Warning: spoilers ahead for Eric. The minute that Netflix viewers start watching Eric, they’ll immediately become engrossed in the harrowing and captivating tale about a young boy who goes missing in 1980s New York . That nine-year-old boy is Edgar Anderson ( Ivan Morris Howe ), the son of Vincent ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) and Cassie ( Gaby Hoffmann ), whose disappearance is meticulously investigated by police detective Michael Ledroit ( McKinley Belcher III ).
Metro.co.uk recently had the chance to speak to McKinley about his role, as the actor shared what it was like to play Ledroit , who not only has a mysterious case on his hands, but is also hiding the fact that he’s gay from his colleagues in the police force.
In Eric, it’s revealed that McKinley is living with his partner William (Mark Gillis), whose health is deteriorating while he suffers from Aids. At work, Ledroit is teased about the fact that he’s a single man without a girlfriend, to the point where he agrees to go to a dinner at his boss’s house and take his secretary Tina (Erika Soto) as his date. Later on in the series, Ledroit is informed that the love of his life William died after he was taken to hospital.
While Ledroit initially shares a heartfelt moment with William’s sister as they console one another about their loss, following the funeral she tells him that he must move out of the apartment that he and his partner shared together, as he doesn’t have any legal rights in their relationship. .