Entertainment Weekly named Dan and Eugene Levy Entertainers of the Year. Well earned, if not a dubious distinction to be named in connection with 2020. With the incredible success of Schitts Creek and it finally receiving award recognition, it seems the pair is thrilled to be on this particular pedestal. And not just because the show was their collaborative effort. In their interview, Dan, once again, acknowledged the fact that his father has always supported him as a gay man, and he understands how much easier that has made his path. It’s a pretty long interview that deals mostly with their respective careers and family life, but I’ve just pulled the quotes dealing with LGBTQIA+ aspects. I also left in the fluff quotes because I find both Levy men very funny.
On showing affection:
EUGENE: Well, I came from a huggy family, and I think we had plenty of hugs in our family when we see each other.DAN: Not anymore.
EUGENE: Not anymore, and not now. Now the show’s over because we’re not getting along at all.
DAN: No, I meant because of COVID.
EUGENE: I actually miss those hugs. It’s been a while since we’ve had family hugs, certainly because we’re not all in the same bubble. I don’t think we necessarily go too much over and above.
DAN: No. It’s not an enmeshment situation.
EUGENE: I don’t finish every conversation with “Love you! Love you!” I feel that we know the love is there.
DAN: I’ve never had to prove myself. I’ve never had to explain myself and that, fundamentally, is the support that every father needs to give their son. Particularly where the son is a gay or queer person, because that relationship is crucial. And I think for a lot of people, they don’t get that support from their fathers. I’m grateful.
EUGENE: Well, that was always there from your mother and me.
On having same-sex kissing scenes edited out of Schitts Creek:
DAN: It was a promo that was sent to me, out of India. For me, it was a responsibility to investigate and get to the bottom of what was going on. There’s a community of people that have really rallied around the show and found a sense of safety and security in it. I was very relieved to learn that the scene wasn’t cut out of the show itself but rather the promo, but I think it’s an important lesson to learn in terms of censorship of any kind. It was necessary to call it out. As one of the gatekeepers of the show, you can’t just turn a blind eye to something like that when you made the conscious choice to make a show about inclusivity.
Earlier this year, Dan and Eugene talked about when Dan came out. Eugene and his wife Deb knew Dan was gay and were waiting for him to tell them. Deb just asked Dan when he was 18. The Levys were surely supportive of him before that. I hope we have provided a safe space for our kids. It feels like we have, our kids are talking about their crushes and asking questions. I am grateful for parents like Eugene and Deb Levy, who paved this path for us. There was a time when it would have been uncomfortable to hear that my 13 year old daughter’s latest crush was a girl. Parents who stood up for their kids, like the Levys, have made it easier for me to be a better ally and parent.
Eugene is such a standup guy that so many turned up to honor him when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. EW asked Dan what surprised him most about working with Eugene and Dan said it was watching how he treated everyone, “the way that he operates on set, the level of care and respect, it’s quite remarkable. Because when the number one and number two on your show treat everybody with the same level of respect… The ripple effects of that create a safe space.” This was probably my favorite comment in the whole interview. Think about workplaces in which the office heads treated each other well but acted as if you were something stuck to the bottom of their shoe. I adore the Levys and this interview confirms that.
Photo credit: SATY + PRATHA for EW, Getty Images and Backgrid
God I love them!!!
I have ALWAYS ALWAYS loved Eugene Levy. I think he is SO underrated as a comedic actor…timing and delivery. he was one of the best parts of Splash and was BRILLIANT in Best in Show. it’s so nice to know what a GREAT person he is, too.
and I love that he and his son did this show together.
The goodness shines out from these two people, they are just so lovely. Just the antidote to 2020 that we all need.
This is lovely, I like them a lot. It’s really great that Dan always felt supported by his parents and that he gets along so well with them. Growing up (and living with) this kind of parental love,affection and support can give you so much strength and confidence.
I really like the black sweater-leopard print shirt combo Dan is wearing on that cover.
I love them, and I think their inner hearts created a world of beauty in Schitt’s Creek, and it’s why so many of us fell in love with the show. It is Moira I miss most of all though. I do remember reading that O’Hara was on the fence or wasn’t going to do it once it went to series, and Dan asked his father to call her again. There could be no other Moira. I give him great credit for recognizing he needed Catherine O’Hara.
I can’t wait to see what Dan does next.
Darla
I could be wrong, but I think they talked her into doing the pilot with no commitment. Hoping it would hook her. I guess it did, thank goodness.
Now I have to go refresh my memory lol
Yes that might be it. She’s just so amazing, and there’s no one else, she made Moira. Oh I love Moira!
Catherine O’Hara is another great comedic actor. (said the same above about Levy). I think my favorite roles of hers are in the Spinal Tap-crew movies. she and Levy were wonderful in Best in Show together, and they also played well together in A Mighty Wind. and she was HILARIOUS in Home for Purim, too.
ETA: and who could forget her perfect work in Beetlejuice?!
Moira is my favorite part of the whole show. Her wigs!
I love the show so much. I watched it once, with gaps waiting for new seasons, and enjoyed it, then binged the whole thing a while later and totally fell in love. It was my go to calming method during the election.
Netflix has a little documentary at the end of the series that talks about all the inclusiveness, and the impact that has on the audience, and I full on cried a few times, especially hearing from parents of LGBTQ kids.
It also took me 3 times through the series to discover that Twyla is played by Dan’s sister/Eugene’s daughter.
Love them. They are such genuinely good people and it really radiates out of both of them.
Eugene and Catherine go WAY back to Second City in Canada days in the late ‘70s. It was the hedey of comedy with that show, SCTV and SNL. She is probably “Aunt” Catherine to Dan!
Loved Schitt’s Creek early on — so glad everyone found it.
I started to realize how often they work together. they must have a great friendship going back so far.
She is Aunt Catherine. Dan Levy has said that he had “Aunt Catherine” in mind when he wrote it. I just adore them all. Catherine is a gem. I’ve loved them all since I was a teenager. They were so funny in the Christopher Guest movies, and she was adorable as the mom in Home Alone.
I binged Schitt’s Creek for the first time this summer. I already miss them so much. There aren’t a lot of shows that I feel strongly about, but I really think you come out of watching that show a slightly better person.
That’s a great way to put it!
And watch it again. It’s worth repeat viewings.
I grew up watching SCTV.
Then all of the Christopher Guest movies.
Now watching and rewatching Schitt’s Creek.
The most interesting thing to come out of this decades long love affair with Eugene Levy? He is so handsome and dashing, and has been privately all his life. But he seems to have gravitated to nerdy, hapless characters that the persona stuck. I love that he likes a well cut suit, well coiffed hair and a good shoe. And that Schitt’s Creek let him be his debonair self.
Their collaboration and mutual respect and love are absolutely what we all need.
Oh, and I want to be Moira when I grow up, I mean I’m already grown up and old, but could I rock a platform and puffy sleeve, plus wear jewelry and a fitted vest as pajamas, as Moira? Life would be complete!
Love them. And love the great Catherine O’Hara!
Levy’s quietly been doing some great work for LGBT+ representation for years. When “Best in Show” came out around 2000, it featured both two gay couples, both of whom were portrayed as relatively happy, even as they were exaggerated for humor. Notably, even though Levy leaned into certain stereotypes, he never did it in a condescending or mocking manner but with gentle, absurd silliness. That was a big deal for that time period considering it took another fifteen years for gay marriage to be federally legalized. Cool dude.
@Hecate, thank you for summarizing this for us. I always loved Eugene, and now I love Dan and Sarah, too. This is the busiest time of year for me at work, family, everything, and the pandemic has made it worse. I have a bi-sexual child, and the Levys are light and hope to me. I aspire to the kindness and humbleness that Eugene lights the world with.
Not seeing enough Annie Murphy love on this thread. Every Rose is the best Rose! <3
My dad went to school with Eugene Levy. He told me once that Eugene Levy was always a pretty stand-up kind of guy, really funny, and easy to be friends with. He wasn’t surprised that people love him in the entertainment world.
They are Canadian treasures! If only John Candy was still with us, I’m sure he’d have been part of the Schitt’s Creek shenanigans.
Oh, it stabbed me in the heart a little when you said that. Yes, John Candy would have been there, and he would have been perfect in it, too. 🙂
I’ve loved Eugene for my entire life. We went to the same school (decades apart) 😀
I think that 2020 is an INCREDIBLE time to be named entertainer of the year. As a society, I think we’ve relied more heavily on the arts for our mental health this year than we have before. They truly seem like people who would be so honored to know that they made such a dark year a little brighter for people who really needed it.
I love them so much! My favorite part of Schitt’s Creek is how Johnny constantly had his “Johnny” name tag when he started helping with the motel. Always the professional!
I loved Schitt’s Creek for years now, but hearing/seeing all the cast interviews surrounding the final season has made me a real fan of Dan Levy, the person. He constantly gives everyone else credit for their contributions. I don’t work in the arts, so maybe that’s the difference, but I come from an environment where it’s expected that your boss will take credit for your work, because everything is a team effort, and I’m not criticizing that approach, it has its uses. But watching him in interview after interview give credit to others (and not in an ‘oh shucks, me?’ way, but in a sincere ‘credit where credit’s due’ way), was really lovely.