By Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Schitt’s Creek” creator and four-time Emmy winner Dan Levy is showing off a more serious side to himself as part of a multiyear film and TV deal with the streaming giant Netflix.
The maiden production is the film “Good Grief,” which Levy wrote, directed and stars in. It follows his character, Marc, whose life is turned upside down when his husband ,Oliver, played by Luke Evans, dies suddenly in an accident.
Marc must reconstruct his life with the help of his two best friends, Thomas, played by Himesh Patel, and Sophie, portrayed by Ruth Negga.
The movie, which starts streaming on Netflix on Jan. 5, is a drama which Levy hopes his fans will connect with even though it is outside the comedic work for which he is known.
“I think it’s very rare to be given an opportunity to do something so different from what people know you to do and that takes a leap of faith from, in this case, from Netflix to greenlight something that’s so different,” Levy said.
He feels that actors often get type-cast and must stay in the genre people expect them to be, so he is grateful for the chance to do something personal to him.
Although lighthearted, the film shows how friendship can help through the process of mourning.
“I think there’s this fear … that sharing your fears or your sadness is a burden on your friendships, but I think that is the greatest act of love ultimately,” Levy said.
To create the friendship bond, he arranged for Patel, Negga and himself to connect over several weeks before shooting, including doing an escape room together in London, which Levy said had “everyone’s skill sets just put on display.”
Whether it is comedy or drama, he wants people to see that his work resonates across genres.
“I cared very deeply about ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and I think the common theme here is that both of these projects have a very large heartbeat to them, and I hope will mean something to people in very different ways,” he said.
Levy’s multiyear deal with Netflix began in 2021.
(Reporting by Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway; Editing by Mary Milliken and Sandra Maler)
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