The two actors give their all to this s-spanng limed seri, which explor a gay love story wh bold—and explic—cematic sweep.
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FELLOW TRAVELERS: INSI MATT BOMER AND JONATHAN BAILEY’S EPIC, SEXY ROMANCETHE TWO ACTORS GIVE THEIR ALL TO THIS S-SPANNG LIMED SERI, WHICH EXPLOR A GAY LOVE STORY WH BOLD—AND EXPLIC—CEMATIC SWEEP.BY DAVID CANFIELDMAY 25, 2023BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHEN MATT BOMER AND JONATHAN BAILEY FIRST MET AT A FFEE SHOP ON CUMBERLAND STREET TORONTO, ON THE VERGE OF BEGNG SIX MONTHS OF FILMG FOR THEIR S-SPANNG LIMED SERI FELLOW TRAVELERS, THEY MA A PACT TO HAVE EACH OTHER’S BACKS. SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH, GIVEN THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON SOME OF THE RICHT SCREEN WORK OF THEIR RPECTIVE REERS. BUT OVER ZOOM, BOTH ACTORS SPEAK OF THAT TRODUCTN NOW AS ALMOST SACRED. WATCH FELLOW TRAVELERS, AND YOU’LL UNRSTAND WHY. THE SHOWTIME EPIC PICTS AN EXTRAORDARY TIMACY BETWEEN S LEAD CHARACTERS, AND ASKS FOR TE VULNERABILY OM BOMER AND BAILEY, WHO LIVER WHOUT PROMISE.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.ADAPTED BY OSR NOMEE RON NYSWANER (PHILALPHIA) OM THOMAS MALLON’S 2007 NOVEL, FELLOW TRAVELERS (PREMIERG THIS FALL ON PARAMOUNT+ WH SHOWTIME) EXAM THE VOLATILE, PASSNATE, EPLY LOVG ROMANCE BETWEEN HAWKS FULLER (BOMER), A CHARISMATIC IF SOMEWHAT OPAQUE WAR HERO TURNED POLIL STAFFER, AND TIM LGHL (BAILEY), A RELIG IALIST LOOKG FOR HIS WAY TO THE DC GRD. THEY MEET AT THE DAWN OF THE EARLY-’50S LAVENR SRE, WHICH SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY AND HIS CHIEF UNSEL ROY COHN PURGED WHOMEVER THEY EMED GAY OR LBIAN OM ERNMENT ROL—DUBBG THEM MUNIST SYMPATHIZERS—AND SPARKED A NATNAL MORAL PANIC AROUND HOMOSEXUALY. THE SERI THEN BUILDS TO A KD OF GRAND CHRONICLE OF QUEER AMERIN HISTORY, TRACG THE EVOLUTN OF HAWK AND TIM’S RELATNSHIP THROUGH VAR ERAS BEFORE CULMATG THE AIDS EPIMIC OF THE 1980S.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWTHE PROJECT ME TO BAILEY AT A SERENDIPO MOMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS LIFE, THE BREAKOUT STAR OF BRIDGERTON WAS MAND AND BEG ASKED WHAT HE WANTED TO DO NEXT. “MY ANSWER WAS ALWAYS, ‘WELL, I’D LOVE TO DO A SWEEPG GAY LOVE STORY,’ BUT MY EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY WAS THAT I’D NEVER REALLY SEEN THEM,” BAILEY SAYS. “OR IF I HAD, I HADN’T SEEN ACTORS LIKE ME AND MATT PLAY THOSE ROL.” (BOTH BAILEY AND BOMER INTIFY AS GAY.) THAT DREAM OPPORTUNY ABPTLY PRENTED SELF FELLOW TRAVELERS, WHICH BAILEY JOED AFTER BOMER HAD ALREADY SIGNED ON AS BOTH STAR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. “THE STORY HAD BEEN MARATG WH RON FOR A SOLID BEFORE I EVER ME ON BOARD,” BOMER SAYS. “RON HAD AN ALMOST RELIG ZEAL ABOUT THIS PROJECT, THIS WORLD, AND THE CHARACTERS THAT JT WASHED OVER EVERYONE VOLVED, AND MA THE PROFOUND EXPERIENCE THAT WAS.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.NYSWANER HAD ALREADY DONE NSIRABLE REARCH ON FELLOW TRAVELERS, HAVG PREVLY PLANNED TO ADAPT THE BOOK AS A FILM. HE HAD MORE RECENTLY TABLISHED HIMSELF PRTIGE TV—WRG FOR SHOWTIME DRAMAS LIKE HOMELAND AND RAY DONOVAN—WHILE NTUG TO WORK MOVI. HIS SCRIPT FOR LAST YEAR’S AMAZON FEATURE MY POLICEMAN TRODUCED HIM TO PRODUCER ROBBIE ROGERS; NYSWANER SENT ROGERS THE FELLOW TRAVELERS NOVEL, WHICH SPARKED A NVERSATN ABOUT MAKG A LIMED SERI OUT OF . “THE AMBN OF GOG THROUGH THE DIFFERENT S AND FDG A REALLY PELLG STORY—NOTHG LIKE THAT HAD BEEN DONE, WHERE ’S AN EPIC GAY LOVE STORY THAT HAS THIS POLIL ELEMENT THAT’S WOVEN THROUGH ,” SAYS ROGERS. FELLOW TRAVELERS LEAV NO STONE UNTURNED, EXPANDG S WORLD BEYOND HAWK AND TIM TO FASHN AN EXPANSIVE HISTORIL TAPTRY. A RE PARALLEL STRAND OF THE DRAMA FOLLOWS JELANI ALLAD’S MARC HOOKS, A QUEER BLACK POLIL JOURNALIST FDG A NEW PARTNER OF HIS OWN (NOAH J. RICKETTS), WHILE NYSWANER’S EARLY EPISOS ALSO DIG TO THE VIC METHODS OF MCCARTHY (A TRANSFORMED CHRIS BER) AND THE APPALLG HYPOCRISY OF COHN (WILL BRILL). “SOMETHG LIKE AN TIMATED 10,000 PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS, AND A LOT OF FOLKS TOOK THEIR OWN LIV,” BOMER SAYS. “THAT’S THE LANDSPE THAT THE PEOPLE ARE ALG WH.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.BUT HAWK AND TIM ARE OUR FLAWED, FASCATG HERO—WH FELLOW TRAVELERS CISIVELY SUATG THEIR TENSE CHEMISTRY WH A BROAR POLIL NTEXT. THE LH, SWEEPG, LIBERATELY OLD-FASHNED QUALY OF THE FILMMAKG, TEMPLATED BY EMMY-WNG DIRECTOR DANIEL MAHAN (AMERIN CRIME STORY), NTRASTS SHARPLY WH THE SHOW’S CREDIBLY SPECIFIC FOC ON ONE UPLE’S DYNAMIC. THAT TIMATE STORY IS LARGELY TOLD, WH A SURPRISG AND CCIAL BOLDNS, THROUGH SEX.“THE NUANCE OF A PLITED, VOLATILE QUEER RELATNSHIP IS THE POWER BALANCE—AND THAT IS WHAT IS AMAZG ABOUT TIM AND HAWK,” BAILEY SAYS. “EVERY SGLE SEX SCENE IS A METICULO EXAMATN OF POWER.” FELLOW TRAVELERS HEATS UP AS HAWK GETS TIM A JOB WORKG FOR MCCARTHY—AND TASKS HIM WH SPYG ON THE SENATOR FOR TEL ON HIS TACTICS, AND SIGHTS TO HIS WEAKNS. THIS GIVE-AND-TAKE EVABLY MOV TO THE BEDROOM, THE SPAC WHERE THE TWO MEN MT GRAPPLE WH NOT ONLY THEIR HIDN BLOSSOMG LOVE, BUT ALSO THE TRANSACTNAL QUALY OF THEIR BOND. “THERE’S A LEVEL OF TST AND TIMACY THAT’S EVEN MORE VALUABLE WHEN SOCIETY IS AGAST YOU,” BOMER SAYS. “YOU KEEP YOUR SECRETS TOGETHER.” COURTY OF SHOWTIME.THE RULTG SEX SCEN, PTURG A RANGE OF ROLE PLAYS, WILL RG AS HIGHLY THENTIC TO GAY MEN, AND MARK UNCHARTED TERRORY FOR MASTREAM DRAMATIC TV—EVEN ON A WORK LIKE SHOWTIME. “NOT THAT WILL BE SHOCKG TO PEOPLE, BUT I HOPE WHEN PEOPLE WATCH , THEY’RE LIKE, ‘OH, WOW. THEY REALLY WENT FOR ,’” ROGERS SAYS. THE PRODUCTN MA TIMACY ORDATORS AVAILABLE TO THE ST THROUGHOUT FILMG, AND BOMER AND BAILEY FELT AN TRSIC TST WH EACH OTHER, ROOTED THAT CUMBERLAND STREET PACT. “I WILL BE SO TERTED TO SEE HOW PEOPLE RPOND TO ,” BAILEY SAYS. “TO ME, BEG QUEER ALSO IS ABOUT, AS TWO MEN, HOW YOU NEGOTIATE YOUR GIVG OF YOUR BODY TO THE OTHER PERSON. THAT IS SOMETHG THAT I’VE ALWAYS YEARNED TO SEE PROPERLY DONE BEE I KNOW HOW EXTRAORDARY IS TO EXPERIENCE .” AT ONE POT, BAILEY SENT BOMER A VIO OF TORVILL AND DEAN’S LEGENDARY “BOLERO” ICE DANCE. “WE’RE TWO ICE SKATERS DANCG TOGETHER— SORT OF FELT LIKE THAT,” BAILEY SAYS WH A LGH. BOMER CHIM : “IT WAS REALLY TERTG TO FD THE DIFFERENT TYP OF EXPRSN OF THEIR LOVE AND TIMACY OVER THE DIFFERENT TIME PERDS,” HE SAYS. “IT WAS LIKE OPENG A CHRISTMAS PRENT EVERY TIME I WOULD SEE JONNY A NEW TIME PERD AND SEE WHAT HE WOULD BRG TO THE TABLE WH THIS NEW CHAPTER OF TIM’S LIFE.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.THE SHOW BEGS BY SHIFTG BETWEEN THE ’50S AND ’80S, BUT S LATTER HALF SHAK UP THE FORMULA, HURTLG TO PERDS OF LIBERATN. IN HAWK, BOMER CHARTS THE EXPANSN OF A MAN WHO’S PARTMENTALIZED A VAL PART OF HIS BEG FOR MUCH OF HIS LIFE. “LOVE IS DANGERO—’S A THREAT TO HIS VERY EXISTENCE, AND TIM IS REALLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO N CHALLENGE THAT,” HE SAYS. OVER TIME, HE MARRI A CHILDHOOD IEND, LUCY SMH (ALLISON WILLIAMS), WHILE NTUG TO SEE TIM. THE SHOW DO NOT EVER ST TIM A PIABLE LIGHT, HOWEVER. “HE’S VERY PURE, EVEN THOUGH HE’S ALWAYS SEARCHG FOR ABSOLUTN AND TTH, AND HE IS FUNDAMENTALLY VERY CLEAR ON WHO HE IS,” BAILEY SAYS. “I ULD SEE WHO THAT WAS.” THE ’80S SEGMENT OF THE SHOW, GLIMPSED THROUGH TO THE FAL EPISO, OPENS WH THE CHARACTERS SEPARATED—WH THEIR TENSE, HEARTBREAKG RNN LEADG TO THE NARRATIVE’S NCLN. OVER EIGHT HOURS, THE SHOW AMBLY RECREAT EVERYTHG OM ’50S DC TO ’70S FIRE ISLAND TO ’80S BAY AREA—ALL TORONTO AND SOMEHOW, PER ROGERS, UNR BUDGET. THE FAL SCEN TAKE PLACE AT THE FAMED AIDS QUILT, WH THE PRODUCTN SIGNERS THOROUGHLY REIMAGG THE INIC NATNAL MALL SE. THEY HAD COHN’S ACTUAL SQUARE ON HAND, AND SIGNED SOME OTHERS OM SCRATCH. “WHEN YOU SEE , YOU WON’T BELIEVE ,” ROGERS TEAS. “YOU’LL BE LIKE, ‘OH, MY GOSH, THIS LOOKS LIKE THEY SHOT DC.’”COURTY OF SHOWTIME.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.BY THE TIME PRODUCTN WRAPPED, BAILEY AND BOMER FACED A FULFILLG—IF NOT EASY—GOODBYE. “JT GETTG TO PLAY THE CHARACTER OVER THE URSE OF 35 YEARS—SOME OF THE SCEN THAT TAKE PLACE THE LAST EPISO FOR ME WERE SUCH A RE OF PASSAGE TERMS OF SAYG GOODBYE TO THE CHARACTER,” BOMER SAYS. ADDS BAILEY, “IT’S BEEN JT THE MOST JOYO, EMOTNAL, AND ALSO RMATIVE EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD ON A JOB. I’VE NEVER GRIEVED A CHARACTER MORE.”WELL, KD OF. BAILEY ACTUALLY FILMED THE THIRD SEASON OF BRIDGERTON AT THE SAME TIME AS FELLOW TRAVELERS. “I HAD A REALLY WEIRD TIME,” HE SAYS. AT THE TIME, HE’D REGULARLY MUTE BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UK. AND FOR HIS LAST DAY MAKG FELLOW TRAVELERS, HE WORKED THROUGH AN EMOTNALLY DRAG 19-, MAYBE 20-HOUR SHOOT WH BOMER. THE WORK BLED TO THE WEEKEND. BAILEY FALLY LEFT THE SET FOR THE LAST TIME. AND BY MONDAY, HE WAS BACK REGENCY-ERA ENGLAND, TRANSPORTED 200 YEARS TO THE PAST, CHARACTER AS ANTHONY BRIDGERTON. “WHEN I SAY I GRIEVED , I DIDN’T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY SPACE TO,” BAILEY SAYS NOW OF FELLOW TRAVELERS. “BUT I STILL THK ABOUT TIM A LOT.” UNRSTANDABLY—THIS IS A LIFE STORY THAT’LL STAY WH YOU.LISTEN TO VANY FAIR’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST NOW.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)DAVID CANFIELD
There’s a dark joke to be ma here about gays g the end of the world, but I’ll leave .
They meet at the dawn of the early-’50s Lavenr Sre, which Senator Joseph McCarthy and his chief unsel Roy Cohn purged whomever they emed gay or lbian om ernment rol—dubbg them munist sympathizers—and sparked a natnal moral panic around homosexualy. “My answer was always, ‘Well, I’d love to do a sweepg gay love story, ’ but my experience actually was that I’d never really seen them, ” Bailey says.
” (Both Bailey and Bomer intify as gay. “The ambn of gog through the different s and fdg a really pellg story—nothg like that had been done, where ’s an epic gay love story that has this polil element that’s woven through , ” says Rogers. ” The rultg sex scen, pturg a range of role plays, will rg as highly thentic to gay men, and mark uncharted terrory for mastream dramatic TV—even on a work like Showtime.