What started as just an idea Max Housany had a year ago is now about to become a fully-developed web series.
My Straight-Gay Friend is a new comedy web series created by Housany, a fourth-year electrical engineering student at the University of Ottawa. The series features a cast and crew largely made up of local students, including several from Carleton University.
Housany, 25, said the story is loosely based on his own life.
“It’s the story of these two polar opposites meeting each other. They end up as roommates, becoming friends, and it follows their friendship and personal growth as individuals,” Housany said.
The web series follows the lives of Troy O’Connor, a stereotypical heterosexual jock, and Max Amiri, a sensitive, gay-but-closeted, Sailor Moon– and Disney-obsessed geek. Through the development of their friendship, Max helps Troy be more in touch with his emotions, while Troy helps Max be open about his sexuality and more comfortable with himself.
Though My Straight-Gay Friend is loosely based on Housany’s life, it’s not always grounded in reality. The web series features a musical episode where the characters sing parodies of popular songs, like “Cell Block Tango” from the musical Chicago—instead titled “Hell Block Tango.”
Housany said he got the idea to do a musical from an episode of That `70s Show he remembers seeing when he was younger.
“I thought it would be a really fun idea,” Housany said. “It is a part of the plot, too. It works in really well.”
But Housany said he is most looking forward to sharing an emotional scene in the first episode between the two main characters: when Troy discovers Max is gay.
“Troy kind of reassures him and comforts him [and tells him] that there’s nothing wrong with that,” Housany said. “People are gay and that’s just who they are.”
He said by sharing his web series with everyone, he hopes to make people smile, but also inspire them.
“Personally, I’ve been through those dark phases where sometimes you feel apart from society, and it’s funny how these pieces of art . . . can speak to someone in that time of their life,” he said.
Housany said there are a total of 12 episodes planned for the web series, which will be released on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
“In my mind, the story does go further on, so hopefully if things go well we get a season two,” Housany said. “Who knows what the future holds?”
The casting for the series was done in a variety of ways. Housany said he specifically scouted some of the actors, like James Raynard, who plays Troy. Housany saw his acting profile online and contacted Raynard, who auditioned for Troy and got the role.
Housany said the director of the series, Kerry Chalmers, had filmed a movie called “Queer,” in the past, so he put Housany in touch with some of the actors from that film. Housany added that he posted casting calls on Ottawa film and acting Facebook pages. Actors came in and auditioned with parts of the script for the character they were reading for.
Eric Morin, a fourth-year engineering student at Carleton who plays Caleb Gomez, one of Max’s love interests, said the web series was his first time in a professional film environment.
“I’ve never actually been able to act in front of a camera,” Morin said. He has some experience acting in theatre, including in productions for Carleton’s theatre company, Sock ‘n’ Buskin.
“Acting for film is way different than acting for theatre, and I think that the experience I’ve had with this web series has really showed me that,” Morin said. “I think that’s definitely one of the things I’ve liked the most, is being able to see the differences.”
Morin said he thinks people should watch My Straight-Gay Friend because it deals with prominent issues.
“I think the LGBTQ topic seems to be pretty big right now . . . and I think this is a web series that was written by someone who’s really passionate about that topic, and he just has a lot of things to say,” Morin said.
“It’s just a really fun web series, it was really fun to shoot, and I’m really looking forward to watching it myself,” Morin added.
Though Housany self-funded the series, he said he is planning on crowd-funding on Indiegogo.
The first episode of My Straight-Gay Friend premiered Oct. 8 on YouTube.
