Reverend's Interview: A New Queer as Folk for a New Generation

Way back in 1999, LGBTQ audiences around the world were introduced to Stuart, Vince and Nathan, three young gay men in Manchester, England. The British TV series featuring this charismatic trio, Queer as Folk, became a sensation. An Americanized version soon followed and ran on Showtime from 2000-2005. Now, the TV gods have decreed it is time for a new Queer as Folk. It will premiere June 9th on Peacock, NBC’s streaming network. A vibrant re imagining of the groundbreaking original created by Russell T. Davies, the series explores a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.

Davies is involved as an executive producer of this new iteration. However, the primary roles of creator, writer, executive producer and director have been bequeathed to Stephen Dunn, a talented young filmmaker. He made a splash with his quirky, 2016 festival hit Closet Monster, in which a gay man comes of age with the help of his talking hamster, Buffy (lovingly voiced by the one and only Isabella Rossellini). Dunn seems a perfect choice to carry the QAF torch.

Stephen Dunn

“Like most queer ‘90s kids, I had a unique relationship with the original Queer as Folk,” Dunn reflects in the press notes. “Growing up, I was desperate for any sort of connection with people like me. I remember sneaking into my parents’ basement late at night to watch it in secret, volume turned low. It was the first time I really felt seen. The show offered a new paradigm – one where we could accept and celebrate queer love, families and communities on a global stage. It was truly iconic. I am honored that Russell T. Davies entrusted me to continue this legacy.”

Dunn’s update centers on several key characters. Devin Way plays Brodie, a charming and sometimes chaotic commitment-phobe. Fin Argus will play Mingus, a cocky high schooler whose confidence belies their lack of real world experience. Jesse James Keitel is trans, semi-reformed party girl Ruthie, who is struggling to grow up. CG is Shar, a non-binary professor navigating the rocky transition from punk to parenthood. Johnny Sibilly plays Noah, a successful lawyer who is not as put together as he seems. Last but certainly not least, Ryan O’Connell is Julian, a pop culture nerd with cerebral palsy who is more than ready for some independence. O’Connell is known to many viewers for his autobiographical Netflix series Special, which he wrote and starred in. He also serves as a writer and co-executive producer on the new Queer as Folk.

Ryan O’Connell and Johnny Sibilly

Among the numerous guest stars slated to appear are Sex and the City alumna Kim Cattrall as a martini-soaked southern debutant with trailer park roots; Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis as a single mom who is more of a friend than a parent to her teenager; Ed Begley Jr. as an emotionally distant father; deaf actor and activist Nyle DiMarco as a charming grad student; and Lukas Gage (recently seen on HBO’s The White Lotus) as a personal trainer.

In the words of Russell T. Davies: “I’m very proud of what we achieved in 1999, but in queer years that was a millennium ago! As a community, we’ve radicalized, explored, opened up and found new worlds – with new enemies and new allies – and there was so much to be said. Stephen (Dunn) pitched a brand new version of Queer as Folk with so much imagination, insight, and – crucially – joy that I simply couldn’t resist. I thought it was about time the title belonged to a whole new generation. The 2022 show is more diverse, more wild, more free, more angry – everything a queer show should be.”

Devin Way and Jesse James Keitel

I was thrilled to be able to ask Stephen Dunn a few questions in advance of the new QAF’s premiere.

CC: So, why another Queer as Folk now? What were some of the factors or thoughts behind this new iteration?
SD: It is really important to me to tell queer stories. Co-Executive Producers Jaclyn Moore (who is a trans woman) and Lee Eisenberg saw some of my movies at the Sundance Film Festival. We got to talking about Queer as Folk and how important that show was. I sought out that title because of how important it was to me growing up. Also, it is really hard to create queer content, so to get the process greenlit it was helpful to have this known title. I really wanted to lean into the word queer with this one. It’s about a community after a tragedy, and that was really important to Russell Davies to show that.

CC: New Orleans is an interesting choice of location. What went into that selection? Did you actually shoot there?
SD: Oh yeah, that is authentic. New Orleans is all over the show. It’s in the sets and the costumes, the people. I used to go to New Orleans all the time with my friend, (drag queen) Chi Chi DeVayne. Sadly, she has passed away (in 2020). It’s this liberal oasis in the Deep South. There’s a resilience there that I feel is at the intersection of the community and Queer as Folk.

Fin Argus

CC: The new cast is great, but many of my readers will likely be most excited about Kim Cattrall. How did she become involved and what was it like working with her?
SD: Oh my gosh, she is so incredible. I, like, from the get-go wrote this show for Kim. I knew where the character was going. I’d met her a few years ago, and then I wrote her a letter. She’s so sweet and so generous. I was so nervous because I love her so much and am in awe of her. She was so kind and excited to be there playing this new character. It was surreal. She’s also a brilliant improviser and came up with some of her best lines. She really should be part of the writers’ room.

CC: That is awesome! How best would you label or define the new Queer as Folk? Is it a reboot, a remake, a sequel...?
SD: The word that really feels right to me is re-imagining. We have a lot of respect for the original and there are references throughout, but this is a new generation and we’re taking things in a new direction.

CG and Jesse James Keitel

 

 

 

CC: Were there certain characters, events or attitudes from the previous series that you wanted to recreate or reference in the new series?
SD: There are definitely references but we are really telling a new story. Family is a huge part of the original series but we broaden it. The new series also has a different tone to it.

CC: You previously made the well-received movie Closet Monster. What was the experience like of moving from an indie movie to a major TV series?
SD: It is so different! There is so much more volume of content. I’m mixing the last episode right now and it is a major undertaking. I thought it would be a less personal experience doing television, but it’s really been more personal than I expected. What I’m most excited about is the potential to tell more stories and keep going (with Queer as Folk). Plus, it’s nice to have a budget and money. (laughs)

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Reverend's Reviews: Tony-Nominated Penises and More Now on Broadway

Broadway is back in full swing, and Reverend was delighted to attend several of this season's most ballyhooed productions the weekend before Tony Award nominations were announced on May 9th. Whether you are a Tyler Perry hater, a Fanny Brice/Beanie Feldstein admirer or a full-frontal penis lover, there is truly something for everyone currently playing on the Great White Way!

Let's not beat around the bush and begin with the best of the bunch: A Strange Loop, Michael R. Jackson's unapologetic yet exhilarating look at race, homosexuality, Christianity and the American musical. It led the 2022 Tony Awards nominations with 11 nods including Best Musical, after previously winning the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama following its off-Broadway premiere. Ironically and somewhat unexpectedly, it will be competing against MJ The Musical about late, child-abusing pop singer Michael (no R. and no relation) Jackson. I anticipate and hope that A Strange Loop will win Best Musical even though some older, conservative (i.e. straight, white) Tony voters might be put off by its many graphic descriptions and/or depictions of gay sex. And yet, these contribute to the musical's soul-baring strength.

The show centers on Usher (Jaquel Spivey, fantastic in his Tony-nominated Broadway debut performance), a gifted writer plagued by self-doubt and insecurities. These are personified by six talented, charismatic actors who play his "Thoughts" in addition to other characters including Usher's domineering, anti-gay parents. Company members John-Andrew Morrison and L Morgan Lee have also been nominated for Tonys this year in addition to Spivey. In a case of art imitating life imitating art (the titular "strange loop"), theater-lover Usher is intent on creating a "big, black and queer ass" Broadway musical inspired by his life experiences. To say he and creator Jackson succeed is an understatement. The musical's songs and book are exceptional, making for 105 minutes (with no intermission) of hilarity and heartbreak in equal parts.

Usher/Jackson and A Strange Loop pull no punches when it comes to criticizing Tyler Perry's pandering approach to the black community, "gay white male tyranny" and a certain "terrorist" popularly known as Beyoncé. Despite and/or because of this cultural boldness, the musical boasts an unusually high number of prominent and diverse producers including RuPaul Charles, Alan Cumming, Mindy Kaling, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Porter, Don Cheadle, composer duo Pasek and Paul and longtime Steven Spielberg compatriot Frank Marshall. It is, quite simply, the LGBTQA theatrical event of the year. (I have tickets to see it again during Pride weekend in NYC!)

Sadly, the weekend's biggest disappointment was the current revival of Funny Girl. Tony Award nominators were similarly underwhelmed but I was able to find at least a few pleasures in past Tony winner Michael Mayer's staging, especially once one gets over the temptation to compare current star Beanie Feldstein with the legendary Barbra Streisand. Streisand originated the role of Fanny Brice in 1964, and the then-22-year-old became an overnight sensation. She recreated her performance for the 1968 film adaptation, (in)famously tying with Katharine Hepburn (in The Lion in Winter) to win that year's Academy Award for Best Actress.

Yes, whoever was going to play Fanny in the long-in-the-works revival has big shoes and a big voice to fill. (Personally, I would love to see Lady Gaga play the role either on stage or film.) However, it is simply unfair to compare any actress-singer to Streisand, who is in a league of her own. Feldstein proves herself a charismatic presence and great dancer (including tap), and she pulls off the musical's dramatic moments well. Unfortunately, her singing – at least the night I saw her – left a lot to be desired. She's a belter and sounded best during the big/loud numbers. But she often sounded flat or verging on the edge of flatness during many of the quieter songs. Perhaps even worse for a show called Funny Girl, Feldstein simply wasn't very funny.

On the plus side, lesbian comedian Jane Lynch is funny and can sing. She threatens to run off with the show as Fanny's mother but generously restrains herself. Jared Grimes, as Fanny's friend and mentor Eddie, is a very impressive tap dancer and his performance secured the revival's lone Tony nomination. I was looking forward to seeing and hearing hunky Ramin Karimloo live for the first time, but he was reportedly out with COVID-19 so his less-hunky understudy Jeremiah James filled in efficiently as Fanny's gambler husband, Nicky Arnstein. David Zinn's central rotating set was also efficient but became more of an eyesore as the show progressed.

Bottom line: Fanny Brice needs to be played, wherever and whenever, by a funnier actress who can sing well. They don't have to be Barbra Streisand, as if anyone can be. God help whoever plays Streisand in the inevitable (probably posthumous) bio of her life.

I decided to save the full-frontal penis play revival Take Me Out for last, knowing Reverend's more pervy readers would want to read my review of it first. I'm just kidding.... kind of. But seriously, what gay or bi man – or straight or bi woman – wouldn't be interested in a locker room full of hot naked actors playing professional baseball players? However, this presupposition has presented unusual challenges for the Tony-nominated revival of Richard Greenberg's Tony-winning 2002 play. Audience members have to place their cell phones in locked baggies upon admission, then have the baggies unlocked by theater staff when the performance is over. Despite this arguably extreme security measure, footage of the full-frontal locker room scene appeared online the week after I saw it. (I swear it wasn't me!)

The always enjoyable, out Jesse Tyler Ferguson plays Mason Marzac, gay financial advisor to MLB superstar Darren Lemming. Early in the play, Lemming publicly comes out as gay himself, inspiring diverse reactions from his teammates, managers, and fans. He and Marzac, who initially has zero interest in the American pastime, gradually bond. Meanwhile, a troubled player by the name of Shane Mungitt threatens their team's success and becomes implicated in the tragic death of Lemming's best friend. Greenberg's plot is soapy at times but it remains compelling.

In addition to Ferguson, Grey's Anatomy hottie Jesse Williams (as Lemming) and Michael Oberholtzer (as Mungitt) are all up for the Tony Award in acting categories, and the production is up for Best Revival of a Play. Take Me Out remains timely since, sadly, no active major league baseball player has come out before or since its original Broadway run. The play is even more timely today as an allegory for American democracy, threatened as it is by growing internal threats. But it's the infamous onstage nude shower scenes that prove truly timeless.

Reverend's Ratings:
A Strange Loop: A
Funny Girl: C
Take Me Out: B

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Reverend's Interview: Basking in the Afterglow with S. Asher Gelman

Good communication is key to the success of any long-term relationship – gay, straight or otherwise. Without honesty and openness, there is little chance for growth. Don’t just take my word for it; ask your local marriage or relationship counselor.

This month will mark the West Coast premiere of the hit Off-Broadway and London sensation Afterglow. This gay-themed play recently opened and performs through Saturday, June 19th at the Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles. Tickets are available at here. Of note, the play opened simultaneously in Madrid, Spain and will also enjoy productions this season in Ft. Lauderdale, San Juan, and Buenos Aires.

Written and directed by S. Asher Gelman, Afterglow is a raw one-act play exploring the emotional, intellectual, and physical connections between three men and the broader implications within their relationships. When Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, invite Darius to share their bed one night, a new intimate connection begins to form. All three men must come to terms with their individual definitions of love, loyalty and trust as futures are questioned, relationships are shaken and commitments are challenged.

The LA cast will feature Noah Bridgestock as Josh, James Hayden Rodriguez as Alex, and Nathan Mohebbi as Darius. This production also boasts the original Off-Broadway team of designers.

S. Asher Gelman

Creator S. Asher Gelman is a director, choreographer, playwright and producer. Afterglow, which ran for 14 months Off-Broadway in 2017-2018, was his first original play. He subsequently produced the Off-Broadway musical We Are the Tigers, written by Preston Max Allen, followed by Gelman’s second play, safeword. He most recently directed and choreographed two dance films, The Greatest City in the World and in memoriam.

Originally from Chevy Chase, Maryland, Gelman received his Bachelor’s degree in Dance and Theater from Bard College and his Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from George Washington University. While living in Israel, he co-founded The Stage, Tel Aviv’s premier English language performing arts organization, and served as its first Artistic Director from 2013 to 2016. Gelman today serves on the Advisory Board of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. He lives in New York City with his husband, Mati.

This talented multi-hyphenate recently spoke with me in advance of Afterglow’s LA premiere.

CC: What is Afterglow about, in your own words?
SAG: It’s about honesty and communication, and what happens when it falls apart. Or when relationships fall apart because we can’t communicate honestly and openly with each other.

CC: What was the genesis of the story or play?
SAG: About eight years ago, while my husband and I were living in Tel Aviv, we opened our relationship. Then I met a man and we were together for a couple months. But soon it became clear that he wanted to supplant my husband and ruin my marriage. I knew at the time that I did something wrong but I didn’t understand what. That search within myself was the seed that would become the play. I ultimately wanted the situation to be the antagonist rather than any one character.

CC: Are you making any changes or updates for the LA production?
SAG: The show has become more nuanced, because my understanding of the situation has become more nuanced. My husband and I now have a partner, and I have a boyfriend. We all understand polyamory much better now. There is no room for nuance in our society today, when communications are distilled to a few words in a text message or a few minutes online. My whole team is understanding and taking this more nuanced approach, and its amazing working with them.

CC: How was the casting process? Is this the first time that these actors are doing the play?
SAG: Correct, although our original Alex is now the assistant director. Fun fact: We were supposed to open in LA two years ago and our final day of callbacks was March 12th, 2020, the day Broadway shut down. One of the actors was cast then so he’s had the part for two years. The others were cast via video or Zoom more recently. We all returned to LA on March 12th, 2022, exactly two years since we all left. These actors are so giving, so generous, and it’s a joy to work with them. A joy and such a privilege.

CC: Has anything surprised you or particularly touched you in terms of reactions to your play?
SAG: Look, the dream is you hope your mom sees it and then everyone beyond her is a net positive. (Laughs) One year ago, I saw the first foreign performance in Madrid. It was in Spanish, which I don’t understand, but I wrote the play so I could understand it. It was beautiful. It’s been amazing to see it touch so many people and hear from people from all over the US and all over the world. In New York, I knew some people who wouldn’t see the show with their partners because they were afraid of the conversations it might engender. I thought it was terrible that their relationships were so fragile because they were living in fear. The worst thing is not to be alone; it’s to be in a relationship and be unhappy.

CC: Wow, that is sad. I’m curious: Did you begin your performing arts career as a dancer?
SAG: I did both dancing and acting. I was a little theatre brat in middle school, and then I went on and got my BA and MA. I never studied playwriting until my husband and I moved to New York in 2016. I was surprised writing came so easily to me. And then it was amazing to see these characters I’d written on a page, these lives, come to life on stage!

CC: And now you are moving into film, correct?
SAG: I made a couple of dance films during the pandemic. I love that I can use different mediums to tell different stories. We try to label and pigeonhole people as one thing, and now I’m doing all the things I can do! I do not know what is next for me, and I love that. I can do whatever I want!

CC: That’s awesome! What do you hope California audiences will take from Afterglow?
SAG: I hope they take away the same thing that every other audience has taken away from it: the courage to have the difficult conversation, whatever the conversation is about. To have that bravery and move your life to a better place.

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Reverend's Interview: Sailing the High Seas with Vico Ortiz

There have been many media portrayals of pirates during the last century. Some have been fearsome, some not so much. From big-screen Errol Flynn classics like Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk to Broadway’s The Pirates of Penzance; TV’s Black Sails to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean attractions and films, historical swashbucklers have long captured the public’s imagination.

We can now add the new, comedic HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death to this list. Queer-friendly, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok) serves as executive producer. He also directed the pilot episode and co-stars throughout the series as the real-life pirate Blackbeard. The show was inspired by the life of Stede Bonnet, an 18th-century aristocrat turned pirate enjoyably personified by Rhys Darby.

Enter actor Vico Ortiz, who plays the mysterious crew member “Jim.” Jim (more privately known as “Bonifacia”) is on a quest for revenge, even as they are questioning their gender identity and falling in love with a fellow crew member. Ortiz is a proud Latine/x non-binary/gender fluid actor/activist born and raised in Puerto Rico. From birth, Ortiz grew up in an artistic environment as both their parents, Gerardo Ortiz and Evelyn Rosario, are respected and accomplished stage actors. They have fond memories of rehearsing lines with their parents at home, accompanying them to the theater regularly, being backstage observing rehearsals while doing homework, and even sometimes helping with props and costumes.

Therefore, it was no surprise that Vico wanted to follow in their parents footsteps and be an actor. While the stage was their first love, Ortiz has also excelled in fencing since their pre-teens. Most of their teenage years were spent traveling the world representing Puerto Rico in their national fencing team as their saber fencer, including the Panamerican Games in Rio 2007. Prior to finishing high school, Ortiz spent a summer at the UCLA Theater Camp and that experience confirmed acting was their calling. They moved to Los Angeles soon after and received their education at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Ortiz got their feet wet in the professional world of acting during the three-year program, working in theatre and student films. But it was Ortiz’s gift for fencing that led to their breakthrough in the entertainment industry working as a stunt performer. Their first co-star role was in the hit Amazon series Transparent, which paved the way to well recognized television appearances in such popular shows as The Fosters, Lucifer, American Horror Story: 1984 and Criminal Minds, among many others.

2022 is expected to be Ortiz’s biggest year yet thanks to the success of Our Flag Means Death. I had the very enjoyable privilege of chatting with them recently via Zoom about their life and work, during which they were wearing a fabulous multi-colored shirt.

CC: Vico! Thanks so much for your time and congratulations! I think Our Flag Means Death is going to be major exposure and a big hit. It’s such an enjoyable show.
VO: Thank you! Yeah, it’s been bananas. I’m really excited for it to come out already and just happen!

CC: Talk to me about how you got cast in it.
VO: It happened rather quickly. I was in Puerto Rico in May of 2021 for a theatre project. I had just finished doing it on Sunday and Tuesday I get the email for a self-tape, because everything now is a self-tape. I haven’t been to an in-person casting in a couple years. I do the thing, and when I first got the email with the scenes I was like, “Oh my God, this is incredible!” It was due the next day but I was like “I will knock it out in a couple hours, I got this.” I sent it immediately and then the next day I get a call back, and then the next day I have a meeting with (series creator) David Jenkins and then the next day I get the offer. And then on Sunday I was on my way back to LA to start (costume) fittings on Monday.

CC: Were they looking specifically for a non-binary actor for a non-binary character? Did you know that going in?
VO: Correct. Yeah, when the character was described to me it was looking for a non-binary person to portray a non-binary character and Latine. So I was like “this is perfect,” and what they didn’t know when I auditioned for it is that I also have a background in fencing so I know how to swordfight. I also do drag, I’m a drag king, so I’m very familiar and comfortable with exploring what masculinity means to me and what femininity means to me on my own terms. I was like, “this is oddly specific.” I even had a couple directors during the season ask me “Was this written for you?’ and I was like, “It was not at all.” It was really awesome because once I got into the project there was some Spanish but very little, like one word every so often, so I talked to David Jenkins and asked if I could add more Spanish and he said “Yeah, make it yours.” So that was really rad.

CC: Did you do a lot of research into pirate lives or that whole history, which is fascinating. I know there were queer pirates, I don’t know how well known they are, but were there non-binary pirates? What did you find out?
VO: That’s the thing. We’ve all heard about pirates and normally we all focus on the violent or the gruesome and chaotic or intense part of it. But as I really started looking into the detailed stories I was like, “These are really very queer people.” Like, in general they were getting gay married left and right and it was totally normal, totally chill, and there were a couple of pirates who had a very similar experience to what Jim has in the show. So that’s what’s interesting when you start looking at history, right, the way it’s written you have these two women pirates who got into this boat dressed as men. But one of them, Anne Bonny – I’m going to use she/her pronouns because that’s what we had at the time – but she had always been dressing up as a boy. When you look at her story, she had always been doing this since she was a little kid and then goes into the boat and stops wearing what’s considered men’s clothes but continues in that style, so it makes me question if Anne Bonny was living in this day and age with the language we have now, would this person be a non-binary or a trans person? What I love about playing Jim is it’s a chance to be reclaiming those stories. There were stories of queer people who found themselves in these extraordinary situations that allowed them to actually access a part of themselves that otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to. Pirates are overall very queer and they were very gay for each other, and it was like really sweet. They were carving their own path and making their own rules.

CC: It’s funny, I was thinking while watching Our Flag Means Death that next time I go on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland I will never look at those pirates the same!
VO: (Laughs) Not at all! And a lot them were not monogamous. They were also having polyamorous relationships. Literally, they were making their own utopia.

CC: I’m sure that was part of the appeal though to so many of them, being able to live life by your own rules or with no rules.
VO: Which relates a little bit to the show. With a lot of our stories the common denominator is to have a second chance, to have agency of your own life. It’s like a moment to be like, “Oh, I can be who I am and be accepted for who I am in this world” and to be loved and to love.

CC: Talk to me a bit about working with Taika Waititi, both as director and as fellow actor. How was that experience?
VO: An absolute dream. Taika, both as a director and as an actor, has such a beautiful sense of wonder and child-like curiosity. You can see how he’s envisioning the setting and telling the story. He’s fascinated by all of it. He’s super fun. I love that in the beginning he was like, “Stick to the lines, absolutely stick to the script” but then the second we were filming he was like “Try it this way, try this other thing, go crazy!” And we were like, “OK, I guess I’m not doing the lines anymore as they were written.” Everything was always something new, every take is like fresh and I love that.

CC: That’s cool! Talk to me a little bit about how is Jim, your character, like you personally and how is Jim different from you.
VO: Um, so, I love this question because there are so many similar things but at the same time not at all, which I love because people think non-binary, “oh, it’s the same thing” and I’m like no, the way that I express myself and the way I walk in this world is like this flowery, flamboyant, I love love and I’m here for it. Whereas Jim is very much walls up, I don’t want you to know anything about me, if you look at me weird I will stab you. But he does have a very soft side that’s layered in a lot of childhood trauma, which I love as well. And then again I know fencing and I trained how to swordfight to compete, whereas Jim trained to kill, so very different intentions. Jim is chaotic, and I’m chaotic but on a different level. (Laughs)

CC: Has your family always been pretty supportive of you or were there challenges?
VO: Thankfully, they have been. It has definitely been a lot of conversations and a lot of patience on both ends. Obviously I recognize that there’s been a lot of stuff that I’ve had to unpack and unlearn and deprogram, and then learn and absorb. When I started conveying that same information to my parents and my brother I was like (loudly claps their hands together) “Get it!” Right? And then I was like, “Hold up, maybe I’m going a little bit too fast and I need to slow it down a couple notches and really allow for the process to happen.” Because it is a lot and as much as it’s about me, once they began realizing that the same system that is trying to put me in a box is the same system that has put them also in boxes and has told them what can you and cannot do based literally on what you were born with is when they went, “ooohhh” and realized it’s not just about me fighting for my rights but is literally about everyone trying to live authentically no matter what. Which is something that I also love about playing Jim. I want people to question “What makes me a man? What makes me a woman? What makes me a human being outside of societal structures and expectations?” And then define them on their own terms.

CC: Wow. Well, thank you so much for your time, Vico. It’s been great meeting you and I wish you every success. And send me that shirt when you’re done with it.
VO: (Laughs) Absolutely, isn’t is fabulous? It’s a good time, it’s a good time.

Watch Chris' interview with Vico below:

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.