In what was hailed as a Disney Channel first, “Andi Mack” took a progressive step last year when it revealed one of its principal characters was gay.
That character, Cyrus Goodman (played by Joshua Rush), continues his journey toward living authentically in this week’s episode by coming out to his best male friend, Jonah Beck (Asher Angel).
Airing Friday, “One in a Minyan” finds Cyrus mourning the death of his grandmother, Bubbe Rose. When Jonah attends the shiva, Cyrus decides the time is right to open up about his sexuality ― that is, if he can summon the nerve.
HuffPost got an exclusive sneak peek at “One in a Minyan” via the behind-the-scenes featurette above. In it, the show’s young cast explain how they approached the Season 3 episode, which was written by Jonathan Hurwitz.
“It’s just another example of telling the stories that really matter in a way that is positive,” Rush says. “It is a friend being there for a friend and showing that as its rawest form, and at its truest form, is great, and it’s so powerful.”
Liz Owen, director of communications with PFLAG National, an LGBTQ advocacy group, praised the Disney Channel for “continuing to tell Cyrus’ story in such an authentic and moving way” for young viewers.
“Coming out can be a scary process for anyone, especially LGBTQ youth, and doing so with friends can be especially worrisome,” Owen told HuffPost. “The ‘Andi Mack’ writers and young actors so perfectly capture the various nuances surrounding coming out: the nervousness, the much-needed support system, and even the humor, which is so often a great anxiety reliever.”
Hurwitz, whose credits include “The Daily Show” and “One Life to Live,” said he had a “very personal stake” in “One in a Minyan” as a gay Jewish man who has struggled with anxiety. In the end, he chose to write Cyrus’ coming out moment as off-the-cuff, drawing inspiration from his own experience with a college friend in 2010.
“Through Cyrus’ journey both in this episode and the series at large, I hope that audiences understand ... that we’re all worthy of being heard, seen, and loved by the friends and family with whom we surround ourselves,” he wrote in a Thursday blog post on GLAAD’s website. “Even when they’re distracted by the gefilte fish.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
