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when they are having anxiety or expressing their truth. I think that’s the exciting thing about where social media can go. Those posts when someone is being honest and vulnerable, those don’t give anxiety or make you compare yourself to others, they make you sort of breathe a sigh of relief because they are real. There are so many posts that we’re used to seeing that make you cringe and think “Am I not enough, am I not doing it right?” Jorge:For me, I’m young, but I don’t like posting
too much. I think it’s a little weird to put all of yourself out there. I know it’s kind of funny because I’m an actor, to be afraid to put yourself out there, but you’re exposing yourself, and that’s kind of scary. Alexandra:I get that. I feel like either I have to
share this huge in-depth story and make a post that is super catered to who I am and to not feel like it’s just another post on a timeline. At the same time, I think there is something to be said about posts that literally have no tag, no line in it, it’s just a picture. You can take what you want from it. But, when you’re dealing with social media and you get the chance to see that inLove, Simon, is the idea that there are positive aspects where you can find a community and get support. Then there are ways to be completely and utterly
cyberbullied and shamed at the same time. Like what happens to the Martin character in the film. That can be super detrimental, people are actually taking their own lives as a result of stuff like this. We not only need to celebrate the people who celebrate themselves, but that we have to take it upon ourselves to not shame people through social media. We all fall into that every now and then where it’s drama, but at the heart of it, we all just want to have love in this world. I think that we’re trying to start that with this movie, to show that. It really is such a powerful thing to have reference points like this film as a young kid. Personally, one book really changed my life as a 13-year-old, The Best Little Boy In The World. It was completely random, but really made me not feel like I wasn’t alone for the first
time.Love, Simon is significant for that reason as well. It is also so important because not only is it a story about an LGBT teenager, it’s one about a gay teenager who falls in love for the first time and it isn’t a tragedy or a joke, about being humiliated or being a victimized. It’s really the first of its kind. Did you go into this knowing that and intending to create the story? Greg: I loved the script in general. I was aware that
there hadn’t been a studio-made film with a gay teen protagonist like Simon. As we were working on
even the biggest emotional scenes. It was filling a real, visceral void that I didn’t even know needed to get filled. I wasn’t sure if it was just me because I was so close to it. I’m generally hyper critical and sick to my stomach when I see early stuff, and I was having the opposite reaction. So, I brought my then fiancé, now my husband in and he would cry as he watched with me. It really was all about the simple power of representation, just having our story told. That is a power in and of itself, and one I wasn’t even totally aware of. I obviously work in the business and do my part to try and make sure that there is LGBT representation on shows, but even at my age and with all my experiences doing that, it truly affected me and I still needed to see it. When you were shooting the film, was there a moment where you thought “This is so intense and powerful.” One that maybe made you realize it hit emotionally because the cast or crew lost it? Or maybe one where you tried to make that happen? Nick:I don’t know if we ever set out to make a
it and I said that when I first applied for the job, “You know there hasn’t been something done like this… right?” Both Fox 2000 and Fox were very committed to making this movie without anyone attached. It allowed me to go out and assemble a great cast and get a great crew, without the encumbrances that you often have with a studio film. There was never a question about the great elements of this film, they knew they were making this story and knew it was one they wanted to be told. Something happened asLove, Simon came
together, watching it on screen as I went along and not necessarily every day when we were shooting it. I would go on the weekends and watch cut footage to see if there were improvements I should make. I started crying during scenes that weren’t really
grip cry. (Laughs) The one scene where I felt like we, I hesitate to say, “We nailed it,” but where we knew where we had landed in the right ballpark. It was the scene between Simon and his mom. That was a very emotional day for everyone and people weren’t expecting the kind of emotion that ended up happening. Our producers were crying, there were grips crying and everyone was hearing and seeing the words between them and having a reaction to it. I think it kind of speaks to the fact that whether you’re gay or straight or whatever, hearing that speech, hearing that “You are worthy of love and you can exhale and know you’re going to be okay…” Those things are so powerful…For anybody. It really makes for a great film experience. The film has screened several times now. What have been some of the reactions that you have seen that maybe surprised you? Nick:The reaction has been overwhelmingly
positive. It’s a cross-sectional enthusiasm all over the country and it’s really been cool. We’ve been in the deep South, in New York and all over the country. Pretty much everywhere we’ve gone, this movie has been greeted with enthusiasm and excitement. All the screenings have actually been over-booked and we’ve had to add second screenings because people have been so excited. Like Greg said, they’re cheering, they’re laughing, they’re crying, and I think that speaks to the power of all the performances, to Greg as a filmmaker and storyteller and I can’t wait for it to be taken to the next stage. Love, Simon is in theatres now.
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RAGE monthly | APRIL 2018
RAGE monthly | APRIL 2018
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