Michael Urie: Making the Yuletide Season Merry and Gay with New Rom-Com

Ho, ho, ho! The holidays are getting a little bit gayer this year.

Netflix is set to release Single All the Way, a Christmas-themed romantic comedy that features, for the first time, a gay romance at its center. In a genre that has seen increased calls for inclusion, the film stars out actors Michael Urie and Luke MacFarlane, as well as LGBTQ favorites Jennifer Coolidge and Kathy Najimy. 

According to Urie, Single All the Way has everything one would ever hope to see in a Christmas movie. 

“I hope when the movie is over, people clink their eggnog, squeeze each other, and say that it was great,” he says. “There’s Christmas sweaters, Christmas trees, hot chocolate, hunky Santas, a little bit of deception, and a whole lotta do-gooding.”

Urie, who rose to fame with his breakout role in ABC’s Ugly Betty and is well-known for his numerous Broadway credits, took some time to chat more about the film with OFM. He also touched on some favorite holiday memories; the return of live theatre; and how he and his partner, actor and producer Ryan Spahn, stayed creative while locked down in quarantine. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being a part of Single All the Way?
Having your mom be Kathy Najimy and your aunt be Jennifer Coolidge, that is nothing to sneeze your gay nose at (laughs). I have only had the opportunity to be the lead in a movie a few times, the main guy, and there is something very satisfying, rewarding, and thrilling about being there every day and having a real arc. I have been in movies where my character shows up here and there, but to be there throughout the full movie, the experience is so full. You really get to know everybody on the cast and crew, and you get a sense of the whole movie. Not just your part. It was great. 

How much fun was it to work with queer favorites Jennifer Coolidge and Kathy Najimy?
Kathy Najimy has been an icon to me since I saw her in Soapdish, which is one of my original queer boy movies when I was little. I can quote every line. Then, of course, Sister Act and Hocus Pocus. She is such a brilliant actor, such a scene stealer, and such an icon. Being opposite her, I was able to watch all the little Najimy-isms come through, and it is so exciting because you get to see how her brain works and how she comes up with things in the moment. There is always a sense in a comedy when a scene is over, when the text is done, the camera usually keeps rolling just to see what happens. Kathy was so wonderful with that. 

Then Jennifer Coolidge, also an icon. Since Best in Show, I have wanted to see everything she’s done. This is actually our second movie together this year. We were in a film called Swan Song. We don’t have anything together, but it was fun to follow her around. On Single All the Way, working with her and being in scenes with her, you think you know what you’re going to get and what she’s going to do, but you can never guess. There are a few people like that. You can never guess what they are going to do. Jennifer will always keep you on your toes, and she has the most wonderful sense of humor. I don’t know if I have ever worked with anyone who is having more fun while working. I can’t think of a take that didn’t end with all of us laughing.

Without too many spoilers, can you tell us more about the film and your character, Peter?
Peter is a self-described plant gay. He’s neurotic, gregarious, and he’s in a job that he doesn’t love in Los Angeles. He is sort of notoriously single, and much to his family’s dismay, he comes home alone for Christmas every year. This year, he thinks he is going to be able to bring someone home, and he even teases his family that he is. Unfortunately, it all falls apart, so he convinces his best friend, roommate, and family favorite to join him and pretend to be his boyfriend. 

As soon as they arrive, his mom, Kathy Najimy, announces that she has set him up on a blind date, and all goes hilariously awry. Best friend/roommate says, ‘you should go on this date! It’ll be good for you!’ Peter does not want to go on a blind date set up by his mother, but then of course, it’s hottie mchearthrob Luke Macfarlane, and they hit it off. Some of the family wants Peter to be with his best friend/roommate, while others think he should go with the hot trainer.

Do you think we are progressing when it comes to seeing LGBTQ characters and themes in holiday films?
We are not the first gay holiday movie, but this is the first gay holiday movie for Netflix, who are really into that genre. They make a lot of Christmas and holiday movies. Lifetime and Amazon have dabbled, so I think it’s happening, but obviously, the hope is to eventually not differentiate between a gay holiday movie and a holiday movie. In the meantime, I think the novelty of being the first is good and worth commenting on. Christmas movies that include LGBTQ people is a great step, and an exciting one, and our movie is not a coming-out story or deals with homophobia. The problems do not have anything to do with anyone’s sexuality. They deal with everyday conflicts.

Is Christmas your favorite holiday?
I loved Christmas as a kid because of presents and no school, but then there was a period where I didn’t love Christmas. Once my sister had kids, it became fun again. Then I met my partner, Ryan, and his family is obsessed with Christmas. My family loves Christmas, and we decorate and all that stuff, but Ryan’s family is bigger, and they go all-out. When we got together 13 years ago, that is when I started to really love Christmas as an adult, and I guess it is now my favorite holiday. Plus, there’s a whole genre of music! During the pandemic last year, we played Christmas music all the time, and it was great. We loved it. There is nothing else quite like it, and no other holiday has its own genre of music. That is pretty special. 

What is one of the best gifts you have ever received?
The first thing that comes to mind is when my dad got me a bicycle for Christmas when I was around 12. My big boy bike, and that was really cool. Then one year, Ryan’s dad and stepmom got us a luggage set that was fierce, and that was when I was like, I am definitely an adult. I am geeking out over a luggage set [laughs].  

I also remember as a kid, before the Santa Claus bubble had burst, I was really into G.I. Joe. I had a ton of action figures, and I wanted the big bases and command centers, and my parents got me this massive thing one year. It was from Santa, I guess, and when I woke up and came out, it was there. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized they had stayed up all night putting that thing together. It was really intricate and so cool, and that must have been really exciting for them. To be like, he’s going to wake up and love it. It’s exactly what was at the top of my list, and I could not wait to play with it.

Is there anything in particular on your list this year?
Ryan and I just moved, so we have some housewares that we can use. We are still figuring out exactly what the style of our new place is.

In addition to acting for film and television, you are a highly acclaimed Broadway performer. One of your current projects is playing Logan Leibowitz in Chicken & Biscuits. How excited were you for the return of live theatre?
Super excited! I was very lucky to be in a play that closed about 10 days before the shutdown, so my time away from the stage was the length of the shutdown. I love theatre so much. Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, musical, Shakespeare—I love it all, and I love being on stage and having that connection with the audience. There is nothing more visceral than the relationship between a performer and audience member. Especially in comedy. 

This play, Chicken & Biscuits, is at the Circle in the Square Theatre, which is essentially in the round. The audience is almost on all sides of us, and the show is about the funeral of the patriarch of a Black family. I am the elder son’s white boyfriend, and I am a fish out of water at this funeral. I play a Jewish person who has never been in a synagogue, let alone a Black church. 

I always thought this was a cliché thing to say, but I actually feel blessed to be a part of this production right now as Broadway returns with this group of amazing artists. We have over 30 Broadway debuts happening, and Chicken & Biscuits is a kind of play that has never been on Broadway before. I know it means a lot to many people, and I am super proud of it. I am glad people are seeing it. 

Was it challenging for you to stay creative while locked down in quarantine?
Yes, but I was fortunate to be able to do some very cool things. We did all of Pride Plays online with Playbill.com, we did the one-man play, Buyer & Cellar, in my living room, I did lots of reading, and I directed a few Zoom readings, which was fun. I was lucky to get work once Broadway began again, but yeah, there were times when it was hard to focus. We were scared about getting COVID, especially here in New York. There were several months that were very scary, but we were also scared about the future of the industry, which in some ways, is still uncertain as it restarts. 

It is not going to be a seamless transition back to where we were. It’s not suddenly going to be 2019 again. We all have to take that into account, and it’s not easy. I do have to say, I was amazed watching Ryan’s creativity soar during the pandemic. He was so creative and thought outside of the box, it was very impressive. We did Buyer & Cellar early on, like within a month of the pandemic. We were like, let’s do it. Let’s try it. When that was over, we gave ourselves a break because it was so taxing and exhausting [laughs].

What does 2022 have in store for you?
There are a few theatre projects and TV possibilities that are looming, but I am very excited to see what happens. Coming off this Broadway show, which will end in early 2022, and having this Christmas movie out and knowing that the industries are coming back, I am so excited to get back on TV. This is sort of a new chapter for me. I had been recurring on Younger for a long time, and that show’s now over. Single All the Way was supposed to shoot in 2020, but that got pushed a year, and now it’s coming out. I was also about to shoot a pilot with my beloved Ugly Betty co-star Becki Newton, but that went away because of the pandemic. So, I’ve got a bit of a fresh slate.

After Chicken & Biscuits is over and the Christmas movie comes out, I will be in a film version of Jersey Boys with Nick Jonas, who plays Frankie Valli. It will be up on one of the streamers, and I cannot wait to see that. I love Nick, and we did How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying nine years ago, and it was so much fun. Other than that, I am just looking forward to seeing where the wind will take me! 

Connect and stay up-to-date with Urie by following him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Single All the Way is now available to stream on Netflix.