Opposites Distract
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Ben Nelson
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- 5 minutes read
Dekkoo will launch its new original series, Marriage of Inconvenience, this week. The romantic comedy follows two strangers who enter a witness protection program and must pretend to be happily married in order to hide their identities from the dangerous people who want them dead.
The series is being called a 21st century gay version of The Odd Couple. It stars Jason T. Gaffney as Owen, a messy, street-smart dropout with anger issues and David Allen Singletary as Franklin, an even-tempered English professor who prides himself on his attention to detail in every area of his carefully structured life. About the only thing the two men have in common is that they’re gay. Now, living together in a very small house as Mr. and Mr. Fulton, they find they share something else: they can’t stand each other.
In addition to playing the role of Owen and directing four of the episodes, Jason T. Gaffney wrote the series with his longtime writing partner, Ed Gaffney, who also happens to be his father. He likens Marriage of Inconvenience to the Netflix series, Grace and Frankie, “because while some of the guys’ arguments are hilarious, others are not so much; and watching them slowly fall for each other as they navigate their complicated pasts and the very bad people relentlessly hunting them down, makes for a fun journey.”
David Allen Singletary agrees. He calls Marriage of Inconvenience “funny, touching, sad and hopeful.” “At its core, it is story of love and how love can come from the most unexpected of places and cannot be controlled.”
He feels fortunate to have been cast as Franklin. “As a big guy and an actor of color I am often asked to play a convict, prisoner, security guard, or gang member. While I respect and understand that these are characters whose stories need to be told, it’s rewarding to play a role that reflects my own life.”
“There really is a huge problem in Hollywood with sticking actors in roles based on stereotypes,” Gaffney continues. “As a writer, director, and producer, I feel an obligation to be as inclusive as possible.”
He was careful to cast as many out LGBTQ+ actors as possible for the roles in Marriage of Inconvenience. Nearly all of the actors playing gay men are out gay men, including Jason Carceras as Lenny, and Jewell Wilson Bridges as Peter. Veteran comedic out actor Alec Mapa makes a cameo in the series, playing the role of Claude. Additionally, Nicole Asava and Sylvia Batey Alcalá, the two actors who play the neighbors, are both part of the LGBTQ+ community. Asava is pansexual and non-binary and Batey Alcalá is bisexual.
“I hope people laugh out loud watching Marriage of Inconvenience, but I also want the show to make them think,” Gaffney reflects. “One of the main challenges Owen and Franklin both encounter throughout the series is to try to figure out who they want to be and to learn how to be completely true to themselves. I think that’s something many of us are striving for.
“Also, the idea that these two total opposites can learn to have an open mind, listen to one another and unite for the common good. We should all endeavor for such enlightenment.”
