'Everything's Gonna Be Okay': Adam Faison says he's proud to be part of show that gives voice to marginalized
Josh Thomas' 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' aired on Freeform on January 16, 2020, and since then has taken fans for a hilarious ride. Revolving around a family that's reeling from the death of their father, the show portrays themes of love, loss, sexuality and the process of adulting.
It has used comedy through the eyes of an unconventional family to start relevant conversations that otherwise have unnecessary societal stigmas on it. One of the themes that shines through the show is the exploration of the relationship between Nicholas, an antipodean entomologist, and his boyfriend Alex, a dental student who is played by Adam Faison.
In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Faison talks about his character and what we can expect going forward.
With the entertainment industry opening up a platform for people to converse about themes such as autism and the LGBTQ+ community, Faison talked about what drew him to the role of Alex in 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay', crediting the show's creator and his co-star Thomas.
"I think that Josh really kind of was interested in telling stories of people that you don't often see, and he's always talking about finding stories that interest him and if it's already sort of been told or it's ubiquitous, he's not really in the business of wanting to tell it. So it's pretty awesome that he is trying to give a voice to marginalized voices and it's exciting to be a part of that."
"What inspired me the most was I think this sort of idea that Alex and Nicholas could sort of get through issues together. You don't kind of know as it stands whether he's even going to show up later at all. And so then when he does, I remember reading them the script and being like, wow, he really showed up and otherwise other people might've shied away from it or seen it as too much, cause they might've seen as too much baggage. But it was really amazing to see the character of Alex really show up for Nicholas in this big way," he said of how Alex was thrown into the family dynamic with having to attend the funeral of the father of a boy he had just started seeing.
Faison continued to speak about what we can expect from Alex as the series goes forward, especially now that he is part of the family in an intricate way.
He's someone that Nicholas depends on to help take care of his siblings along with keeping his sanity intact. The show has just finished Episode 6 and the characters have started their own dance as a couple. They have started navigating their feelings to something more permanent rather than a hook-up.
"So you can kind of see, we had a little bit of a snafu in the family dynamic, but I think what was really cool is that we muscled through it. I think it was definitely a reasonable thing that Genevieve would feel intimidated by this new entity when she's already lost her father and she's just looking for some sort of stability. I think it's really great that we explored that dynamic between where Alex stands with the sisters and himself," said Faison.
"I think what's exciting is you'll get to kind of see a little bit more of how Alex feels in this dynamic. Sometimes, I think that he's super accommodating and super understanding of the situation, but I think there's also a part of him that hopefully hopes that he and Nicholas will get more alone time to explore that relationship more as well."
While Faison has a background in theatre his television credits include 'Into the Dark', an anthology series; a recurring role on Alan Ball's 'Here, Now' for HBO; Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'; Freeform's 'The Fosters'; Netflix’s 'Grace and Frankie'; and the go90 series 'Liberty Crossing'.
On the film front, he currently wrapped production on the upcoming Netflix film 'Yes Day', starring opposite Jennifer Garner.
He has also recently done a voiceover for a documentary called 'P.S. Burn This Letter Please' that features the unearthing of letters from the archives of drag queens in the fifties and sixties.
"I voiced the letters of the drag Queens when they're sending them back and forth. So it's a really beautiful story and I think it tells a part of queer history that we don't hear much about, especially from a positive angle," said Faison excited about the documentary that's set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' airs every Thursday at 7.30c on Freeform.