Thora Birch came out as bisexual during a recent event celebrating legendary West Hollywood hotspot The Abbey.
“As a hometown girl, I’m always here to show my support for the community, which shaped so much of who I am and my identity as well, being a bi person,” the “Hocus Pocus” actress told Us Weekly at the establishment’s star-studded 35th Anniversary on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to get too political, but find your community where you can, and stand with them, and stick with them, and share that love that you share together, and reach it toward others,” she continued.
“That’s the only way we’re going to get through all this madness is just embracing one another. We have to stop fighting.”
A rep for the “American Beauty” actress told the outlet that she was raised in West Hollywood — within walking distance of the beloved restaurant, which has been a prominent LGBTQ+ gathering for decades and is known to have been a favorite of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor.
The actress married director Michael Benton Adler in 2018.
Birch, who came of age on the world stage, recently said she wouldn’t change a thing about her upbringing — but that being a child star wasn’t without its drawbacks.
“You can’t develop friendships, or a core group of friends that stay with you,” she told the Independent in February. “So they were these amazing experiences, and opportunities to work with people that I had photos of on my bedroom walls.”
She added, “Would I trade it? No. But it has a heavy price.”
When speaking of peers including Brittany Murphy and Brad Renfro, both of whom passed away in their prime, Birch again reflected on the challenges of growing up in Hollywood.
“You can see the toll it takes to go through that transition from child star to working adult. It’s tough, and everybody reacts to it differently.” she explained to the outlet.
“What helped me was maintaining a sense of humor. That was key, and also dabbling in other mediums, taking a break, getting my education, living a life outside of any sort of bubble that has a camera pointed at it. And I think getting knocked down a few times helped, as it always does. You need a few sunburns before you toughen your skin up.”
The actress has continued to diversify and thrive in Hollywood. She recently starred in Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” and plays Gifford Mayfair in AMC’s “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.”
In 2022, Birch made her own directorial debut with Lifetime TV’s “The Gabby Petito Story.” She’s also set to direct the upcoming “Mr. Paradise,” a big-screen adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel.
