MICHAEL CIMINO
The star of Love, Simon spin-off series Love, Victor opens up about bringing the beloved LGBTQ+ movie to the small screen.
When crowd-pleasing romcom Love, Simon hit cinema screens at the start of 2018, it was a massive moment not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but the entertainment industry as a whole. It was the first movie from a major Hollywood studio to focus on a gay teen romance, but perhaps more importantly, it showed young gay love to be just as desirable and attainable as everyone else’s love, an important message for queer teens who often feel that a ‘normal’ life isn’t written in the stars for them. Of course there was a coming out moment - and what a beautiful scene that was - but the overarching story was about Simon finding love, something (almost) every teenager wants to experience at high school. It was groundbreaking.
So when the prospect of starring in a spin-off TV series came up, rising star Michael Cimino jumped at the chance to be a part of the franchise. He was a fan of the movie long before signing on for the new series, and had put it into the universe that he wanted to appear in something just as powerful. “I was with a few of my best friends the first time I watched it, and I remember walking out of the movie theatre and saying to them, ‘Man, I cannot wait to be a part of a project like this one’. I swear, I actually said that, and then a year and a half later I got this,” he recalls. “It’s just a crazy amount of serendipity.”
Love, Victor takes viewers back to Creekwood High School in the aftermath of Simon’s grand coming out story, which ended when he found his mystery love interest, Blue, and went off to college with him. Victor, who’s just moved to Creekwood, hopes the path already paved will make things easier, but his journey of self-discovery is a little more complicated than his former’s. Older family members express disapproval of same-sex relationships, and he’s exploring complicated feelings for both male and female classmates. There’s even a scene where Victor, desperate to figure out what his identity is, looks up terms like ‘pansexual’ and ‘The Kinsey Scale’ on his laptop, coming to the conclusion that things aren’t always so black and white. In some ways, it’s a reflection of a new generation who see sexuality as fluid and don’t need labels to define themselves.
Michael is aware of the high expectations fans have for the series, and how much this will mean to many in the LGBTQ+ community. “I definitely do feel a responsibility to honour the strule that the series represents, and I think that’s what all of us in the show have spent a lot of time doing, is really trying to honour the strule that all teenagers go through,” he explains, “because that strule is universal, it doesn’t matter if you’re straight or gay, Latino or Black or white, it’s a universal strule he represents that everyone goes through. That’s what really drew me to the role of Victor.”
Discovering who you are and finding your place in the world is indeed a strule that most people face growing up, but that strule is amplified when you’re gay, bisexual, questioning or any other identity under the LGBTQ+ initialism. Michael tells us his cousin is gay, and their relationship has encouraged him to get involved with charities like GLAAD and use his voice to show support for equal rights. “I want my cousin to be able to adopt a kid, and not have prejudice against him,” says Michael. “I want him to have a job and not be at risk of getting fired because he’s gay. Everyone should have that birthright to be free, and everyone should be able to do what they wanna do. I think that is a message that is universal and it really speaks to me.”
Michael’s cousin has done more than just educate him about LGBTQ+ issues - the character of Victor ended up being inspired by him. “I asked him about his story, and how it affected him, and we kind of went on a deep dive into what affected him in what ways, and so in the end we kind of based Victor on my cousin because I wanted to represent his strule,” Michael explains when we ask what research he did to prepare for the part. “I think my cousin is quite possibly my favourite person in the whole entire world, he’s my best friend and way more than a cousin, he’s like a brother. We do everything together. I respect him to the utmost degree and really appreciate him as a person.”
For showrunner Brian Tanen, whose previous credits include Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, the Love, Simon universe is a perfect fit for the TV format. After all, coming out is a process far more complicated than a one-off movie can fully convey. “You get to live with the characters for longer than just two hours, you get to see them blossom and develop over time,” he says. “The journey of coming out and realising this thing about yourself when you’re that age, it is a bit of a long process. We really get to spend time with the character, and watch them grapple and watch them grow and finally embrace who they are. I also really loved the idea of working on a show where the protagonist was an LGBTQ+ teenager. I feel like, had this existed when I was in high school, I would have really appreciated it.”
As a gay man himself, Brian was also able to inject some of his own experiences into the show, specifically the impact that living in a heteronormative world can have on a queer teen. “When you’re a young LGBTQ+ person, you’ve been getting these messages your whole life that being straight is normal, and these things seep in and you kind of can’t help but feel that what you are is wrong, and you wish that your journey could be easier, you wish you didn’t have to deal with this, you don’t want to be different,” he explains. “For much of my life I felt that exact same way, especially when I was young, I didn’t want that to be my journey - but I would venture to say that pretty much all the wonderful things in my life are not in spite of, but because of the fact that I’m gay. It has given me the ability to have love and a family and a future. It’s not only something you don’t have to be ashamed of, it’s actually something that will bring you pride and joy.”
The fact that Love, Victor is arriving at a time when many queer young people are seperated from their chosen families while isolating at home - which for many is a place they are forced to remain in the closet - isn’t lost on the show’s creators. “I can almost envision teenagers who are a little bit afraid of this topic because they don’t have a safe space in which to discuss it, I can see them watching this on their phones in private,” beams Brian, “and if they can’t have that conversation with a loved one or the people around them, they can hopefully have this show to see themselves represented on screen, and know that their strules and their journeys are common, and that there’s a world of hope out there for them.”
Michael agrees, but hopes that the show can also speak to parents who aren’t accepting of those in the LGBTQ+ community. “I really hope that this show can not only provide kids with a story that they can relate to, but also provide parents with a perspective that they can understand,” he says. “If they aren’t accepting, then maybe they can look at this and think, ‘This is what my child is going through, and I haven’t been able to offer any understanding in that way, and this is my chance to learn about it’. That’s what would be the most amazing thing about this show coming out during a time like this.”
There was some confusion when Love, Victor moved from Disney Plus to the more grown-up streaming service Hulu, with some insiders reporting there were fears the show had too many ‘adult themes’ for Disney. As showrunner, Brian believes the decision has allowed the series to blossom. “I’m thrilled that
the show is on Hulu,” he assures us. “I think it allows us to tell stories, especially in future seasons of the show, where we can really explore this character’s sexuality. Because it is about figuring out who and what you’re attracted to, and that is a topic that’s going to be easier to delve into on Hulu than it might have been on Disney Plus.” Brian dismisses claims that Disney doesn’t support the LGBTQ+ community. “I only have nice things to say about Disney Plus, everyone there was a champion for the material,” he assures. “But I’m also thrilled that we’re gonna be on Hulu and be able to tell mature and authentic stories about teenagers and their lives.”
Viewers who grew up watching Ugly Betty, a show Brian previously worked on which pushed for diversity and queer inclusion long before other shows did, will be thrilled to see actress Ana Ortiz (who played Betty’s sister Hilda) once again star as the supportive mother of a queer child, introducing her to a whole new generation. “Ana is literally one of the coolest people I know,” says Michael. “I called her yesterday because we saw the pilot. Me and her got really close throughout the production, and I’m sure you guys will see that on screen. Behind the scenes, I was always huing her and it was such a loving friendship on that project for sure.”
Michael also leaned on Nick Robinson, who played Simon in the original movie, for support. In the new series, Simon’s voice acts almost as a narrator for Victor’s story, as the two share their experiences over Instagram messages, with the former offering advice on family, friends and sexuality. “Getting the chance to talk to Nick when I did, it was like the most surreal moment of the whole entire project, just being able to sit and talk to Nick and get his blessing in a way was amazing. It meant a lot to me that he did that,” Michael says. “I met a few cast members from the original movie and they were such good people, they really made me feel good to be a part of it.”
Having stepped into the character of Victor and talked to people in the community, Michael has a message for LGBTQ+ young people struling to come out. “My biest piece of advice, just based on what I know and I’ve seen, is that it’s always hard in the beginning,” he says. “You’ll have a tough couple of weeks, or months, or years - who knows - but at the end you’ll be so much happier because you’re allowed to be the person that you are, and you will find your chosen family. You will. And I’m sure that your biological family will come around eventually, because ultimately the love for a child should transcend anything.”
As for a second season, things are looking positive, with a writers’ room convened before the first episode had even premiered. “We’re working on the first episodes of season two,” confirms Brian. “Obviously with coronavirus and everything going on right now, we’re a little bit up in the air as to when this might go back into production, but we’re hard at work coming up with new stories for the show and we are very optimistic for the future.” Michael’s got his own ideas of what he’d like to see explored when the show returns. “I’d really like to see the dichotomy between the family and the strules that the parents have,” he teases, hesitant to give too much away. “I’m excited for the process of the second season, and we’re all excited to expand our characters and that universe more, for sure.”