Queer As Folk has returned once more, now as a Peacock original series over 20 years after Russell T. Davies first launched it at the turn of the millennium. The new generation of characters speaks to the triumphs and tribulations of a new set of LGBTQ audiences, in an 8-episode first season created by Stephen Dunn (Little America). The latest iteration follows a group of friends living in New Orleans in the wake of a tragedy meant to reflect the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, but the losses they suffer don't diminish the love in their lives.
Two of main characters that viewers meet over the course of season 1 are Julian (Ryan O'Connell, who was executive story editor on the Will & Grace revival) and Mingus (Fin Argus, Clouds). Julian has cerebral palsy, but that doesn't stop his desire for independence, while Mingus is a student with dreams of attending drag school. One important thing to not about Queer As Folk is that not only is the cast representative of the LGBTQ community, but so is the writing staff and creative team. In fact, O'Connell writes for the show in addition to playing Julian.
Screen Rant spoke to Argus and O'Connell about their characters' most important family dynamics (such as Yellowjackets' Juliette Lewis playing Mingus' mother), what it was like to bring the New Orleans Drag Queen scene to onscreen life, and how the behind-the-scenes work meshes with the characters.
Screen Rant: Fin, first of all, I'm screaming, crying and throwing up that you get to work with Juliette Lewis. What is that experience like?
Fin Argus: Obviously, she's amazing. A lot of my big, meaty scenes are with her, and she is a powerhouse of an actor. The emotional depth is there 100% of the time. She also makes really fun, bold choices, which was inspiring to me, because I tend to play things more subdued.
But this is a character in which I really got to play, especially with our family dynamic. It was a family dynamic that I haven't seen before, really, so that was really fun. And to do it with someone like her? Yeah, fireworks, baby! It was very fun.
Ryan, I'm really loving the Julian and Brodie dynamic right off the bat. It's really entertaining and complicated, but also there is love there. Can you talk about that narrative and working with Devin?
Ryan O'Connell: Yeah, it's a very, very fun dynamic. Brothers are complicated, historically, and I feel like there's a sweetness because they want to connect so deeply with each other. But I feel like they keep missing each other, so that's a really fun dynamic to play.
Julian on the outside is kind of thorny and kind of a bitch, but deep down, he just wants his little bro. It was very fun to play the sweetness underneath the prickliness.
When we first meet Mingus, they're on their way to drag school auditions. Can you talk about the importance of that plotline, and what it means for your character?
Fin Argus: Drag is a really liberating thing. I am a huge fan of that art form, and it was really cool to play such a young, queer person, where that's their main form of creative expression at such a young age. They're being embraced for that by not only their friends, but their mom.
I've had the same experience with drag in my own personal life, so I think it's gonna mean a lot to people, especially younger queer folks, to see that type of gender bending take place. And it's like a non-thing; it's just that's their form of creative expression. And the drag performances in the show - not only Mingus, but Armand and also the New Orleans Queens like Siren, Laveau Contraire, Virginia SlimJim? I'm just such a huge fan of all of them, and it's really refreshing to see a peek into this New Orleans drag community in a TV show. It's a really interesting world, and it's a family.
Ryan, you work in front of and behind the camera. How does that shape not just Julian, but also your engagement with the story and the show?
Ryan O'Connell: Well, I'm a Type A Virgo from hell. I put the troll in control, so I love being involved in all aspects of it. This was different than Special, because obviously Stephen's the creator and the showrunner. It was really, really amazing being in service of his vision, and I feel like he had a lot of ideas and thoughts about what he wanted Julian to be like.
It was really fun getting direction from him, and it kind of opened me up in new, fun ways. He just was like, "Make Julian a dry bitch," which I kind of am IRL. So, that was really, really fun. I don't know; I can't imagine a world in which I don't do things in front of and behind the camera. I like just being involved in every aspect of it.
Queer As Folk Synopsis
Set in New Orleans, the series is a re-imagining of the 1999 Channel 4 series created by Russell T Davies, which follows a diverse group of friends who find their lives transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Check out our other interviews with Queer As Folk stars Devin Way & Johnny Sibilly and CG & Jesse James Keitel, as well as creator Stephen Dunn and showrunner Jaclyn Moore.
More: Queer As Folk Reboot Cast & Character Guide
All 8 episodes of Queer As Folk season 1 are currently available to stream on Peacock.