Love, Victor season one spoilers follow.
Love, Victor co-executive producer Brian Tanen has opened up to Digital Spy about the show's connections to its predecessor Love, Simon.
The Hulu show tells the coming out story of Creekwood High School's newest transfer student Victor Salazar (Michael Cimino), with narration from the original film's title character Simon (Nick Robinson).
When we recently chatted with Brian Tanen, he exclusively revealed how Nick Robinson agreed to narrate the show and even return for a cameo in the eighth episode.
Related: Love, Victor co-boss explains cliffhanger ending and teases what's next in season 2
"So, the idea to make Simon the narrator of the show was something that [creators] Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger had come up with prior to when I came on," he explained. "And when they pitched me this idea, I thought it was great.
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"It's this wonderful connective tissue that connects you to the film, but also it speaks to this idea that I know so many LGBT young people experience, which is that the people who have gone through this struggle before – quote, 'gay elders' – can be incredibly helpful along the way on your journey."
The writer then noted: "You feel like there isn't anyone around you who you can talk to. But then there are these people who have gone through this journey, and you're standing on the shoulders of gay elders. It was an experience that a lot of us spoke to, and found helpful in our journeys in coming out.
Related: Love, Victor's Brian Tanen explains why the move from Disney+ to Hulu is "a great opportunity"
"So, it was nice to have Simon be that person for Victor. And then it was always on our wish list to have Nick Robinson actually appear in the series. We were really blessed and fortunate that he was able to do that for that episode."
Simon isn't the only cameo from the original film — Natasha Rothwell also turns up in the pilot, with her character Ms. Albright having been promoted from drama teacher to vice-principal.
Tanen is hopeful more characters from Love, Simon will turn up throughout the course of Victor's story as well.
"Our wish list is: yes, to continue seeing characters from the film," he said. "These are actors in demand, and so you never quite know what's going to be possible. But we are optimistic, and we love the idea of seeing more — especially the teenagers. It's just so wonderful to think about them out there, living their post-high school lives, seeing what they're doing, and seeing what relationships they’re in.
"I think that the more representation we can have of queer characters living their lives and having great lives, is just such a nice thing to see."
Love, Victor season one is now available to watch in the US on Hulu. A UK broadcaster is yet to be announced.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
