Picking up right where the cliffhanger from the first season left off, Hulu's beloved Love, Simon television spin-off Love, Victor is officially back for season 2 -- and it's messier, angstier, hornier, and more dramatic in all the best ways!
Since the Love, Victor creators no longer had to write and produce this second batch of episodes for the family-friendly eyes and sensibilities of a Disney+ audience, they really got to up the ante and explore sides to Victor post-coming out that they weren't able to do previously, and the show really benefitted from this more authentic (and sometimes messy) portrayal of young, modern queer life.
Out got the chance to interview the series' two leads, Michael Cimino (Victor) and George Sear (Benji), about returning to the Simonverse and talked about the show's representation of queer people of color, complex and realistic depictions of a gay teen couple, what it's like coming out to religious parents, and so much more!
"I totally enjoyed it," Cimino told Out when asked about getting to play up Victor and Benji's messy, more sexual sides this season of Love, Victor. "George is such a pleasure to work with and we actually opted out of using an intimacy coach because we just felt comfortable enough to just do it on our own, and I hope it reads. I hope it reads that it's authentic and really explorative. And I feel like that is definitely the direction that George and I are trying to head in with it. But it's still so, so, so exciting for both of us. And yeah, it was really cool. I think it's cool to depict the LGBT community in an accurate way. Especially in a way where it's like teenagers can watch this and be like, 'Oh okay. Yeah, this is normal to feel this way.'"
"It's a real part of growing up, you know?" Sear added. "It's such a huge part of growing up. When you're a teenager it almost is like the center of your thoughts and everything, you know? So yeah, we should include it in the story. That's was my thought on it. And I just wanted to be able to honor that. I was really pleased that they were like going in that direction."
Season 2 of Love, Victor also explores the hesitancy some parents, especially parents who grew up in different cultures and religions that historically aren't accepting of LGBTQ+ people, have when their children come out to them, which is something we still need to see more of in mainstream media.
"We worked really hard on making this feel as accurate as possible," Cimino said about crafting his dynamic with Ana Ortiz, who plays Victor's caring but religious, Catholic mother who is having a hard time trying to accept Victor's sexuality. "When people watch this, I want parents to understand, 'Okay, I might not have been the most understanding. I might not have been the most accepting, but it is a process and I understand that.' I want teenagers that do watch the show to understand that is a process as well. I think that a lot of parents what they do a lot of, especially brown people, a lot of brown parents struggle because it's like, 'I love my kids, but I also love my religion.' And I think that it kind of talks about what it's like to kind of go through that process and understanding that they need to accept their children regardless of their religion."
He continued:
"It's a completely different perspective. Our parents gave up everything to bring us to where we are, you know? It wasn't given to them. 'I want my parents to accept me, but in the same token, I just love my parents already so much because they gave up everything to make sure I had the life that I had.' I think that that is such a really important distinction that is made throughout this season. It's that duality there. It definitely depicts that part where sometimes it takes time for your parents to accept who you are, but it doesn't mean that they won't get there eventually. And I think that this show helps them through this journey. Let's give them the most understanding that we possibly can. Obviously, they're not the nicest and most kind all the time, but I think that this show does offer that perspective that there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
Love, Victor season 2 is now streaming on Hulu!
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