The cast and creatives behind “Agatha All Along” are celebrating the Disney+ series’ unprecedented LGBTQ representation.
“I would agree with that,” Sasheer Zamata, who plays Jennifer Kale, said when told at Monday’s premiere that “Agatha” has been described as “the gayest project Marvel has ever done. “You’ll see when you watch. Witches are queer, inherently, just because we are outcasts and set aside for many reasons. This show shows a really good representation of different types of people and that we can all use the power we have within to go forward and be great.”
Joe Locke, who plays Teen, explained, “It’s got many layers and gay is one of them. That’s one of the great things about the show. … Teen is a queer guy on the show, but it’s not the driving force, which I think is really great. It’s really nice to just have these positive queer characters.”
Kathryn Hahn, who stars as Agatha Harkness explained, “What is the most exciting thing about it is is that’s not exactly what it’s about. It’s so normalized.
Locke came out publicly shortly after his star-making acting debut in “Heartstopper.” Zamata, a former “Saturday Night Live” player, came out as queer in an interview earlier this month with LGBTQ outlet Them. “I’ve always looked up to Wanda Sykes as another Black queer woman in comedy living her truth is really inspiring and awesome,” she said at the “Agatha” premiere. “I feel proud to be amongst a lot of great people who do that openly.”
Aubrey Plaza, who said in an interview with the Advocate in 2016 that she falls in love with men and women, was tightlipped about details but cracked about “Agatha,” “It will be a gay explosion by the end of it.”
Plaza plays Rio Vidal while Marvel newcomer Patti LuPone portrays Lila Calderu.
“It is the gayest show on Marvel,” said Ali Ahn, who plays Alice Wu-Gulliver. “There is a lot of pageantry we’re already competing with. I think the thing that makes it more gay is that we are singing with Patti.”
The premiere of “Agatha All Along” was a star-studded event with Kathryn Hahn and her daughter Mae Marie Sandler gracing the red carpet. Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, William Jackson Harper, Ali Ahn, and other cast members were also in attendance, along with Disney’s Alan Bergman, Jac Schaeffer, Emma Caulfield, and Marvel Studios’ Louis D’Esposito.
Overall, “Agatha All Along” is making waves in the LGBTQ community for its positive representation and normalization of queer characters. With a talented cast and creative team, the show is breaking barriers and setting a new standard for diversity and inclusivity in the Marvel universe.
