”
 

Answers Are Coming (Eventually)

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Ellington promises we’ll get more background on his character in the coming weeks, but the definitive answer about his sexuality may take a while.

“You’re going to keep asking that question for a while,” he teased, adding, “I love that he doesn’t necessarily have a label or a classification for his sexuality. It’s nice to have somebody you can’t exactly pinpoint things on.”

Quantico airs Sundays at 10pm on ABC.