The creator of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was “instrumental” in allowing Joshua Bassett to live more authentically, according to the actor.
Bassett, who plays Ricky Bowen in the Disney Plus series, has reunited with Tim Federle on another Disney production: Better Nate Than Ever, a musical focusing on an unpopular 13-year-old with ambitious dreams of conquering Broadway.
Speaking about the upcoming film with The Hollywood Reporter, the 21-year-old said of the director and writer: “Tim’s superpower is that he empowers people and he believes in people in such a way that it allows them to believe in themselves.
“Tim Federle has been instrumental in empowering me to be who I am, truly. Meeting him three years ago through High School Musical and seeing who he is and being so inspired by him, he’s changed my life in so many ways.
“He’s so fearless, and it’s allowed me to be fearless because of that.”
In 2021, Bassett came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in an interview with GQ, where he said he’s “anti-coming out” but “people are welcome to have boxes if they need them.”
“There are plenty of letters in the alphabet… Why bother rushing to a conclusion?” he explained. “Sometimes your letter changes, sometimes you try a different one, other times you realize you’re not what you thought you were, or maybe you always knew.
“All of these can be true. I’m happy to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community because they embrace all. Don’t let anyone tell you love isn’t love. They’re the ones who probably need it the most.”
Instagram: Joshua Bassett
Reflecting on his journey with THR, Bassett said it was “liberating” for him to be open with the world about his identity and that he hasn’t “looked back”.
“There’s power in telling the truth. People on the internet, trolls, they don’t really get to me anymore,” he added. “I know that the people that it has helped are far more important than some people who maybe have some nasty things to project onto me. That stuff is just noise.
“When you hear a message from a kid saying, ‘You saved my life,’ or ‘Because of you, now I feel like I can be myself,’ — it’s the greatest honor in the world to be a role model in any way or to liberate other people to tell and live their truth.”
Better Nate Than Ever premieres 1 April on Disney Plus.
Written and directed by Federle, and based on his critically-acclaimed 2013 novel of the same name, the musical family-comedy stars newcomer Rueby Wood as the title character.
“In Better Nate Than Ever, 13-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams. There’s only one problem — he can’t even land a part in the school play,” reads the official synopsis.
“But when his parents leave town, Nate and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove everyone wrong. A chance encounter with Nate’s long-lost Aunt Heidi turns his journey upside-down, and together they must learn that life’s greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams.”
Bassett will play Anthony Foster, Nate’s older brother. Aria Brooks, Lisa Kudrow and Norbert Leo Butz round out the cast.
In the original novel, Nate is routinely bullied for being gay and is often met with homophobic slurs from the high school jocks, although he admits he’s “undecided” on his sexual orientation.
Nate doesn’t find much comfort at home, either, with his parents trying to deter him from musical theatre for a life in soccer. Instead, his mother and father shower Anthony with praise due to his status as a star athlete.
It remains to be seen whether Disney will explore Nate’s sexuality in the film.
Watch the heartwarming trailer here or below.
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