‘Single All the Way’ Star Michael Urie Gushes Over the Gay Holiday Film’s Lack of Homophobia and Trauma
Single All the Way is aiming to get you into the holiday spirit but also to open your heart. November typically begins the holiday movie viewing, although it really kicks into gear in December. Netflix is introducing Single All the Way, which gives LGBTQ representation to holiday movie viewing. Actor Michael Urie recently gushed about Single All the Way‘s ability to tackle its story without homophobia or gay trauma.
What is Netflix’s ‘Single All the Way’ about?
Peter (Urie) is a perpetually single gay man. His family is becoming increasingly concerned about his lack of a romantic partner. He convinces his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to visit his home with him for the holidays. But, the catch is that Peter wants him to pretend to be his boyfriend.
However, Peter’s mother, Carole (Kathy Najimy) has plans for Peter. She sets her son up on a blind date with her hunky trainer, James (Luke Macfarlane), which sends the holiday trip into a series of twists and turns.
Michael Urie talks about how ‘Single All the Way’ avoids homophobia and gay trauma
The Queer Review talked with Urie and Chambers about Single All the Way and the importance of inclusive media representation. This is Netflix’s first LGBTQ holiday romantic comedy and that holds a lot of significance with Urie.
“I found it incredibly refreshing that Chad [Hodge] was able to write a Christmas movie about a single gay guy going home for the holidays and he didn’t need to put in any homophobia, it didn’t need to be about coming out, and there’s no shame anywhere in this movie,” Urie said. “It is not a traumatic experience. My character’s problem is that he’s single, it’s not that he’s gay, and his family’s problem is that he’s single, they have no problem with being gay.”
Urie continued: “I think it was much easier for Chad to find comedy because of that approach. You take out that elephant in the room and things can be funnier. I always feel like it’s so easy when you think about a gay story to lean on what makes us different from straight people, but Chad was so smart to not include any of that and I think Netflix encouraged that, to make this a movie about how they’re still family and the difference is he’s single.”
Michael Urie discusses the importance of gay representation in media
Single All the Way could have easily tackled a gay man going home for the holidays and having to come out to his unaccepting family. This is the subject of countless other movies. However, Single All the Way doesn’t fall victim to that. Urie explained how important it is for movies to genuinely portray LGBTQ folks. He related it to his own experiences.
“I remember watching the movie of Love! Valour! Compassion!, based on the Terrence McNally play, which came out in the 90s when I was in high school,” Urie said. “That’s an epic movie about gay men at a country house for a weekend and they fight and they love and it’s really sexy, and it’s really intense. It’s set during the height of AIDS, so there’s this dark cloud over the movie.”
Urie continued: “I remember thinking, I see myself in these characters. It titillated me, it excited me, but it also scared me. In a lot of ways there’s been an idea that gay characters could only exist on screen or on stage with some kind of cloud. I saw Single All The Way and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m that guy’, and I was literally that guy!”
