Josh O'Connor has become the new ambassador of Dior. And he is also a star of queer cinema and naked scenes

British actor Josh O'Connor, who in recent years has become one of the most talked about talents in Hollywood. On January 12, 2026, he officially joined the Dior family, and this is not just a marketing ploy - he has an almost decade-long creative relationship with the new creative director of the Dior brand, Jonathan Anderson. O'Connor, known for his roles in "The Crown" (where he played Prince Charles) and Luca Guadagnino's "The Pretenders", will now represent the Dior boy line.

But in addition to fashion, the actor has long been associated with queer themes in cinema: He has played gay and bisexual characters on numerous occasions, despite identifying as heterosexual. Doberman.media explains why this appointment is logical and how O'Connor became the "king" of queer roles.

From Loewe to Dior: How O'Connor Follows Anderson

Jonathan Anderson, who took over Dior in 2025, has been working with O'Connor for a long time. Back in 2017, the actor became an ambassador for Loewe, Anderson's previous brand, and starred in several campaigns. Now that the designer has moved to Dior, O'Connor has followed. The official statement of the brand says that the actor embodies "a singular, sensitive and modern expression of masculine elegance", perfectly suited to the style of Dior.

He is expected to make his debut in this role at the Dior men's show during Paris Fashion Week in January 2026. Photos for the announcement were taken by George Ayres - they show O'Connor in a classic Dior suit, with a relaxed but sophisticated look.

This appointment caused a resonance on social networks: O'Connor fans celebrate, and fashion critics note that Dior under the leadership of Anderson is becoming more "modern and sensitive." On X (formerly Twitter), posts about the news get thousands of likes - from "Finally Dior boy!" to jokes that O'Connor is now officially a "style icon".

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Queer roles: from a farmer in "God's Land" to a tennis player in "The Contenders"

O'Connor began his career in the 2010s with roles in British TV series like Peaky Blinders and Durrells in Corfu, but the breakthrough happened in 2017 with the film God's Own Country. There he played Johnny Saxby, a young farmer who falls in love with a Romanian migrant. The role earned him the BIFA Award for Best Actor and made him a prominent figure in queer cinema. The film is often compared to Brokeback Mountain, but O'Connor added more realism and emotional depth to it.

Since then, the actor has repeatedly returned to LGBT topics. In 2014, he played Max in Hide and Seek, a story about a polyamorous commune, and James in Peaky Blinders, where his character had gay overtones. In 2024, Guadagnino's film The Challengers was released, where O'Connor is Patrick Zweig, involved in a homoerotic love triangle with Mike Feist and Zendaya.

O'Connor himself acknowledges the complexity of the LGBT issue: in an interview with Vanity Fair, he said he has "mixed feelings" about heterosexual actors in gay roles. "This is a difficult question. I try to choose roles where I see the depth of the character, but I understand why it causes debate." Despite this, he continues to work in queer projects: ahead is "The Story of Sound" with Paul Mescal — a romantic drama about two men recording folklore — and "Separate Rooms" again with Guadagnino, based on the novel by Pier Vittorio Tondelli about a writer and his boyfriend.

On social networks, O'Connor is called "a Hollywood straight who dominates queer roles" - and this is not an exaggeration. Some critics note that he takes on roles that could go to LGBT actors (but still, if straight people already play gays, then let it be O'Connor).