Actor Chandler Massey tells The Huffington Post that he’s “thrilled” about his character’s upcoming gay storyline on the long-running NBC daytime soap Days of our Lives.

Massey, 21, who plays Will Horton, says the character’s rainbow-hued story arc is “going to unfold slowly, because we want to be as realistic as possible, because coming to terms with who you are and your sexuality is not something that happens overnight. It takes time.”

The actor insists that the show’s producers have invested in the character’s development because of its relevance, not because it’s riding the current pop culture tide.

“It’s not one of those things where, ‘Oh, some other soaps are doing gay storylines, it’s popular, it’s on ‘Glee,’ so we’re just going to do it.’ It’s a meaningful story that’s very relevant today. You can expect some good stuff,” Massey says.

Massey says that he wants the characters coming-out to reflect the challenges and pain reflected in real-world situations. “It’s going to be very difficult,” he offered, adding, “Mostly, it’s because of the people he cares about and loves. He’s basically afraid of how they will react.”