From show creator Stephen Dunn, the Peacock reimagining of Queer as Folk, inspired by the groundbreaking British series from Russell T. Davies, follows a group of queer and trans friends in New Orleans as they figure out all the messy parts of life and love. When they find themselves reeling after a tragedy, new relationships and resurfaced insecurities lead to even more drama that they’ll have to deal with, in order to move forward.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Devin Way (who plays Brodie, the too charming for his own good best friend of Ruthie) and Johnny Sibilly (who plays Noah, a lawyer whose career is far more successful than his love life) talked about their reaction to learning about this reimagining of Queer as Folk, getting cast in their roles, bonding as an ensemble cast, how Brodie and Noah see their relationship with each other, how proud Way is about episode six, and what it was like to work with Kim Cattrall.
Collider: First of all, Johnny, great work on Hacks. That seemed like a really fun role. What did you enjoy about playing that character?
JOHNNY SIBILLY: That was definitely an exciting comedic show. It’s always nice to see queer joy in that way, and also to act opposite really funny, interesting people is super fun. And then, getting to do Queer as Folk, the juxtaposition is so big. It really feels like, as an artist, it’s just a joy to be able to do to even do both.
When the possibility of being a part of Queer as Folk came your way, what was your initial reaction to that? Did you immediately wonder why they were doing it a third time or were you excited to see what it was all about?
DEVIN WAY: I full-on gay gasped. It was just pure excitement. I don’t think there can be enough queer content. I don’t think we have reached a threshold point. I don’t think we’ve even come close. And so, to read something as special as what this is, and that I know has this gorgeous legacy, I didn’t just need to be a part of it, I had to be a part of it.
SIBILLY: Well, here you are. Similarly, I don’t think I was ever in a position where I was like, “Why are they making this again?” I was like, “Oh, my God, thank God they’re making this again,” because that means that we get new stories. We had Pose. Every now and then, there’s a queer show that comes out that we all watch because it’s the only one, so to know that Queer as Folk was getting reimagined, not only as an actor that was old enough to finally play something on Queer as Folk, but just because it was exciting to know that there would be more stories being told. I’ve seen a lot of people say, “Why wouldn’t you call it something else and make it a new show?” There are plenty of queer creators trying to get shows made, and Queer as Folk has a really long legacy of built-in not only fandom but appreciation. That makes it so much easier to tell these stories through that moniker. I feel like our show will only open up the floodgate for other queer people to tell their stories as well.
Is the character that you play, the character that you were always considered for? Did you read for a different character or more than one character?
WAY: Right out of the gate, I was a Brodie. I think Brodie’s description said, “Short king,” and I had to Google what that was. I was like, “I’m not a short king.” And they were like, “We’re open to seeing tall gentleman.” The second they let this horse outta the gate, I was gone.
SIBILLY: Which is why they cast me because I am a short king. It’s funny, you do read the breakdowns, and as an actor, I know that a lot of times those things change, depending on who gets cast. I remember reading about Noah, and I was like, “Oh, gosh, I want to play this so bad.” Just knowing he was a lawyer, for me, that’s always been a dream, to play someone that has a really amazing career. And then, when we did our chemistry read together, I remember seeing Devin and I was like, “Oh, yeah, that’s him. That’s the guy.” It almost made me more confident in my read because I was like, “That’s him, so if that’s him, maybe this is me.” I know he read with other Noahs, but it was me.
WAY: You’re the only one that matters.
In many ways, this ensemble is like one big interconnected family. Especially when it comes to Brodie, he’s the one in the middle of everything. Did you guys meet at different times? Did you have one big group meeting?
WAY: We all met at different times. My time meeting Johnny was super special. It happened years ago, for the very first time, in front of Shake Shack. I was walking down the street. I was a big fan of his Instagram. I was on the phone, he walked by me, and I looked at him and was like, “I love you. I’m on your Instagram.” He was like, “Thank you. What’s your name?” I was like, “Devin. Bye.” So, fast-forward to right before we both found out we booked it, we went on a little like date to Dave & Busters and we made a Spotify playlist. It was really special, getting to fall in love with not just the character, but the actor as well.
SIBILLY: It’s so funny because we all have our different relationships with everyone else in the cast. It’s almost like when your best friend hangs out with someone else and you’re like, “Why are they hanging out? Why aren’t we hanging out?” We all go on our individual dates and we get to know each other, in that way. And then, we all come together and we have our game nights, where you can just imagine it’s like 18 cats in a room. It’s crazy, but it’s such a joy.
Devin, how would Brodie describe his relationship with Noah. And Johnny, in comparison, how would Noah describe his relationship with Brodie?
WAY: I think Brodie would describe his relationship with Noah as one that Noah really missed out on. He just really dropped the ball. I think Brodie might recognize that he had some weak points in there, and I think there’s a lot of regret on Brodie’s side, but I don’t think it’s anything that Brodie doesn’t believe he can’t make up for and win Noah back.
SIBILLY: I think Noah sees their relationship as a place of a lot of hurt and turmoil, but with deep, deep love and appreciation for what Brodie means to him. It’s very complicated for him because he doesn’t want to revisit that, but you can tell that he really loves him and that’s who he wants to be with. But there’s another part of him that’s like, “It’s not good for me, it hurt me so bad,” which is relatable.
Devin, episode six was extremely effective, in digging into the history between Ruthie and Brodie. What was that episode like to do? How challenging was that to take that on and how do you feel about how it all played out?
WAY: It was definitely one that was really, really powerful, not just watching Jesse’s transformation, but something I didn’t take into consideration was my own transformation, going back to a time when I was very much in the closet. Brodie’s high school look is exactly what I looked like in high school. While getting to work alongside Jesse, in all of the many emotions she experienced, it was interesting to discover that they were also mirrored within myself. I think that is something that is unique to the queer experience. Queer people have two birthdays, there’s the day that you were born and the day you come out as you. So, to go back to a time when it was an old self and a dead self, it was really unexpectedly emotional and powerful. I’m so, so, so grateful the story was told, and I’m really proud of how it turned out.
What is it like to have Kim Cattrall playing your mother? How do you get better than that?
WAY: Oh, my God, you don’t. It’s like what it’s like to drink water on a hot day. It’s like what it’s like to come up for air. It’s refreshing. It’s play. It’s magic. It feels like make-believe. It’s like working next to Johnny.
SIBILLY: Oh, stop. It’s not the same.
WAY: But it also is. Kim is an icon, but I think everybody in the cast, with no disrespect to Kim, are all superstars. To get to show up and work next to them and learn from them was the greatest gift I could have been given.
SIBILLY: I remember there was one moment where Kim comes in, and I don’t know if I had to be naked or if there was some kind of modesty thing, and she was like, “Oh, thank God, it’s not me for once. I would’ve never imagined, in a million years, that Kim and I would share this understanding of what that feels like to be so exposed. And also, from someone like Kim, who’s so iconic, it just felt like, “Yeah, I’m in the right place.”
Queer as Folk is available to stream at Peacock.