The Politician Review and Interview with Theo Germaine + Laura Dreyfuss
One day while browsing Netflix, I came upon a show called The Politician. It had been advertised everywhere and on everything that I just had to try it out! Little did I know that a few days later I would be given an offer to actually interview two of the main cast of The Politician who was James and McAfee aka Theo Germaine and Laura Dreyfuss. Stunned and excited, I binged the show to ensure I came into the interview ready to go!
The Politician was made by Ryan Murphy who is a veteran of writing for incredible shows from Glee to American Horror Story, and so many others. The man knows drama and storytelling which was absolutely showcased in this new series.
Payton Hobart, a student from Santa Barbara, has known since age seven that he’s going to be President of the United States. But first he’ll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape of all: Saint Sebastian High School.
The first few episodes of this show were extremely fast-paced to the point where I felt almost no attachment to any of the characters because I didn’t have enough time to stop and smell the roses. These first three episodes are the weakest part of the entire season and even then, I found myself enjoying the unapologetic inclusivity The Politician displayed. Yes, they might be apart of a community that is just barely becoming socially acceptable but the show didn’t make it a huge focal point. That was a really awesome aspect.
Once the fourth episode hit, the entire show shifted into a fantastic direction. You could tell the writers meant for the first few episodes to be almost uncomfortable to watch that way when you get settled into the mindset that it’ll be the culture of the entire season, they just flip everything. All of the characters are dysfunctional in their own ways and ultimately just want to be happy, their attempt to balance their life to achieve success and mental stability is a losing battle that makes it fun to watch.
This show might only have eight episodes but each and every one of them has a ton to offer the viewer. By the end of the season, I couldn’t help but binge the series and inevitably become the victim of a great cliff hanger as I yearn for Season 2!
Interview with Theo Germaine + Laura Dreyfuss (Spoilers)
I was out of my mind with nervousness to speak with Theo and Laura on their hard work as James and McAfee who are Payton’s most trusted advisors. To prepare for the interview I had been doing research on the two and to my surprise, I found out Theo was transgender. I was completely blown away with surprise since I literally had no idea and with a lot of my friends going through their own transitions, I really appreciated Theo so much more!
When the two entered the room and sat down at the table I absolutely got scared but I just had to carry on!
The Geek Lyfe: The Politician is fun, fast-paced, and contains a lot of twists! When you read the script for your role, which turns of events most surprised you?
Theo: It would have to be when Theo and Alice had been caught sleeping with one another. It was such an awkward situation for James to be so loyal to Payton and yet for him to also be in love with Alice. Then at the end of the day for James to be okay with Alice and Payton being together for the good of the campaign despite James’ own personal wants.
Laura:Â There were a lot of moments in the season that really came as a shock as you read through the script. One of my favorites for McAfee was her involvement with Skye since that came out of nowhere and led to a life-threatening situation for Payton. Another one was the very end of the show where everyone bands together to help Payton run for actual office when they find out dirt on Dede Standish. there was just so much you could not see coming that made it fun to watch!
TGL: Every single character in the show has its own set of dramatic changes they have to overcome. You guys did fantastic as James and McAfee. Did you do anything to prepare for your roles at all?
Theo: This was an interesting situation for me since in my own life, I was not out in Highschool so getting to go back to Highschool as the gender I identify with was a great experience.
Laura: The awesome thing about The Politician is that the show is so chaotic and dynamic that there was no specific way the characters had to be. We had a lot of freedom to really create our own versions of the characters so rather than learning to play a certain character, I focused more so on what would a person in this wacky situation would be like in order to survive and succeed.
I highly recommend The Politician to anyone looking for a comedic drama that offers a number of shock and awe moments! You can find it on Netflix and we want to give a huge shout out to Theo and Laura for taking the time to answer a few of our questions!
Chicano | Fighting/Writing for Diversity | DM since 08 | Anime Lover | Site: https://www.thegeeklyfe.com | info@thegeeklyfe.com | http://twitch.tv/that_deangelo | https://linktr.ee/deangelomurillo
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