Who plays Sullivan in Boots? Actor’s career and notable projects explored

Sullivan has turned out to be one of the most talked-about characters in Netflix’s Boots. The show is set in the 1990s, when openly gay men were not allowed to join the military. Cameron Cope, a closeted teenager, joins the Marine Corps at the behest of his friend and has trouble hiding his secret.

Meanwhile, Liam Robert Sullivan is a Sergeant at the training camp. But the high-ranking official is also hiding his sexuality from everyone, which complicates matters. One particular reason why the character is liked by everyone is his powerful performance.

This makes one wonder who plays Sullivan in Boots. Max Parker is the actor who plays the Sergeant in the Netflix military drama. The role has catapulted Parker to global stardom and fame.

Max Parker stars as Sullivan in Boots

English actor Max Parker portrays Liam Robert Sullivan in Boots. With his charm and acting chops, the actor has earned a huge fan following since the premiere of the series. Born Maxwell Nathaniel J. Brown, the 33-year-old actor hails from Bolton.

He received training in acting from the Arts Educational Schools in London before making his professional stage debut. After performing in plays like Barnum, Matilda the Musical, and Guys and Dolls, Parker made his first appearance on television with a recurring role in the BBC One series Casualty. The actor played Alasdair "Base" Newman and appeared in 7 episodes of the show.

He then made the daytime audience swoon over him with his role as Luke Posner in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. In 2022, he landed the role of Mikhail Tanner, a dhampir guardian, in Peacock’s Vampire Academy and earned further fame and acclaim.

His other credits include the television shows World on Fire, COBRA, and Doctor Who, and the films Strictly Confidential and Love Sarah. Like his character in Boots, Parker is gay in real life and is married to his Emmerdale co-star Kris Mochrie.

Max Parker reveals how he prepared to play Sullivan in Boots

Max Parker talked about his Boots character in an interview with Gay Times. Revealing how he was able to play a complex character effortlessly, the actor revealed that he went through multiple auditions for the show and was ‘drip-fed’ the script each time, which helped him prepare for the role:

“I sort of got drip-fed the script as my audition process went along. I did quite a lot of rounds for the show, and at first, thinking of myself as a drill instructor… I was a little nervous! Hollywood often shows drill instructors as a lot older, usually jacked dudes with greying hair, so I didn’t necessarily relate to some of that.”

He added:

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“As I kept doing the auditions, though, I got drip-fed more and more of what the show was about and did more research on drill instructors in the nineties. I started to see a lot of myself in the script and in the footage. By the last round, I was like, ‘If I don’t get this job, I think I’m just going to give up.’ I was desperate for it.”

Boots is available to stream on Netflix.

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