MICHAEL CIMINO & GEORGE SEAR
Swoon over the stars of Love, Victor as they reflect on the success of the teen series and the impact it’s had on LGBTQ+ fans
For many of us, a highschool romance with our homo-leaning crush was damn near impossible, while watching it depicted on TV was unheard of. Thankfully, today’s youth have the groundbreaking — and really rather good — drama Love, Victor to relate to. Even older viewers may find themselves enthralled (and maybe even misty-eyed) by this coming-of-age series. As the show returns for its second season, its thoroughly lovely and somewhat easy-on-theeye stars Michael Cimino and George Sear speak exclusively to Attitude
In 2018, a film called Love, Simon that followed the journey of a closeted high-school teenager dealing with his family, friends and a big gay secret mesmerised crowds across the globe, scooping up numerous awards and critical acclaim to boot. The warm, life-affirming tale so wowed Hollywood that stars such as Kirsten Bell, Matt Bomer, Joey Graceffa and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, among others, bought out cinemas across the US and held free screenings, because they thought the film had such an important message that it should be seen by the widest audience possible. It was a lovely gesture, but the celebs needn’t have worried as the film more than tripled its budget at the US box office alone.
Buoyed by Love, Simon’s somewhat unexpected mainstream success, a TV sequel was ordered by Disney+, no less. The creation of gay executive producers and writers, Love, Victor premiered last year, to equal critical acclaim and an even wider audience. Set in the same world as its movie predecessor, the TV series follows Victor, who in the film writes to Simon about his similar issues with coming out and falling for stunning, guitarplaying hipster Benji, who just happens to be popular as well as out and proud.
The TV show faithfully recaptures the movie’s spirit, thanks in huge part to 21-year-old actor Michael Cimino, who brings warmth, depth and heart to the titular Victor and his rollercoaster coming-out story. “It’s been amazing, I’ve had so many messages from LGBT youth about what the show meant to them. It’s been an overwhelmingly positive response, because it’s all about celebrating yourself and who you are,” says Michael, who is as sweet and warm as the character he plays.
Although Michael identifies as straight, he conveys Victor’s journey of self-discovery with the sensitivity the role demands. “It’s an honour to play Victor, and a big responsibility. I went in with the pure intent to represent that correctly.
I held myself to a really high standard to make sure everyone going through this story felt represented by the show.”
He understands not just the pressure of accurately reflecting what a number of gay teenagers go through, but also the hate that can come with it, both from certain sections of the public and closer to home.
“I got some homophobic comments — I kind of expected that to happen. I didn’t expect it from my own family members, though. Some of them reached out, saying, ‘You used to be so cool; now you’re so gay,’” he says, shaking his head. “I chalk it up to ignorance. People have that programming and they often don’t have to evolve and try to push past that. There’s nothing wrong with being gay. That ignorance is often something that’s been passed on from generations prior. I always approach that [by saying], ‘These are normal people that are struggling and they shouldn’t have to struggle.’”
Such negativity is counterbalanced by positivity as Michael reveals that the show has brought a number of other friends and family around from the dark side. “I have changed opinions,” he smiles. “I had some friends who are religious and they’ve changed their perspective on things. They now get that gay people don’t all want to have sex with them or hook up with them, and being able to have that open dialogue helps — sometimes without even having to talk to them; just through [doing] the show.”
One family member who did have good feedback and a beneficial impact on Love, Victor as a whole was Michael’s gay cousin. “My cousin Jon Jon, I’ve always looked up to him. He’s one of the most amazing people I know,” he says. “I talked to him before we started the show, as he experienced what Victor goes through first-hand. Now he’s been telling me about the reaction from his friends and community, which has been so great.”
“I held myself to a really high standard to make sure everyone going through this story felt represented by the show” Michael
“I’ve had some criticism from the LGBT community for being in the role. I’ve had death threats, which is horrible” Michael
You get the sense that Michael is so good in the role because, offscreen, he’s kind, genuine and empathetic. He’s not only able to deliver a mature yet vulnerable lead performance at such a young age, but he’s also a fully fledged, cardcarrying LGBT ally in a still bizarrely homophobic Hollywood. “I’ve been advised that you shouldn’t play gay roles, especially [for] your first big role. ‘Everyone will think you’re gay’ or ‘You won’t be able to book anything,’ ‘You’ll never be able to build a fan base.’ I’m not a traditional ‘masculine’ man, so that would be people trying to force me into something I’m not. Here I am playing a gay role that might not be considered masculine in an outdated idea of what masculinity is.”
Conversely, 23-year-old Brit George Sear, who plays Benji — with a flawless American accent by the way — has had a slightly different experience with his career and the show.
“Overwhelmingly, it’s been really positive,” says George, who identifies as straight. “I love playing this character and I’ve tried to do my best to honour the responsibility of it,” he confesses, before adding, “But honestly, it wasn’t really a thought in my circle not to even play these characters.”
Does this possibly underscore the cultural differences between the UK and the US? Although the UK undoubtedly has its issues and divisions (Hello, Brexit and the anti-trans brigade), could our approach to issues such as race, gender and sexuality be just that little bit more relaxed than the US?
“The UK still has a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot of polarization here in the US,” says George.
“The UK seems a bit more chill. Even in LA, it’s very diverse, but everyone seems to stick to their own corners — the UK seems like more of a melting pot.”
Michael also acknowledges these divisions, and the fact that some in the LGBT community get a little miffed when gay roles go to straight actors, while gay actors still often have to remain in the closet. “I’ve definitely had some criticism from the LGBT community for being in the role… I’ve had death threats, which is horrible. But the show is important to me. The messages of hate— I came into it knowing that would happen, regardless of how good I was,” Michael says.
“But there are some straight actors who play gay characters, who are all about supporting
LGBT rights while they’re promoting their project, but once they’re done, a year later, it’s kind of forgotten. That’s not how [to] be an ally, that’s not how you support LGBT rights. If you’re not an actual ally, then what are you doing?”
Cutting back to the show itself, when it comes to the relationship between Victor and Benji, Michael and George share an unbeatable chemistry, and their slowburn relationship over season one’s ten episodes will definitely strike a chord/tug a heartstring/ hit the gay panic button for anyone who’s been a gay or closeted gay kid in school. So, pretty much all of us, then…
“It’s one of those things, if you have chemistry, you have chemistry,” says George, who, let’s be real, is drop-dead gorgeous, and has a sweet, cheeky chappie glint behind the eyes that couldn’t be more different from his character Benji’s somewhat brooding intensity. “From the first read, there was
“I love playing this character and I’ve tried to do my best to honour the responsibility of it” George
this energy in the room,” he grins, referring to the connection between him and Michael. “There was just this vibe between us. In one of the first readthroughs, one of the show runners took a picture of us while we were just chatting and he said, ‘Ah, that’s our promo picture.’”
“I did not know that,” Michael chimes in with a smile.
For those who are waiting for season two or want to check out the first season before the second one drops, let’s just put a spoiler alert in for the remainder of this piece.
At the end of season one, the build-up of Victor and Benji’s relationship, culminating in a longawaited first kiss, softens even the most hardened of hearts. It’s the love story we all wanted in high school — but reality bites in season two.
“We pick up with Victor and Benji after being in their summer bubble, and everyone can relate to that first love,” says George. “But when they go back to high school, things get real. Benji and Victor are in very different places in their comingout journey and it shows how they both struggle with that when it comes to dealing with the rest of the kids in school and the realities of that.”
Season two also goes into more adult themes, possibly due to a move from Disney+ to Hulu in the US, which allows for more mature content and, y’know, more man-on-man kissing, but in the UK the show will still run on Star on Disney+.
With this in mind, the second season sees Victor’s first sexual experience. So how did Michael and George feel about the kissing/sex scenes? “Honestly, I really loved doing all of the sex scenes with George,” says Michael. “It felt important and freeing, and something that young people will watch and remember for the rest of their lives. We all have those moments of sexual awakening, and I feel a lot of people will watch those and have that moment.”
“We opted out of having an intimacy coach,” adds George. “We wanted it to feel new and fresh and not rehearsed. We wanted to capture that awkward intensity. We just went with it, we didn’t know what to expect, but one take in and we’re, like, OK, this is cool.”
That definitely comes through on screen, and you can’t tell that they were filming during a pandemic, which could have added a feeling of distance. In fact, it brought the actors closer together. “The pandemic restrictions made us bond a lot more,” says George. “There were face masks, anti-bac, mouthwash between each kissing take. We were all in a bubble together.”
The show also stars fellow LGBT ally and absolute goddess Ana Oritz, who played the supportive mother of a gay son in Ugly Betty. Here, she plays Victor’s mother, who comes from a Christian, more conservative background and has issues with Victor’s sexuality. “There’s that internalised homophobia from Victor’s mum — that’s definitely something that happens in the Latin community,” says Michael. “A lot of people love their religion and they love their kids, too, and it’s so interesting to watch Ana play it as she’s so supportive of the LGBT community. We’ve spoken [about] how she’d be totally cool if one of her kids came out.”
Although Love, Victor is aimed at teens, the drama has a range of realistic, fully fleshed-out characters that means it will resonate with people of all ages. It’s certainly one to share with heterosexual friends, especially if they’re raising gay kids.
Reflecting on the show’s impact, George adds, “For me as an actor, I want more LGBT stories, not just of people coming out, but on the dynamic of gay relationships. But it’s been really moving that the show has made such a difference [to] young LGBT lives. Fundamentally, the show is real and honest. And being good and living your truth is everything.”
Stream Love, Victor S2 on Star on Disney+ from Friday 18 June
“We opted out of having an intimacy coach. We wanted it to feel new and fresh. We wanted to capture that awkward intensity” George