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Dan Levy in Out Magazine
Television

Dan Levy Has the Power Now and He's Ready to Use It

The 2019 Out100 honoree is having the best year ever, and he's not about to slow down.

Daniel Levy came into 2020 on a high. He was riding the success of his show Schitt's Creek, which had in the past few years become an international hit, and was cruising into a much-anticipated finale season. And there were all the intentions to go out with a bang! The show's network had purchased a large billboard in Los Angeles and plastered it with a photo of David Rose and his fiance Patrick Brewer kissing that instantly became a tourist attraction. The series even announced a documentary special based on the season and slotted a tour that would begin during the Netflix Is a Joke Festival. And then the pandemic happened, putting a halt to some of the biggest plans (namely the tour.) But there's nothing that can stop Levy.

The multi-hyphenate and former MTV Canada VJ still completed the press tour for the final season of his show virtually, and then went on to have a history-making night at the Emmy Awards. Not only is Schitt's Creek now the first show to ever sweep all of the seven major comedy categories, but Levy is now the first person to win a Primetime Emmy in all four major disciplines in a year (writing, directing, acting, and producing). In addition though, the 2019 Out100 honoree (he was also honored back in 2015) has had other projects in the works.

This month, Happiest Season will debut on Hulu and in it he stars as John, the best friend of Kristen Stewart's Abby, who leads the romantic comedy. The project is historic in that it is the first holiday-themed queer romantic comedy ever made by a major studio, and though fans won't be able to see it in all of its big-screen glory, they will be able to enjoy the Levy they've come to know and love as both insightful and damn-funny. But it's not the only role he's played this year: there was also Mark Hesterman in HBO's Coastal Elites. In what Levy called his "greatest challenge" given that he had to memorize a monologue of about five pages and execute it in one take, he plays a gay actor discussing the internal struggle of taking reductive, sometimes-trite roles because of the opportunity, knowing that they may do actual queer and trans folks a disservice.

"I think I've tried as best I can to try and take whatever opportunities I can to tell stories that mean something to me and feel representative of my life," he tells Out when asked about encountering those types of roles in his career. We spoke in the press run for Coastal Elites earlier this year. "So often, the gay characters that I have been asked to play were the quirky gay best friend or the guy that always had a one-liner and never really had much depth. To be able to have the opportunity on [Schitt's Creek] to tell stories that I feel really go beyond the world of caricature and start to explore, in a more profound way, the lives and the happiness and the hopes and the aspirations of queer people, you know, that was an opportunity that I had to run with. Then when [Coastal Elites] came around, it did feel very much in that same vein of, 'we're pushing the boundaries of showing what gay characters should be in entertainment'. There is so much more to them than I think you know mainstream movies and television have often perpetuated."

But those decisions are made based on power. Earlier in his career, Levy didn't have that power and as a result, he says he had no ability to address the handful of roles that he felt objectionable. But now, he's in a different place. On Schitt's, as co-creator and head writer, he called the shots. As a result of that work, when he went into Coastal Elites he was in a position to have a series of conversations around his role. And Happiest Season was itself a creation of Clea DuVall, who is lesbian.

But moving into 2021, Levy will continue to operate from a seat of control around these sorts of issues -- though networks will have the final say. In 2019, he signed an overall deal with ABC Studios off the back of what was said to be an intense bidding war.

"I've been very spoiled with how encouraging and loving these past six years have been," Levy told Variety of the deal which is rumored to be eight-figures. "For me, it was all about having the freedom to continue to assemble those kinds of casts and crews, where I can feel a tremendous amount of satisfaction creatively and emotionally when I come to work. ABC felt like they were on board to support that. I really enjoyed the team, and I felt like they were people that I could trust in terms of offering feedback or helping to shape or mold what I would do next. The deal was good, and we said 'yes.'"

And while there have been no confirmed details on the projects, The Hollywood Reporterhas described it as an "expansive slate" with at least one written by Levy himself. But more importantly, all have Levy in the driver's seat meaning that we'll no doubt be able to enjoy more characters with depth, insight, and that are frankly, damn-funny.

This story is one in a series looking back at Out100 2019 honorees as we prepare to announce the Out100 2020 list. Stay tuned for covers, names, as well as details about the first-ever Out100 Live virtual event, all coming soon.

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Mikelle Street

Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.

Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
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Aaron Epstein/Peacock
The Paper
Aaron Epstein/Peacock

Rachel Kiley

Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.

Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.

Television

Here's why 'The Office' spin-off 'The Paper' is so gay

Here's what gays have to look forward to in the new Peacock series.

Fans of The Office have eagerly been awaiting news about the upcoming spin-off, and tidbits are finally rolling out. Here’s what we know — and why queer fans should be hyped.

What 'The Paper' is about?

The PaperDomnhall Gleeson, 'The Paper'Aaron Epstein/Peacock

The Paper will follow the staff of a struggling small-town newspaper, The Truth Teller, in Toledo, Ohio, as a new publisher tries to revive its legacy and relevance in the digital age. The primary connection to Dunder Mifflin comes in the framing — the same fictional documentary crew that filmed the mockumentary will also be following this staff.

If that’s too twisty to follow, don’t worry, there’s another connection between The Office and The Paper. Oscar Nuñez will be reviving his role as Oscar Martinez, who has clearly moved on to slightly bigger and slightly brighter pastures post-Dunder Mifflin.

"I told Mr. Greg Daniels that if Oscar came back, he would probably be living in a more bustling, cosmopolitan city. Greg heard me and he moved Oscar to Toledo, Ohio — which has three times the population of Scranton," Nuñez joked during the NBC Upfront in New York City this week. "So, it was nice to be heard."

Oscar was the only gay character on The Office, so it’s nice to see him return — and we’re hoping it signals more inclusivity on the way for The Paper.

Who else is starring in 'The Paper'?

The Paper cast: Oscar Nu\u00f1ez; Sabrina Impacciatore; Gbemisola Ikumelo; Alex Edelman

'The Paper; cast: Oscar Nuñez, Sabrina Impacciatore, Gbemisola Ikumelo, and Alex Edelman

Romain Maurice/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty Images; Rick Kern/Getty Images

Also of queer interest among the new cast are Sabrina Impacciatore, who played a lesbian hotel manager in season two of The White Lotus, and has long been considered a queer icon in Italy, Gbemisola Ikumelo, who appeared in the beloved (though short-lived) Prime Video series A League of Their Own, and queer comedian Alex Edelman.

Domnhall Gleeson is taking the lead at The Paper, with the rest of the cast made up of Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Ramona Young, and Tim Key. The Office showrunner Greg Daniels developed the spin-off alongside Michael Koman.

When does 'The Paper' air? 

As for when we can actually watch this spin-off, it is currently planned for a September release on Peacock.

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
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