It’s a big month for fans of Looking, as the first season has just arrived on Blu-ray and DVD, and Season 2 is starting on TV (the first episode has already in the US and the it should arrive on Sky Atlantic in the UK shortly).
To celebrate the Season 1 DVD release of the show – which is about a group of gay friends in San Francisco – we caught up with Frankie J. Alvarez, who plays Agustin in the show, to put our questions to him. It was one of his first on-screen roles and he’s had to deal with a very mixed reaction to his character, so what does he think of it all?
How did you get the role of Agustin?
I graduated from Julliard in 2010, and I’d been bouncing around doing theatre. I was at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, doing a play called The Whipping Man. I played a Jewish confederate soldier who comes home to his newly released slaves at the end of the civil war. Big beard! Which is important, because that’s when I got the audition for Richie- so I sent in tapes for that, and they liked me as an actor but I wasn’t the right fit for that part, so they moved me over. I sent in a couple more tapes for Agustin, and ended up skype-ing the casting director, Carmen and Andrew Haigh, did a couple of reads for them and then I was invited to the screen test. So I closed the show on the Saturday, went to NYC on Sunday, watched the Superbowl, flew out to LA on Monday, did the chemistry reads on Tuesday and Weds, and Friday I got cast. My life changed like that.
It was between me, another guy, and Pedro Pascal (from Game of Thrones) … and I crushed his head. Joking! He’s a great guy- and he’s become a really good friend.
Did you have any qualms about the role, especially considering early on in the show it has you in a fairly raunchy threesome?
You know… it’s not the first gay character I’ve played… I’ve done full-frontal on stage, which I don’t do on the show. Back then, doing the stage show, I saw it as a challenge- I wanted to ‘lose my virginity’ to nudity and be comfortable with it, so that when it came to it, I could do it. And so, for Looking, yeah it was tough the first time. It’s a very vulnerable thing to do, but it’s also so technical, that it doesn’t really get sexy. Although, ask me in five or six years, if I get a love scene with a woman… my answer might be different!
It’s just a weird situation – but every time you do it, it gets easier. By the time we filmed season 2, I was showing up for my sex scenes like ‘right, where do you need me?!’ It just takes time to get used to it.
You’d only done a couple of things on-screen before this. Was going on set intimidating, especially suddenly having to be one of the leads in a show that even by then had a lot of anticipation surrounding it?
It was exciting for me! It’s also opened up some doors for me, audition-wise… I’ve been in some rooms that I’ve dreamt of being able to audition in, so that’s been a blessing. And not only that, but the character couldn’t be more different to who I am, so it’s a blessing to show up every day with this great script and build that bridge between me and who Agustin is, and every day wake up and give it another shot.
Unlike in many TV shows, the guys in Looking don’t always do the ‘right’ things and aren’t always ‘nice’. Is that difficult for an actor, to try to keep the character truthful but not lose the audience’s sympathies?
Honestly, I do not know how you keep that balance. I think I’ve done it for some people… not all. That was the toughest thing about the first season – people’s strong reactions to the character, calling him a dick, people online saying he should be kicked off the show. No one was saying that about me as an actor… it’s always been about Agustin’s personality. But he’s so realistic! I’ve met this guy – I’ve gone to bars with this guy, and it’s funny that the bitchy people writing online about how terrible he is… and the words they use… they’re just justifying that people like Agustin are out there. They’re bitching about this guy, and the way they ‘re bitching about him, means they sound just like him!
Sometimes I go to events with Raul, who plays Ritchie, and he’s so lovable in the show…so people respond to him so well- ‘Oh, it’s so nice to meet you, you’re so sweet’, and then they come up to me and say ‘why are you such a dick?!’. That was tough to deal with at first, but now I’ve embraced it, and I love it. I love how he challenges people, and I’d much rather play a character that makes people lean forward and inspires a reaction.
And he does have some good qualities too! Which I think he starts to navigate a bit more in series 2.
The show has a frankness and almost documentary-like air at times which is quite rare on TV, how did you approach that as an actor?
It was a challenge, because coming from the theatre, I was used to a very different style, and the TV episodes I had done had been for Smash, which was a very theatrical show. Looking was about stripping away all of that. For the first couple of episodes we filmed, there would be a couple of takes where Andrew would say to all of us, ‘Guys, you’re acting too much’. So the first series was really about stripping away, and getting that artifice out of the way and being as vulnerable as possible. Our DP for the first series, who would be behind the camera in these intimate scenes, would joke that she was the ‘fourth gay’. And it’s funny, but it’s also true – that’s the function of the camera – it helps you feel like you’re with these friends and you’re in these moments with them. And I think that’s clear, when you watch a film like Weekend, you can see Andrew Haigh’s influence.
So it was challenging at first, but it was great to go back for series two, and to feel like I had a handle on it, and now I could really navigate it. To go back to the question of the likeability of the character, I was now more conscience of that. Because when we were filming the first series, people hadn’t reacted yet, obviously- and as an actor, I didn’t have the luxury of judging him. So going into season two, I didn’t want to bring other peoples judgments into the part- I had to throw that away, and just look at diversifying him in the second season.
In series 2, you think he’s hit rock bottom. But there’s more bottom to hit! And then he starts to come back up… That’s part of the fun, the stumbles along the way.
My wife is always joking that her ideal movie is boy meets girl, boy kisses girl, boy and girl skip off into the sunset. But like… that’s a seven minute movie?! She just loves when everything works out. But I think you have to suffer through all the ‘stuff’ first.
Agustin and Frank’s relationship is also unusual, in that you can see why they’re together, but also what’s pulling them apart. Was that a difficult balance to pull off?
It was difficult, yeah. Because in the first episode, with both the relationship with Frank, but also with Patrick, in the first episode, we’ve been together a while but I’m challenging the relationship and having a threesome, and also, moving out of my best friend’s home. So there’s no time to luxuriate in those circumstances, before they’re torn away. And that’s tough, because you don’t get to see Agustin previous to that, and I think that colours people’s perspectives of him as well. In my imagination, I have a whole backstory – I can see Agustin from going to Berkeley, meeting Patrick, and so for me I have a more complete view. But obviously the viewer doesn’t, and that’s fine – I don’t blame the audience for that! But it was a real challenge. I see that character in a different way from everybody else, but of course – I’m living those circumstances.
So yeah, it was tough. It was tough for me and for O.T. Fagbenle (who plays Frank), because we didn’t have much time to luxuriate in the relationship. I loved working with him, we got along so well… he’s a RADA guy, so we had a similar vocabulary to speak about the work, and he taught me so much. In the second season, Raul and I had a couple more scenes together, and he became like the big brother of season two. But in season one it was very much O.T. who took me under his wing. ‘I’ll take the classically trained kid who’s doing his first TV show and take him under my wing’… and he was so lovely. And I think the fact we had such a great relationship leaked through to the characters… until the last few episodes of course, where it justifiably goes away. As Agustin pushes the wrong buttons, like he does!
Did you know much about the gay world in San Francisco before you started shooting Looking? Did you do any research?
I’d made an ill-advised trip to San Francisco to visit an ex-girlfriend, way back in 2006. And it had kind of coloured the city for me in a weird way. So then I made the trip again to film the pilot, and we got there three weeks before we shot. So having those three weeks, with Jonathan Groff and Murray Bartlett – the three of us together, going out dancing, seeing movies, seeing plays, and just navigating the culture – was just fantastic. And also, just giving the three of us the chance to hang out as friends, and get to know each other. Those friendships have been a huge blessing. And Russell Tovey too! They’ve really enriched the show.
So if you had to choose in terms of Patrick’s love life, are you in ‘Team Richie’, ‘Team Kevin’ or do you think perhaps there should be a ‘Team Agustin’?
Team Richie. All the way! I think he’s just got a good heart, and would be a really good match for Patrick. There’s a kind of danger in Kevin that at least for me, I feel is not sustainable. But perhaps that relationship is something that will expand Patrick’s point of view, and help him be ready for Richie, when that time comes…
I think even in season one, Agustin is Team Richie. Even though he tells Patrick that he’s ‘slumming it’ in that episode, I think he’s talking in the confidence of friendship, and the fact that Richie overhears is not something that he knows is going to happen. And I think he knows Patrick isn’t ready for a relationship like that, and so seeing him flirt with the sort of lower-class guy, when he’s not ready to really open up to someone like that – for Patrick its more about the romance of it than the actual third dimension of opening up to somebody and taking in their culture and vice versa- Agustin just knows he’s not ready. Maybe he chooses the wrong words, but the point is taken, and I think he’s Team Richie. He’s definitely Team Richie in season two… but maybe I’ve said too much!
There was some criticism of the show, which largely seemed to stem from people either wishing it more closely mirrored their own life, or that it couldn’t pull off the miracle of representing the entire LGBT spectrum in eight 30-minute episodes. How do you respond to that?
I think it’s impossible – it’s a diverse and eclectic community that encompasses so many rich cultures within it, that there’s no way five or six guys can cover it all. There are only 18 episodes so far- there’s no way we’re gonna touch on everyone. And I think Andrew’s very conscious of that. So the people that we are touching on, we’re very careful to pay attention and invest in those nuances, and make it as three-dimensional as possible. And hopefully, that universality will shine through.
But, as a Cuban-American, I haven’t seen my story told. I see a lot of stories about Mexicans trying to make it in America, and that is a story that should be told… but it’s not my story. So, I would say to them- get in line! We’re all waiting for our stories to be told. And I think Looking is a huge step forward for the community, and the fact that their homosexuality is one circumstance out of many. Even though people call it a gay show, and put it in that box – it’s just one aspect of the show, out of the many circumstances the characters are dealing with. And so, hopefully, we can open the doors to the next show, which defies categorisation.
I’m very liberal, but I went to an all-boys Jesuit school growing up, and a lot of these conservative guys I went to school with – lawyers and doctors – some of them, after the first episode, couldn’t watch it. And that’s fine – I respect that. Others were surprised to see themselves in these relationships and characters – and I think that’s a victory. To have these conservative guys checking it out to see their friend in a show, but then actually relating and looking forward to the next season – excited about the relationships, calling me up as fans – that’s huge. And it’s baby steps, but hopefully we’re getting there – were paving the way. And hopefully we can pave the way so that everyone’s story can eventually be told.
Thank you Frankie.
LOOKING: SEASON ONE, is available on Blu-ray and DVD on 12th January 2015, courtesy of HBO Home Entertainment. The whole season is also available to own and watch instantly on Amazon Instant Video, blinkbox, Google Play and iTunes.
Edward Fdez Vila says
One of my favorite characters in the show is interpreted by Frankie Alvarez! I do think that the Cuban American story has not been realistically told on American television yet. It is a very diverse group that does not have much in common with many (so called) Hispanics in the US…Cuban Americans, in general do not have a “minority’ mentality even though they are a small minority in our country. I hope the show does not screw it up by turning Frankie into a “Latino.”