Meet the ‘Overcompensating’ actors honored in the Out100

Even during a year like 2025 — which had a lot of great gay TV! — Benito Skinner’s Overcompensating series about a closeted jock beginning college definitely made the grade.

The dramedy series, inspired by Skinner’s own experiences, received critical acclaim and was renewed on Prime Video for a second season. This week, Out celebrates this fantastic cast of queer talent as Out100 honorees.

Benito Skinner

While creating Overcompensating “opened up a lot of old wounds … I think I knew that at least one queer person could watch and maybe feel like they were seen for the first time on-screen,” Benito Skinner shares. Additionally, “I trust myself so much more now and maybe even forgive myself for some of the things I did while I was in the closet.”

Read the full Out100 profile: Benito Skinner.

Mary Beth Barone

Overcompensating star Mary Beth Barone describes her work “the same way the Prime Video app describes the movie Chicago: comedy, drama, playful, stunning.”

Read the full Out100 profile: Mary Beth Barone.

Wally Baram

“I think I tackled a pretty deep fear of visibility — with an amount of authenticity I feel pretty satisfied with,” Wally Baram says. “I think everyone experiences this when they gain a platform.”

The actress adds, “I wasn't sure how I would handle it, but I grew more comfortable, maintained a strong sense of selfhood, and stayed rooted in what was important to me.”

Read the full Out100 profile: Wally Baram.

Owen Thiele

Owen Thiele describes his work as feeling “like sex on the beach — glamorous most of the time, but sometimes you chafe.” He’s overjoyed to have made “lifelong friends” along the way.

“Let's all make a pact to stay queer,” Thiele says of his message to the world.

Read the full Out100 profile: Owen Thiele.

Holmes

At present, Holmes is “really navigating how to fight evil while still finding joy and having hope.” The queer creative advises “sitting by trees, maybe smoking some weed, having a gig [giggle].”

Additionally, she is “thinking about falling in love soon. Could be fun.”

Read the full Out100 profile: Holmes.

Lukas Gage

Lukas Gage’s message to the world is that “sometimes a little delusion is healthy. Don’t shrink to fit the world, make the world expand for you.” On that note, the actor looks forward to “a 10-day silent retreat and sound bath in the Himalayas.”

Read the full Out100 profile: Lukas Gage.