Arts & Entertainment
Out actor on his ‘Real O’Neals’ experience
Noah builds comedic arc on Savage-based sitcom
THE REAL O’NEALS – ABC’s “The Real O’Neals” stars Noah Galvin as Kenny. (ABC/Bob D’Amico)
Noah Galvin might be new on your television screen, but he’s no stranger to the entertainment business. Starting out as a child stage actor in New York, Galvin worked his way from Broadway to circus to eventually landing the lead role as Kenny on “The Real O’Neals.”
Kenny, loosely based on Dan Savage’s teen years, comes out to his conservative Catholic family in Chicago. After his big admission, he must learn how to navigate his sexuality and high school at the same time. The show, which airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC, shows his family is far from perfect themselves. His parents (Martha Plimpton and Jay Ferguson) are getting divorced, his older jock brother (Matt Shively) is anorexic and his little sister (Bebe Wood) has a case of sticky fingers while starting to question her own faith. A Blade interview with the show’s producer is here.
Galvin says although he came out around high school like Kenny does, their experiences were hardly the same. The out actor spoke with the Blade about how shaving the side of his head was an integral part of his coming out and how Savage became a mentor for him in work and his personal life.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Kenny’s high school experience is kind of chaotic after he comes out. Was your high school experience similar to Kenny’s? When did you come out?
NOAH GALVIN: I came out when I was 14. I had been working for Cirque du Soleil the year before and had been homeschooling, and then decided I didn’t want to homeschool any more because it was so isolating. So I held myself back a year and went to this regular public school in Westchester, N.Y., that I had friends at. Before I went back to school I had my friends shave the side of my head and pierce my right ear in the bathroom so I could really just walk into the school a completely new, out, gay person. The chaos came from people around me, people who had to deal with this. Kenny’s struggles are different. They’re sort of internal. They’re sort of self-imposed. He’s creating this problem himself, and no one really has an issue with it at school. It’s just him freaking out about it and not wanting to face these things.
BLADE: What’s been the biggest challenge bringing Kenny to life?
GALVIN: I don’t know if I would call this a challenge, but Kenny’s very comfortable with himself. It was a cool thing to portray a different coming out experience.
BLADE: In the episode “The Real Spring Fever,” Kenny experiments with online dating. Do you have any online dating horror stories?
GALVIN: I have a couple dating apps. I have Tinder and what not. I don’t use them per se, but I have them. No horror stories to date, thank God. I’ll let you know when I do though.
BLADE: What’s been your favorite episode to film?
GALVIN: Honestly, I don’t know if I have one. I have favorite moments from all of them. They’re all so close to my heart. I really love this show and I think it’s really great, funny and important. We’ve gotten to work with awesome guest stars. Frances Conroy of “Six Feet Under” fame plays our grandmother, and “Six Feet Under” has been my favorite show forever. So getting to work with her is incredible. Tim Gunn is on an episode and he is just one of the most wonderful men in the world just so sweet, smart and supportive.
BLADE: What’s the atmosphere like on set?
GALVIN: Joyous. We have an amazing time together. Our cast gets along so freakishly well. None of us chemistry tested together and for some reason we just like magically melded together so perfectly. Something that Martha (Plimpton) and Jay (Ferguson) realized like two-thirds of the way into the process, maybe even later, was that we were all child actors. So I think that sort of lent itself to us getting to know each other and liking each other. We all have a similar level of professionalism. We’re all about do the work, leave it at work and then go on with our lives. On set it’s hard; you’re doing 14- and 16-hour days, and it’s a comedy so you’ve got to keep your energy up the whole time. Jay is a big proponent of game playing, so on set it’s mostly just us being told to quiet down because we’re yelling and screaming and playing Catch Phrase.
BLADE: You’re playing a young Dan Savage on the show. Did you get to meet him and what was your impression of him?
GALVIN: Dan is a good friend. We initially met during the filming of the pilot. At first he was sort of distancing himself from me and I didn’t know why. Eventually I sat down with him and was like, “What’s up, man?” And it came out that he thought I was like 15 years old. Upon realizing I was 21, he was like, “Oh thank god” and was able to really get into it with me, and talk about things which was really nice. He’s a very busy man so he wasn’t there for a lot of the filming of the whole series. He’s a non-creative executive producer, so he doesn’t write anything for the show. I was in touch with him and any time I had a question or a problem I would turn to him. Both professionally and unprofessionally he was a source of advice for me.
BLADE: Are you still in school or are you acting full time?
GALVIN: I am acting full time. The college application process was a big point of contention in my family. I’m an actor and I knew I was going to be an actor. I had been working professionally since I was 10. It was kind of a struggle for me to finish school just because I was working. My senior year of high school it came down to it, and I finally decided I wasn’t going to apply to colleges or conservatories. I was just going to start working and see what happens. And this (“The Real O’Neals”) came along months after which was great.
BLADE: Are you concerned about being typecast as the “gay guy” for future roles because of this show?
GALVIN: Definitely. It’s not a fear, but it’s something that’s on my mind and something I think about. It’s something I’ll have to learn how to navigate. I don’t have any interest in being a spokesperson or poster boy for any movement. But I would absolutely love to be an advocate and do advocacy work. But in that, I really just want to be able to do everything. I want to keep working. I want variety in my career. I’m hoping that we’re in a time where I’m not the Rupert Everett of our generation. I’m hoping that casting directors are open minded enough to see that I can do a lot of things.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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