Tell me a little about how you came to the show? Was it an open audition? It wasn’t an open audition. When you have an agent, they get“breakdowns,” [casting notice that casting offices (or other entities seeking talent) released to agents], if they see a role in those breakdowns that might be right for a client of theirs, they submit them to the casting directors. If the casting directors think it might be a good fit, they schedule an appointment for you. Once you have an appointment, a casting assistant or director puts you on tape when you show up, which is then sent to the casting directors. If they like the tape, they send it to producers. If the producers like you and if you’re in the same city, they either bring you in for a producer’s session or in my case, they flew me to L.A. to tape yet again. I had the luxury of skipping the producer’s session and going right to the
screen test. Screen tests can either be live in front of a room full of people, or they can be filmed in front of producers, casting directors and sometimes the director of the pilot. Once that’s done, they send your tape to the studio. If the studio likes you, it’s on to the network and if the network likes you then you’re good to go. It’s really a horribly grueling, emotionally taxing and abusive process that many have to endure year after
year.The Real O’Nealswas my fourth test over the course of three pilot seasons and my second over the course of one day. Did you have any trepidation taking on the role of a gay teen as a young actor? Of course... Los Angeles is not as open-minded as N.Y.C. In New York,
people know I’m gay and have no problem casting me in straight roles, but L.A. is new to me and I to it. Coming into a new place as an openly gay person, playing an openly gay character is something I’m just learning to navigate. I think casting directors here have a harder time looking past credits and just focusing on talent. I feel that a lot of them, are a little blinded by the fact that my only on-camera credit is me playing a gay kid. They’ve never seen me do anything else and they aren’t that willing to give me those other opportunities. Especially if they can’t simply watch a movie where I’ve already done that. They’re not the most imaginative or creative bunch. TV and film is a lot about type and look and I think that overshadows talent too often. It’s something I’m also learning to navigate. How close does your coming out experience mirror Kenny’s? My coming out was much simpler. I was welcomed into my community
noah galvin
(r to l) cast ofthereal o’neals: bebe wood matt shively noah galvin jay r. ferguson martha plimpton
with ease and even more so in my family. One of the things that I enjoy about the show so far is that it really portrays Kenny as not extraordinary. He’s just a regular kid from a Catholic family, not a victim at all and that the people who can’t accept him seem like the funny oddballs. Do you have a sense of what a shift that is? I think we are in a time, where coming out really isn’t a big deal to a lot of people. I think it’s generational mostly; kids today couldn’t really care less. There will always be closed-minded, sexually confused straight boys, who need to take out their own insecurities on those who are more evolved. But, I think the majority of young people are totally down. It’s the adults who have gone through years of LGBT conflict, who have the hardest time with it. One of my closest friends is Trans and my mother, who is the most liberal Jewish yoga-teacher, filmmaker/therapist you’ll ever meet, still struggles with simply saying “she.” It’s just not the norm for them. So yes, this is simply a coming of age tale for a teenage boy. The fact that he’s gay is just another layer. The religious connection for the show and Kenny’s family are powerful, even though it’s comedic. I love that he talks to Jesus on the show—that’s
APRIL 2016 | RAGE monthly 25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64