Big Mistakes, a new Netflix comedy starring Dan Levy and Taylor Ortega as siblings who are unwillingly roped into the world of organized crime, had an unlikely inspiration. Levy had seen a social media post about a man who became trapped in a hole he dug and died as a result. The story struck a chord deep inside him.
“I have an unfounded phobia of being trapped,” Levy shares in his cover story with Ortega on page 34. “Being blackmailed by a criminal organization where you are then tethered to them, I guess forever, is terrifying to me,” he adds.
Levy’s excellent new TV show — he is the co-creator, showrunner, and a lead — will resonate with many LGBTQ+ viewers. Of course, there’s his character, Nicky, a gay pastor who is hiding a relationship from his family and flock. And that “phobia of being trapped” is one that queer people know all too well. Most of us are born in a trap, the closet, which often necessitates making choices in the name of survival over authenticity and desire. Some of us never manage to escape it.
But Levy, a master of crafting family dynamics from his experience with Schitt’s Creek, also shows viewers the power of familial love to break through bondage. Nicky’s mother, Linda, played by the incredible Laurie Metcalf, has many criticisms to offer her son — but his sexuality is not one of them. “If you can show people accepting their kids, it will reverberate,” Levy attests.
Out's Art & Design issue, March-April 2026
This issue is themed Art & Design. In addition to Big Mistakes, these pages feature many creatives who use their gifts to engender greater acceptance. Corey Damen Jenkins is an acclaimed interior designer who transforms homes into places of beauty and practicality — and he’s using his platform to help younger queer people of color find their paths as well (page 15). Fire Island has long been a haven for the LGBTQ+ community — and its indelible impact on the art world in the creation of queer works is chronicled in a must-read new art history book (page 20). In addition to the Pines, there’s an artistic renaissance happening in Baltimore, which is hosting the buzzed-about Amy Sherald exhibition; preview the highlights on page 54.
In the theater world, Cats is coming back to Broadway with a fabulous ballroom bent in the form of Cats: The Jellicle Ball (page 12). In TV, gay icon Valerie Cherish makes her long-awaited comeback in The Comeback season 3 — and executive producer Dan Bucatinsky talks about the show’s return and his long friendship with Lisa Kudrow (page 10). In Travel, Pattie Gonia unpacks how she raised $1.2 million through a California hike — in drag (page 50)! And contributor Tracy E. Gilchrist lives out her Bridgerton fantasy in London (page 52). Find the hot runway fashions in our trend report (page 8) and grooming products in our guide to spring scrubs (page 44). And read how the new Ryan Murphy show, The Beauty, is resonating with men amid a culture of beauty-obsessed algorithms (page 60).
Speaking of beauty, I’ll leave you with one favorite quotation from Moira Rose in honor of the late, great Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara, whom Levy also pays tribute to in our interview. “Take a thousand naked pictures of yourself now,” she advises the younger Stevie (Emily Hampshire) in the beloved comedy. “You may currently think, Oh, I’m too spooky, but believe me, one day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes and say, ‘Dear God, I was a beautiful thing!’”
Thank you for reading, beauties. Until next time.
Sincerely,
Daniel Reynolds
Editor in Chief, Out magazine
@dnlreynolds
This article is part of OUT’s Mar-Apr 2026 print issue, now on newsstands. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.
