“Ryan’s writing and his work and this show have really changed me from a person who was like, ‘Is this possible?’ to ‘This is totally possible and it’s going to happen.’”
This year, American actor Theo Germaine landed their breakout role as James on Ryan Murphy’s satirical comedy The Politician alongside Hollywood icons such as Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bette Midler and Judith Light.
The series follows Ben Platt’s character Payton Hobart, a wealthy student from California who is determined to become the President of the United States with the help of his three dedicated best friends: Alice (Julia Schlaepfer), McAfee (Laura Dreyfuss) and James. Theo, who identifies as trans non-binary, says the role is “unique” because their gender identity isn’t addressed on the series, it’s simply left open to interpretation.
“Most of the auditions that trans folk go on are very specifically about gender identity, which is really great because I want those stories to be told, but having the opportunity to do something that focuses on something entirely different where I can just be myself in my gender identity and do other things, felt great,” Theo tells us over the phone.
“Ryan’s writing and his work and this show have really changed me from a person who was like, ‘Is this possible?’ to ‘This is totally possible and it’s going to happen.’”
In celebration of The Politician’s release on Netflix, we spoke to Theo about their character, working with Academy Award-winner Jessica Lange and what the show says about our current political climate.
What drew you to the role of James?
What made me really excited about it was the breakdown was trans male, teenage and has supportive parents. It was like, ‘Here’s this high school student who is living his life and has this very specific goal.’ That was unique to me because most of the auditions that trans folk go on are very specifically about gender identity, which is really great because I want those stories to be told, but having the opportunity to do something that focuses on something entirely different where I can just be myself in my gender identity and do other things, felt great. It felt really unique and it felt like I wasn’t going to be tokenised, which is something that happens a lot.
Do you feel like you ever saw a character like James growing up on television?
Never a trans person. He’s very smart, maybe a little too smart, too logical for his own good. I can’t name any characters specifically, but his vibe is something that I’ve definitely felt before, and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, but thought it was never something that would be available to me because it’s not all about his gender identity. Maybe because of my specific area of cultural reference, I definitely could see the type of character as a prefect in the Harry Potter movies, he has that sort of vibe.
I definitely think James is a bit of a Ravenclaw.
Oh yes he is, I’m so happy you said that, he’s definitely a Ravenclaw but he’s also super loyal, he’s a person that will always be there. He’s his friend’s campaign manager but he’s also his friend’s friend. Payton is this wild driven, more risk-taking, charismatic person and James is one of the anchors that grabs his foot as he’s floating away and pulls him back down.
Like you, being trans is not an important aspect of his character arc – do you think we’re moving towards a future where characters will be more ambiguous with their gender identity?
I would like to think that me being able to have this opportunity, playing a character that is the gender identity that I am, will be seen more frequently; trans people being cast as a bus driver, a professor, a superhero… Some of this is already happening really slowly. I also want more lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual and queer characters to be written and not have it be torture porn. That’s my hope, and that’s what I want. I’ve been a long time fan of Ryan Murphy’s content and he’s making a lot of really good projects that are normalising the queer experience. It was very scary working on the show. It was the first time I’d ever done a gig like this, being sure of myself and being like, ‘You’re totally in the right place.’ Ryan’s writing and his work and this show have really changed me from a person who was like, ‘Is this possible?’ to ‘This is totally possible and it’s going to happen.’
What are you most excited for people to see on the show?
I’m really excited for people to watch the show and pick up on all the metaphors and the satire. To be perfectly honest, when I was working on the script, it took me a little while. I thought, ‘Okay, what is this specific layer of humour or satire or criticism that is happening right now?’ and the discovery of that was so juicy. I’m excited for the audience to see how the satire of today’s world is presented, because I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m also excited for Ryan, Brad and Ian because this is their first streaming show, and to see how the audience will respond to them writing something in a binge-worthy format. It’s structured differently, the ending of an episode is written differently and it sets you up to keep going.
What do you think the show says about our current political climate?It’s a thick metaphor for our politics right now, especially in the United States. It keeps bringing up the question, that I think is something we really need to be asking in real life, which is, ‘Can you really ever trust a politician? What are people’s motives now? Is a politician a good person? What is true and what is not true?’ It’s about this world where there’s Instagram and Twitter and all these social media platforms, and how they use social media to influence the voters. People can be really quick to vote for somebody without doing any research, and people are quick to make blanket statements.
You mentioned earlier, but what was it like to work with Ryan Murphy and so many other talented actors on the series?
It was incredible! Everybody was so kind. I’m going to start with Ben first; meeting him and working with him, he’s so generous, he’s such a nice friendly person, he was kind of the camp counselor of the series regulars. Imposter syndrome was so bad for me, but the cast bonded pretty quickly and we started spending a lot of time together. I remember we were all getting ready to go out one weekend, and Lucy [Boynton]’s boyfriend said, ‘So, you all really like each other?’ and we were like, ‘Yes, yes, yes we do!’ He said, ‘This doesn’t always happen, you’ve got to be kidding me. It’s not common for eight people on a show to go out dancing all the time.’ There was so much I learned from the more experienced actors about carrying yourself with confidence and making choices on set. I got to work with Jessica Lange, which was amazing, watching her work is like a masterclass. I have been watching her since I was very little, even since the King Kong movie, which I was obsessed with in grade school. I was so grateful and it was such a unique experience.
Is Jessica Lange right? Do gays just much butts and celebrate Halloween?
Okay, well I think those are two very important things. I’m already celebrating Halloween now so I fit under that description. I think it’s one part of being gay, but there are a million other things. I don’t know how to answer that, but yeah, she is right. We do munch butts and celebrate Halloween and we do it really well!
The Politician is now streaming worldwide on Netflix.
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