'Sndal' gets the gay uple right wh Cys and Jam
Contents:
- ‘SNDAL’S’ DAN BUTSKY TALKS SHOW’S ‘SUBVERSIVE’ GAY RELATNSHIP
- HOW ‘SNDAL’ REVENTS TV’S GAY COUPLE…AND NOT HOW YOU’D THK
- SNDAL REP: THE WHE HOE EMBRAC GAY MARRIAGE AS CYS BEENE SAYS I DO WATCH THE CLIPS!
- ‘SNDAL’S’ WHE HOE GAY WEDDG SPARKS SOCIAL FRENZY WH SECRETS, LI AND A RG
- COULD ‘SNDAL’ FEATURE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT?
- WILL SNDAL FEATURE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT?
- SNDAL’S MOST SNDALO CHARACTER: JEFF PERRY ON PLAYG CYSWHAT WOULD CYS DO?AFTER MANY PAFUL MONTHS WHOUT THE BELOVED SHOW, ‘SNDAL’ IS BACK. JEFF PERRY, WHO PLAYS WHE HOE CHIEF OF STAFF CYS BEENE, SAYS EVERYTHG'S ABOUT TO CHANGE.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 12:55PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 27, 2014 8:00PM EST CRAIG SJOD/ABCTHE P BULL OF THE WT WG HAS HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS. FOR TWO-AND-A-HALF BOLD, TWIST-FILLED, ABSOLUTELY SANE SEASONS, JEFF PERRY’S WHE HOE CHIEF OF STAFF CYS BEENE HAS BEEN FIXG EVERYONE ELSE’S PROBLEMS, EVEN IF MEANS BARG SOME TEETH AND BARKG UP SOME MORALLY AMBIGUO (IF NOT DOWNRIGHT UHIL) TRE TO REACH HIS GOAL.WHEN WE LAST SAW CYS 620 YEARS AGO WHEN THE LAST EPISO OF SNDAL AIRED (OK, WAS DECEMBER, BUT FEELS SO MUCH LONGER), THERE WASN’T A DOG HOE BIG ENOUGH TO PUT HIM . ATTEMPTG TO BLACKMAIL VICE PRINT SALLY LANGSTON, CYS ORCHTRATED A PLAN WHICH SALLY’S CLOSETED GAY HBAND WOULD SCE HIS OWN HBAND, JAM, ONLY TO BE UGHT BY A PLANTED PHOTOGRAPHER. WHAT CYS HADN’T BARGAED FOR WAS THAT JAM WOULD TCH ON TO HIS PLAN AND TAKE REVENGE ON CYS BY SUCCUMBG TO MR. LANGSTON’S ADVANC. AS TURNS OUT, HBANDS DON’T LIKE BEG ED AS A PAWN THEIR PARTNER’S V MACHATNS.THE FACT THAT CYS NCTS SUCH VILE PLANS AND SNDAL LOVERS STILL FEEL EMPATHY FOR HIM IS OWED ENTIRELY TO PERRY’S NUANCED PERFORMANCE. HE MAK SO CYS’S BLD AMBN IS ALWAYS AT AN ADRENALE-DUCG BOILG POT, WHILE ALWAYS REMEMBERG TO TURN DOWN THE HEAT BEFORE THE UNSAVORY THLSNS BOILS OVER. IF KERRY WASHGTON’S OLIVIA POPE IS AMERI’S FAVORE GLADIATOR, JEFF PERRY IS CERTALY DRIVG THE CHART. NOW THAT SNDAL IS FALLY—FINALLY!—BACK ON ABC THURSDAY NIGHT, WE CHATTED WH PERRY ABOUT WHERE CYS N POSSIBLY GO OM HERE, THE PROGRSIVE NATURE OF HIS BLSEDLY SCREWED UP RELATNSHIP WH JAM, AND WHAT ’S LIKE TO PLAY A CHARACTER WHO IS SO DARNED STRSED ALL THE TIME.SO THE SHOW BACK TONIGHT…TELL ME EVERYTHG.WELL THE SEND HALF OF THE THIRD SEASON IS, TERMS OF THE WT WG, TERMED TO GETTG OUT FZ REELECTED. WE LEFT OFF WH CYS MAKG A GRAVE MISLCULATN AS HIS CHIEF OF STAFF.TO PUT DLY…PUTTG DLY. HOPG TO KEEP SALLY LANGSTON, AS FAR AS I’M NCERNED, THE ADDLED, HYPOCRIL, HOMOPHOBIC NUT JOB ON THE TICKET BEE WE SPERATELY NEED THE SOUTH AND WE FELY NEED WOMEN AND WE NEED THE RELIG RIGHT. A AL MA WH THE VIL. I NCT A PLAN THAT GO SOUTH, TO PUT DLY. I END UP WH PHOTOGRAPHS OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE NSENSUAL SEX WH MY HBAND AND HER HBAND. THE PHOTOS ARE ELS AS LEVERAGE, WHICH IS ONE PART OF THE PROBLEM TO CYS’S PLAN. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT MY HBAND DISVERS WHAT I’VE DONE. I’VE FUNDAMENTALLY ENDANGERED MY MARRIAGE.HOW DO THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN CYS AND JAM CHANGE AFTER ALL THIS. I’D IMAGE CHANG, UM, A LOT.THERE IS SO MUCH REPAIR TO DO, I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’S ENOUGH MARRIAGE THERAPISTS THE WORLD TO VER . BUT I KNOW CYS IS ABSOLUTELY TENT ON SOMEHOW REPAIRG THIS. BEE SPE ALL OF HIS HARDWIRG MACHATNS, HE LOV THIS MAN SPERATELY. IT’S THE EPT LOVE OF HIS LIFE, AND THE TLY THENTIC ONE. HE’S GOG TO DO EVERYTHG HE N THK OF TO MAKE ALL RIGHT THE MARRIAGE. THIS IS THE KD OF THG WHERE CYS, THE ONLY TERRORY HIS LIFE, WOULD ACTUALLY THK OF PRRIZG MARRIAGE OVER THE REPUBLIC AND THE PRINCY. HE MIGHT HAVE TO DO .CYS KNOWS THAT HE WENT TOO FAR, BUT HE DID STILL E HIS HBAND AS A PAWN HIS OWN SCHEM. HOW DO HE GRAPPLE WH THAT, THAT ’S THE BED HE MA AND NOW HE HAS TO LIE ?IT’S A VERY UNFORTABLE BED. A BED OF NAILS. [LGHS] AUTHENTILLY, SHONDA RHIM AND THE WRERS TAKE CYS TO A LTLE B OF THE SEVENTH RG OF HELL OVER . SO WE’RE GOG TO SEE CYS TROUBLE. WE’VE SEEN HIM TAKE RE OF EVERYBODY ELSE’S PROBLEMS. THAT’S A CHIEF OF STAFF’S JOB. THAT HE EXCELS AT, EVEN WHEN GIV HIM A BRIEF HEART ATTACK. BUT TO HAVE ED THE PROBLEM HIMSELF IS NEW TERRORY FOR THE SHOW AND THE CHARACTER. SO CYS IS UNPRECENTED TERRORY, PERSONALLY.CYS IS A POLARIZG CHARACTER FOR SNDAL FANS. YOU SEE HIM DO THGS LIKE THIS TO HIS HBAND, BUT YOU’RE STILL ROOTG FOR HIM, BEE YOU ROOT FOR OLIVIA AND YOU ROOT FOR FZ AND HE’S ON THEIR TEAM. SO VIEWERS HAVE A PLITED RELATNSHIP WH HIM. WHAT DO YOU THK ABOUT HIM: IS HE A GOOD GUY? IS HE A BAD GUY?HE’S BOTH. TO TRY TO DO YOUR BT TO HAB A CHARACTER, YOU JUDGE THEM TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU JUDGE YOURSELF. THAT SHAME AND REMORSE ARE EVABLY PART OF THE EQUATN WHEN YOU’RE PABLE OF REALLY SCREWG UP, WHICH CYS IS. DENIAL AND PRI AND AMBN AND PETIVENS ARE ALSO PART OF THE MAN’S HARDWIRG, AS ARE PASSN AND ROMANTICISM AND IALISM. SO, LIKE ALL OF SHONDA’S BRILLIANT CHARACTERS, THERE’S SUCH THENTIC PTH ALL OF THE DICHOTOMI SHE CREAT.I’LL NEVER FET THAT MONOLOGUE CYS HAD SEASON TWO, WHERE HE TOLD JAM, “I WASN’T MEANT TO BE CHIEF OF STAFF, I WAS MEANT TO BE PRINT. BUT GUS WHAT? I’M NOT VERY TALL, I’M NOT VERY PRETTY. SO THIS IS KD OF AS FAR AS I N GO.” I FELT LIKE THAT GAVE MUCH-NEED SIGHT TO WHY HE IS THE WAY HE IS.I THOUGHT THAT WAS A BETIFUL REVELATN THAT SHONDA CREATED. WHEN PH ME TO SHOVE, I REMEMBER JAM’S CHALLENGE TO HIM WAS, “IF YOU LOVE ME, SHOW ME WHO YOU ARE. FOR ONCE YOUR LIFE, SHOW ME WHO YOU ARE.” THAT LED THEM TO TO ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE VULNERABILY TOGETHER. AND LIKE YOU SAID, CYS SAID THGS THAT HE NEVER ADMTED OUT LOUD. THAT’S THE KD OF OPPORTUNY THAT SHONDA CREAT WH THE CHARACTERS FOR THE VIEWERS, MOMENTS OF EP, SURPRISG REVELATN.SO THAT SCENE WAS AN EYE-OPENG MOMENT FOR AS VIEWERS. BUT GOOD LORD THERE’S BEEN DOZENS OF CRAZY, BANANAS SCEN THAT YOU’VE SHOT AS CYS. DO YOU POSSIBLY HAVE A FAVORE?SO MANY. THERE’S REALLY AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICH THAT I’M GRATEFUL FOR GETTG TO TRY TO TACKLE. I REMEMBER ONE THE FIRST SEASON, MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE FOURTH EPISO, WHERE THERE’S A LONG MONOLOGUE WHERE, “AS FAR AS I N TELL A WOMAN HAS SUCCSFULLY MATCHED THE PRINT’S DNA, IS LEGIMATELY PREGNANT WH HIS BABY”— TURNS OUT NOT TO BE TE, BUT, AS FAR AS CYS ULD TELL AT THAT POT, THAT WAS WHERE WE WERE AND WAS GOG TO BEE PUBLIC. AND FZ URG ME TO SAY, “CYS, I KNOW YOU’RE VERY TROUBLED, BUT WE’VE GOT TO SPBALL. WHAT’S NEXT.” AND CYS LNCH TO A MONOLOGUE OF “WHAT’S NEXT IS A PREDICTABLE AVALANCHE OF BAD OUT,” BASILLY, ENDG WH FZ TAKG A GUN THAT HIS FATHER HAD GIVEN HIM WHEN HE BEME ERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, PUTTG THE BACK OF HIS MOUTH AND BLOWG HIS HEAD OFF.IT WAS AS DARK A PIECE OF WRG AS HAS BEEN THE SHOW, AND AN AMAZG ARIA OF SPAIR. THAT STICKS OUT FOR ME, AS WELL AS THE NAKED SCENE. BUT THOSE ARE BALANCED BY TIM OF REAL, TENR MISERATN WH OLIVIA, BEE THERE’S WAYS THAT BOTH OF OUR JOBS ARE VERY SIAR. WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FIX EVERYBODY ELSE’S PROBLEMS. THERE’S PRI THAT JOB OF SERVICE, AND THERE’S ALSO SOMETIM A REAL HEARTACHE . THOSE MOMENTS STICK OUT FOR ME, TOO.THE RELATNSHIP BETWEEN CYS AND JAM IS SO REMARKABLE BEE ’S SO TYPILLY THE SE ON A PRIMETIME WORK TELEVISN SERI THAT, IF THERE’S A GAY UPLE, THE UPLE IS PORTRAYED TO BE PERFECT AND HAPPY ALWAYS. BUT CYS AND JAM ARE ALLOWED TO BE MSY AND SORDID AND SOMETIM EVEN AWFUL TO EACH OTHER THE WAY ANY STRAIGHT UPLE ON A SERI AS SOAPY AS SNDAL WOULD BE. I THK ’S A REALLY BIG LEAP, STRANGE AS THAT MAY BE.Y. SHONDA HAS BEEN DOG THIS HER WHOLE TELEVISN REER. REALLY LOOKG AT THE HUMANY OF PEOPLE, NOT A LOR BLD FASHN, BUT AN CLIVE FASHN. THIS PERSON MAY BE ASIAN, BLACK, NATIVE AMERIN, WHE, PRIVILEGED, OR DISPOSSSED, BUT THEY ARE ALL STILL PEOPLE AND PLITED, BUT NEVER ALL GOOD OR ALL BAD. IT’S REALLY ABOUT MEROCRACY AND WHAT JOBS THEY’RE DOG. IN GREY’S ANATOMY, ARE THEY GOOD AS SURGEONS? HERE, ARE THEY GOOD AS FIXERS, THEIR POLIL JOBS? WHAT ARE THEY LIKE THEIR HOME LIV? I REALLY LOVE THAT HER WRG.IT N SOMETIM BE STRSFUL FOR VIEWERS TO WATCH CYS, BEE HE ALWAYS SEEMS SO DARNED STRSED. DO PLAYG CYS MAKE THAT BLEED TO YOUR OWN LIFE, TOO?OH BOY. WE’D REALLY HAVE TO ASK SNDAL’S BRILLIANT STG DIRECTOR, LDA LOWY, MY WIFE. [LGHS] I THK MOSTLY, KEV, BEE I’M ALLOWED TO VENT ALL OF THAT AT WORK, I’M PRETTY TIRED AND LM BY THE TIME I E HOME. YEAH. SO I DON’T THK I TAKE HOME TOO MUCH! KEV FALLON
- 'SNDAL' SEASON 4, EPISO 15 FEATUR GAY MARRIAGE: "PUT A RG ON IT" REP
‘SNDAL’S’ DAN BUTSKY TALKS SHOW’S ‘SUBVERSIVE’ GAY RELATNSHIP
He is the first gay Chief of Staff.
In the 16 years they were together, Cys knew he was gay and didn't move forward wh any of his notns due to lack of acceptance and the AIDS crisis. On the night that Fz Grant was elected Governor of California, Ja revealed that she's had an affair and knew that he was gay. He is the first openly-gay Whe Hoe Chief of Staff and later the first openly-gay Vice Print.
Gay marriage self is not an issue on Shonda Rhim’ DC-set seri. Then I read a script and ’s, ‘Oh, I’m gay.
HOW ‘SNDAL’ REVENTS TV’S GAY COUPLE…AND NOT HOW YOU’D THK
See Where Grey’s Anatomy Falls on Our List of the Bt Gay Weddgs on TV. The relatnship between Cys and Fz is plex, but every aspect of their personal liv is fair game save one: that Cys is a gay man a Republin admistratn rarely up.
“You don’t need a big back story of why he’s gay – he jt is, ” Perry said.
SNDAL REP: THE WHE HOE EMBRAC GAY MARRIAGE AS CYS BEENE SAYS I DO WATCH THE CLIPS!
On the one hand, Cys and Jam are obvly not the first well-wrten gay uple on televisn. As a rult, they cease to be ‘the gay uple’ on the show and bee, rather, one of our favore upl to watch.
Olivia Pope and Associat staged a high-stak gay marriage between Cys Beene (Jeff Perry) and his rt boy toy, Michael (Matthew Del Negro), and tons of Gladiator-style drama ensued. Sndal fans fally got a glimpse at Cys’ first marriage to a woman named Ja (Ey Bergl), to whom he popped the qutn spe beg gay.
Mellie me out support of gay marriage durg Cys’ big weddg Sndal’s “Put a Rg On It” episo.
‘SNDAL’S’ WHE HOE GAY WEDDG SPARKS SOCIAL FRENZY WH SECRETS, LI AND A RG
Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) me out support of gay marriage thanks to some promptg om her arch nemis (aka Olivia) — and even offered to host Cys and Michael’s weddg at the Whe Hoe! When the gigolo (played by Michael Del Negro) who was hired by the print’s polil enemy to sce POTUS’ gay chief of staff got himself to trouble, the Gladiators started damage ntrol and urged Cys to move up the nuptials. So the team lnched to the planng of Beene’s big gay Whe Hoe weddg, while former Vice Print Sally Langston returned and set her sights on exposg as a sham by offerg a reward to anyone who uld prove the marriage was dulent.
COULD ‘SNDAL’ FEATURE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT?
Even Cys himself was tempted to throw Michael to the wolv once he learned of his affair, but after a dner wh his horrendo parents revealed how they had sent him to mp as a kid to cure his gayns, the groom-to-be me around.
They’re too good to have a gay son but apparently they’re not too good to take a bribe. “And I was remd by someone, gosh, if that happens, he’d be our first gay print!
He'd be the first openly gay print, the Sndal-verse and light of Cys' propensy for evil, his relatnships are always what kept his character ground realy. Comg out as gay to the Republin print he worked for, much ls to the rt of the admistratn and the untry, was no easy feat.
WILL SNDAL FEATURE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT?
) But a female print, or an openly gay one, would be revolutnary. Wouldn't the Republin base that Cys needs the support of be STOKED if he lled off his nuptials, given that he's gay?
And I have all the empathy the world for Cys's stggl as a young gay man and a closeted hband, but that don't exce the time that he, for example, almost had a h taken out on his (now ad) mak the emotnal stak of the episo really nfg, even though 's sweet an credibly twisted way that Cys and Michael do wd up married, and that Cys fally se Michael as someone broken, wh needs.
Attemptg to blackmail Vice Print Sally Langston, Cys orchtrated a plan which Sally’s closeted gay hband would sce his own hband, Jam, only to be ught by a planted photographer. Hopg to keep Sally Langston, as far as I’m ncerned, the addled, hypocril, homophobic nut job on the ticket bee we sperately need the south and we fely need women and we need the relig right.
SNDAL’S MOST SNDALO CHARACTER: JEFF PERRY ON PLAYG CYSWHAT WOULD CYS DO?AFTER MANY PAFUL MONTHS WHOUT THE BELOVED SHOW, ‘SNDAL’ IS BACK. JEFF PERRY, WHO PLAYS WHE HOE CHIEF OF STAFF CYS BEENE, SAYS EVERYTHG'S ABOUT TO CHANGE.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 12:55PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 27, 2014 8:00PM EST CRAIG SJOD/ABCTHE P BULL OF THE WT WG HAS HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS. FOR TWO-AND-A-HALF BOLD, TWIST-FILLED, ABSOLUTELY SANE SEASONS, JEFF PERRY’S WHE HOE CHIEF OF STAFF CYS BEENE HAS BEEN FIXG EVERYONE ELSE’S PROBLEMS, EVEN IF MEANS BARG SOME TEETH AND BARKG UP SOME MORALLY AMBIGUO (IF NOT DOWNRIGHT UHIL) TRE TO REACH HIS GOAL.WHEN WE LAST SAW CYS 620 YEARS AGO WHEN THE LAST EPISO OF SNDAL AIRED (OK, WAS DECEMBER, BUT FEELS SO MUCH LONGER), THERE WASN’T A DOG HOE BIG ENOUGH TO PUT HIM . ATTEMPTG TO BLACKMAIL VICE PRINT SALLY LANGSTON, CYS ORCHTRATED A PLAN WHICH SALLY’S CLOSETED GAY HBAND WOULD SCE HIS OWN HBAND, JAM, ONLY TO BE UGHT BY A PLANTED PHOTOGRAPHER. WHAT CYS HADN’T BARGAED FOR WAS THAT JAM WOULD TCH ON TO HIS PLAN AND TAKE REVENGE ON CYS BY SUCCUMBG TO MR. LANGSTON’S ADVANC. AS TURNS OUT, HBANDS DON’T LIKE BEG ED AS A PAWN THEIR PARTNER’S V MACHATNS.THE FACT THAT CYS NCTS SUCH VILE PLANS AND SNDAL LOVERS STILL FEEL EMPATHY FOR HIM IS OWED ENTIRELY TO PERRY’S NUANCED PERFORMANCE. HE MAK SO CYS’S BLD AMBN IS ALWAYS AT AN ADRENALE-DUCG BOILG POT, WHILE ALWAYS REMEMBERG TO TURN DOWN THE HEAT BEFORE THE UNSAVORY THLSNS BOILS OVER. IF KERRY WASHGTON’S OLIVIA POPE IS AMERI’S FAVORE GLADIATOR, JEFF PERRY IS CERTALY DRIVG THE CHART. NOW THAT SNDAL IS FALLY—FINALLY!—BACK ON ABC THURSDAY NIGHT, WE CHATTED WH PERRY ABOUT WHERE CYS N POSSIBLY GO OM HERE, THE PROGRSIVE NATURE OF HIS BLSEDLY SCREWED UP RELATNSHIP WH JAM, AND WHAT ’S LIKE TO PLAY A CHARACTER WHO IS SO DARNED STRSED ALL THE TIME.SO THE SHOW BACK TONIGHT…TELL ME EVERYTHG.WELL THE SEND HALF OF THE THIRD SEASON IS, TERMS OF THE WT WG, TERMED TO GETTG OUT FZ REELECTED. WE LEFT OFF WH CYS MAKG A GRAVE MISLCULATN AS HIS CHIEF OF STAFF.TO PUT DLY…PUTTG DLY. HOPG TO KEEP SALLY LANGSTON, AS FAR AS I’M NCERNED, THE ADDLED, HYPOCRIL, HOMOPHOBIC NUT JOB ON THE TICKET BEE WE SPERATELY NEED THE SOUTH AND WE FELY NEED WOMEN AND WE NEED THE RELIG RIGHT. A AL MA WH THE VIL. I NCT A PLAN THAT GO SOUTH, TO PUT DLY. I END UP WH PHOTOGRAPHS OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE NSENSUAL SEX WH MY HBAND AND HER HBAND. THE PHOTOS ARE ELS AS LEVERAGE, WHICH IS ONE PART OF THE PROBLEM TO CYS’S PLAN. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT MY HBAND DISVERS WHAT I’VE DONE. I’VE FUNDAMENTALLY ENDANGERED MY MARRIAGE.HOW DO THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN CYS AND JAM CHANGE AFTER ALL THIS. I’D IMAGE CHANG, UM, A LOT.THERE IS SO MUCH REPAIR TO DO, I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’S ENOUGH MARRIAGE THERAPISTS THE WORLD TO VER . BUT I KNOW CYS IS ABSOLUTELY TENT ON SOMEHOW REPAIRG THIS. BEE SPE ALL OF HIS HARDWIRG MACHATNS, HE LOV THIS MAN SPERATELY. IT’S THE EPT LOVE OF HIS LIFE, AND THE TLY THENTIC ONE. HE’S GOG TO DO EVERYTHG HE N THK OF TO MAKE ALL RIGHT THE MARRIAGE. THIS IS THE KD OF THG WHERE CYS, THE ONLY TERRORY HIS LIFE, WOULD ACTUALLY THK OF PRRIZG MARRIAGE OVER THE REPUBLIC AND THE PRINCY. HE MIGHT HAVE TO DO .CYS KNOWS THAT HE WENT TOO FAR, BUT HE DID STILL E HIS HBAND AS A PAWN HIS OWN SCHEM. HOW DO HE GRAPPLE WH THAT, THAT ’S THE BED HE MA AND NOW HE HAS TO LIE ?IT’S A VERY UNFORTABLE BED. A BED OF NAILS. [LGHS] AUTHENTILLY, SHONDA RHIM AND THE WRERS TAKE CYS TO A LTLE B OF THE SEVENTH RG OF HELL OVER . SO WE’RE GOG TO SEE CYS TROUBLE. WE’VE SEEN HIM TAKE RE OF EVERYBODY ELSE’S PROBLEMS. THAT’S A CHIEF OF STAFF’S JOB. THAT HE EXCELS AT, EVEN WHEN GIV HIM A BRIEF HEART ATTACK. BUT TO HAVE ED THE PROBLEM HIMSELF IS NEW TERRORY FOR THE SHOW AND THE CHARACTER. SO CYS IS UNPRECENTED TERRORY, PERSONALLY.CYS IS A POLARIZG CHARACTER FOR SNDAL FANS. YOU SEE HIM DO THGS LIKE THIS TO HIS HBAND, BUT YOU’RE STILL ROOTG FOR HIM, BEE YOU ROOT FOR OLIVIA AND YOU ROOT FOR FZ AND HE’S ON THEIR TEAM. SO VIEWERS HAVE A PLITED RELATNSHIP WH HIM. WHAT DO YOU THK ABOUT HIM: IS HE A GOOD GUY? IS HE A BAD GUY?HE’S BOTH. TO TRY TO DO YOUR BT TO HAB A CHARACTER, YOU JUDGE THEM TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU JUDGE YOURSELF. THAT SHAME AND REMORSE ARE EVABLY PART OF THE EQUATN WHEN YOU’RE PABLE OF REALLY SCREWG UP, WHICH CYS IS. DENIAL AND PRI AND AMBN AND PETIVENS ARE ALSO PART OF THE MAN’S HARDWIRG, AS ARE PASSN AND ROMANTICISM AND IALISM. SO, LIKE ALL OF SHONDA’S BRILLIANT CHARACTERS, THERE’S SUCH THENTIC PTH ALL OF THE DICHOTOMI SHE CREAT.I’LL NEVER FET THAT MONOLOGUE CYS HAD SEASON TWO, WHERE HE TOLD JAM, “I WASN’T MEANT TO BE CHIEF OF STAFF, I WAS MEANT TO BE PRINT. BUT GUS WHAT? I’M NOT VERY TALL, I’M NOT VERY PRETTY. SO THIS IS KD OF AS FAR AS I N GO.” I FELT LIKE THAT GAVE MUCH-NEED SIGHT TO WHY HE IS THE WAY HE IS.I THOUGHT THAT WAS A BETIFUL REVELATN THAT SHONDA CREATED. WHEN PH ME TO SHOVE, I REMEMBER JAM’S CHALLENGE TO HIM WAS, “IF YOU LOVE ME, SHOW ME WHO YOU ARE. FOR ONCE YOUR LIFE, SHOW ME WHO YOU ARE.” THAT LED THEM TO TO ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE VULNERABILY TOGETHER. AND LIKE YOU SAID, CYS SAID THGS THAT HE NEVER ADMTED OUT LOUD. THAT’S THE KD OF OPPORTUNY THAT SHONDA CREAT WH THE CHARACTERS FOR THE VIEWERS, MOMENTS OF EP, SURPRISG REVELATN.SO THAT SCENE WAS AN EYE-OPENG MOMENT FOR AS VIEWERS. BUT GOOD LORD THERE’S BEEN DOZENS OF CRAZY, BANANAS SCEN THAT YOU’VE SHOT AS CYS. DO YOU POSSIBLY HAVE A FAVORE?SO MANY. THERE’S REALLY AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICH THAT I’M GRATEFUL FOR GETTG TO TRY TO TACKLE. I REMEMBER ONE THE FIRST SEASON, MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE FOURTH EPISO, WHERE THERE’S A LONG MONOLOGUE WHERE, “AS FAR AS I N TELL A WOMAN HAS SUCCSFULLY MATCHED THE PRINT’S DNA, IS LEGIMATELY PREGNANT WH HIS BABY”— TURNS OUT NOT TO BE TE, BUT, AS FAR AS CYS ULD TELL AT THAT POT, THAT WAS WHERE WE WERE AND WAS GOG TO BEE PUBLIC. AND FZ URG ME TO SAY, “CYS, I KNOW YOU’RE VERY TROUBLED, BUT WE’VE GOT TO SPBALL. WHAT’S NEXT.” AND CYS LNCH TO A MONOLOGUE OF “WHAT’S NEXT IS A PREDICTABLE AVALANCHE OF BAD OUT,” BASILLY, ENDG WH FZ TAKG A GUN THAT HIS FATHER HAD GIVEN HIM WHEN HE BEME ERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, PUTTG THE BACK OF HIS MOUTH AND BLOWG HIS HEAD OFF.IT WAS AS DARK A PIECE OF WRG AS HAS BEEN THE SHOW, AND AN AMAZG ARIA OF SPAIR. THAT STICKS OUT FOR ME, AS WELL AS THE NAKED SCENE. BUT THOSE ARE BALANCED BY TIM OF REAL, TENR MISERATN WH OLIVIA, BEE THERE’S WAYS THAT BOTH OF OUR JOBS ARE VERY SIAR. WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FIX EVERYBODY ELSE’S PROBLEMS. THERE’S PRI THAT JOB OF SERVICE, AND THERE’S ALSO SOMETIM A REAL HEARTACHE . THOSE MOMENTS STICK OUT FOR ME, TOO.THE RELATNSHIP BETWEEN CYS AND JAM IS SO REMARKABLE BEE ’S SO TYPILLY THE SE ON A PRIMETIME WORK TELEVISN SERI THAT, IF THERE’S A GAY UPLE, THE UPLE IS PORTRAYED TO BE PERFECT AND HAPPY ALWAYS. BUT CYS AND JAM ARE ALLOWED TO BE MSY AND SORDID AND SOMETIM EVEN AWFUL TO EACH OTHER THE WAY ANY STRAIGHT UPLE ON A SERI AS SOAPY AS SNDAL WOULD BE. I THK ’S A REALLY BIG LEAP, STRANGE AS THAT MAY BE.Y. SHONDA HAS BEEN DOG THIS HER WHOLE TELEVISN REER. REALLY LOOKG AT THE HUMANY OF PEOPLE, NOT A LOR BLD FASHN, BUT AN CLIVE FASHN. THIS PERSON MAY BE ASIAN, BLACK, NATIVE AMERIN, WHE, PRIVILEGED, OR DISPOSSSED, BUT THEY ARE ALL STILL PEOPLE AND PLITED, BUT NEVER ALL GOOD OR ALL BAD. IT’S REALLY ABOUT MEROCRACY AND WHAT JOBS THEY’RE DOG. IN GREY’S ANATOMY, ARE THEY GOOD AS SURGEONS? HERE, ARE THEY GOOD AS FIXERS, THEIR POLIL JOBS? WHAT ARE THEY LIKE THEIR HOME LIV? I REALLY LOVE THAT HER WRG.IT N SOMETIM BE STRSFUL FOR VIEWERS TO WATCH CYS, BEE HE ALWAYS SEEMS SO DARNED STRSED. DO PLAYG CYS MAKE THAT BLEED TO YOUR OWN LIFE, TOO?OH BOY. WE’D REALLY HAVE TO ASK SNDAL’S BRILLIANT STG DIRECTOR, LDA LOWY, MY WIFE. [LGHS] I THK MOSTLY, KEV, BEE I’M ALLOWED TO VENT ALL OF THAT AT WORK, I’M PRETTY TIRED AND LM BY THE TIME I E HOME. YEAH. SO I DON’T THK I TAKE HOME TOO MUCH! KEV FALLON
Those moments stick out for me, relatnship between Cys and Jam is so remarkable bee ’s so typilly the se on a primetime work televisn seri that, if there’s a gay uple, the uple is portrayed to be perfect and happy always. Why wasn’t Cys hont wh Jam that he’d learned Daniel was gay and have Jam “disver” that durg his terview to e the prs to discred Sally? How will he e the rmatn that Daniel is gay?
'SNDAL' SEASON 4, EPISO 15 FEATUR GAY MARRIAGE: "PUT A RG ON IT" REP
It worked … until he was photographed grdg wh a stripper at a gay club, leavg the prs to qutn his relatnship wh Cys. Liv sisted that Cys fally marry Michael and nvced Mellie (Bellamy Young) to host the nuptials at the Whe Hoe, givg her mpaign a boost among northern Virgia liberals and ensurg that Fz (Tony Goldwyn) wouldn’t have to sacrifice his nservative base by admtg that, yeah, wh a gay chief of staff, he’s pro same-sex marriage.
But after dner wh Michael’s horrifilly homophobic parents, who admted they were seeg their son walk down the aisle bee Elizabeth paid them, Cys changed his md.