For Miss Benny, Glamorous Is Art Imitating Life
The season one finale of Glamorous plays out on screen in a way that wasn’t originally intended; the show’s 10 episodes were already written and locked. But a month before filming began, the show’s star Miss Benny called creator Jordon Nardino to discuss Marco’s character arc. He and Benny met at a bar, and after a long talk, she told him about her transition. “I told him that I was, at the time, at the very beginning of my transition,” Benny tells me via Zoom.
“I felt that what could be really impactful was to include my transition in the show, but not really change anything else,” she continues. “Because, for me—my life events, and the things that I’ve been working towards—it’s always remained the same; the relationships that I’ve had remain the same. I’ve just discovered my own identity and the background of it.”
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Soon, EP Kameron Tarlow was on board and it was time to bring the idea to Netflix executives. Much to everyone’s surprise, the streamer agreed to alter the show’s ending to align with Benny’s real-life experience, and the result is the heartwarming season one finale we see today. “It’s really special that Netflix was so willing to make those changes,” Benny says. “Especially right now, socially and politically, that is something that is very needed, for trans people to see such a big thing like Netflix stand with us and celebrate us.”
The beauty of it was that it wasn’t written as a plot twist or a cliffhanger but as an organic progression of Marco’s character. In the finale, she tells her mom, gets a big hug, and is told she’s the best daughter she could’ve hoped for. Benny tells StyleCaster about the show’s reception, who Marco should’ve ended up with, and whether there’ll be a season two of Glamorous.
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I want to first start off by congratulating you on this wonderful show. How has the reaction been so far?
The reaction to the show has been incredible. I had no idea what to expect going into it. And it’s been really crazy to see not only people watching it but sharing it with their friends and seeing it grow so much. It’s had such a word-of-mouth response, which is pretty mind-blowing, and it feels really special. I’ve been getting messages and comments from people who either are super entertained by the show or feel super represented by the show. That’s totally what our goal was.
You’ve spoken about growing up in Texas as a queer kid and not even knowing what the word “gay” meant. What do you think a show like this would’ve meant to your 14-year-old self?
When I was a queer kid struggling to find sources of hope, the only times that I felt any sense of hope was when I saw queer people online; through YouTube, or on TV, and I think what was really important at the time for me was to see queer people happy.
With this show, it was our big goal to make something that just felt super joyous. And it would make me feel so good to know that somebody’s able to feel some sort of hope toward their own future because of the show.
The fact that Marco has not one, but two potential relationship partners, and the fact that that’s just something we completely normalized.
MISS BENNY
When I was entering my adulthood, as a gender non-conforming person, I could have expedited some of the early mistakes that I made, had I had something like this show as almost a guidebook. The great thing is that Marco is celebrated for queerness and celebrated for femininity, which means that all of Marco’s downfalls can be about Marco’s choices, actions, and relationships. And so, there are so many steps that Marco goes through: How do I hold value as a queer person in a relationship and as a gender non-conforming person in a relationship? And I think that’s really unique and special. And I think it would have helped a lot to have that.
How does this show break new ground with regard to queer representation onscreen?
I love that the show features so many different queer characters with different queer experiences. And because of that, that means that all of us as actors, and as writers get to sort of expand upon the types of queer people that maybe would normally get condensed to a couple of lines here and there. That was really great for me.
I had never gotten to see someone like me go home after work or go home after the relationship and take the makeup off and talk to my mom and have a full human experience. It was also really important to us that we see Marco not only be somebody who’s celebrated for being flamboyant but also celebrated as worthy of attraction. The fact that Marco has not one, but two potential relationship partners, and the fact that that’s just something we completely normalized.
Did you have a strong feeling of who Marco should end up with out of Parker and Ben?
I see the appeal of both, I see the struggle of both. I think what’s really beautiful is that, through the storytelling of Marco, dating both Ben and Parker, you get to see a gender non-conforming person or even just a feminine gay man, processing what it feels like to be valued for the first time.
What’s really great is you’re getting to see the struggles that come from within the gay community; what is it like to not be the ideal masculine figure when you are in a queer relationship. So I think that that’s a really powerful storytelling vessel that we have through that love triangle.
The show ends with Marco choosing herself. Why was that important?
It was important because, although the love triangle and the love stories are super compelling— and definitely will always exist as far as this show’s concerned—what was really necessary about the love triangle is just showing Marco’s process through navigating relationships for the first time.
Anything you can tell us about season two?
No news yet but I will say I know that we are all very, very impressed and excited about the response that we’ve had. And if people would like a season two, the best way to ensure that is to be noisy about it and help people and post about it. I mean, so many people are already doing that.
I’m so excited to potentially explore Marco’s life as an out and proud trans person. There are just so many fun, escapist TV moments that we can have in season two, especially with these characters we don’t see very often. We’re all very hopeful.
Glamorous is available to stream on Netflix.
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