Producer Gary Janetti (WILL &
GRACE, FAMILY GUY) talks about his fabulous new PBS sitcom VICIOUS with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of
OUTTAKE VOICES™. Legendary
openly gay actors Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Ian McKellen play Stuart and
Freddie, partners who have lived together in their central London flat
for nearly 50 years. Under the facade of hilarious snide remarks aimed
at the other’s age, appearance and flaws, a deep love for one another is
revealed. This groundbreaking sitcom addresses an older gay couple and
their longtime circle of friends struggling to maintain their visibility
and significance in our youth oriented world. The ensemble cast also
includes their feisty best friend Violet played by Frances de la Tour
and Ash played by Iwan Rheon, their young impressionable upstairs
neighbor. We talked to Gary about taking on relevant aging issues in
this comedic format and his spin on LGBT equality.
When asked what he would like to accomplish with this show Janetti
stated, “What I want to accomplish is not only that this is a gay
couple, the fact that they were gay was always besides the point, it’s
also a couple of a certain age. We don’t see couples in their seventies
together not as an archon to the young couple on the show, but as the
main focus of the show and their world is also populated by people
around the same age as them and they are the people we follow. We’re
inside their world and it’s unusual and I don’t think it should be
unusual. There was something about that I felt really good about
accomplishing, also that they were a gay couple of a certain age and
within the gay community. These are men in their seventies and they have
been clearly out, certainly to each other and their closest group of
friends for fifty years. What does that mean fifty years ago, how
difficult was it to be out fifty years ago, to live with another man at
that time in the 1960’s and I think these people and those stories we
don’t often hear a lot of, they’re heroic. To give center stage to a
couple like that might sometimes seem anonymous. These couples that you
see at times on the subway or walking down the street or in a little
restaurant and you wonder what their life was like. This is an
opportunity to kind of go inside and for better or for worse you see
what this relationship is.”
Gary Janetti co-created, wrote and executive produced the ITV series
VICIOUS which
was shot before a live audience in the UK and has already been renewed
for a second season. VICIOUS can be seen on PBS Sundays at 10:30P. On a
personal note Gary and partner celebrity fashion stylist Brad Goreski
have been together for 13 years.
For More Info: pbs.org/vicious
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