Teen Star Castle Rock Talks Playing A Gay Role On Nickelodeon’s “Find Me In Paris”

styles large public images blog posts Devin Randall 2018 09 20 CastleRock

Another television show for kids and teens has included a gay character.

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Last year, we were excited to find out that the Disney Channel was incorporating its first coming out scene and openly gay character into one of its tv shows, Andi Mack. Now, we’re excited to see Nickelodeon doing the same thing and creating representation for LGBTQ youth.

Find Me In Paris is a European television show airing on Nickelodeon in Europe and streamed exclusively on Hulu in the U.S.. The official description of the series goes as follows:

"Find Me in Paris follows Lena Grisky, a Russian Princess and student at the world-famous Paris Opera Ballet School. Lena has always impressed her fellow teachers with her classically refined style, but in this competitive program, Lena's got to keep honing skills. So is the life of a student of the elite world of Ballet, but there's nothing typical about Lena. After falling through a portal in 1905, she has been doing her best to blend in while she waits for help to come bring her home.”

“Luckily she meets Ines, a tell-it-like-it-is kind of girl. A polar opposite of Edwardian-era Lena, and the pair become kindred spirits and roommates. As the only one in modern day to know Lena's secret, Ines helps steer Lena through the minefield that is social media, current faux pas, and modern teenage romance.”

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One side character in this series is Jeff Chase, played by actor Castle Rock. In the first season, openly gay, hip-hop dancer Chase had to adjust to the strict rules of ballet while also trying to confidently express himself.

In an intervie with BT TV, Castle Rock shared what it meant to him to play an openly gay character on the famous youth channel.

"The best part is that the show doesn’t fall around the fact that he is gay, he just is and it’s just accepted by everybody,” Castle said. "I think that’s a really awesome route for kids… something for kids to look up to and feel comfortable with themselves."

Fellow cast member Eubha Akilade, who plays Ines Lebreton, agreed by saying, "I guess one of the key concepts of the show is trying to fit in when you’re born to stand out. I think that’s a great message.”

h/t: BT TV

5 thoughts on “Teen Star Castle Rock Talks Playing A Gay Role On Nickelodeon’s “Find Me In Paris””

  1. Why do we have to except having to know about peoples bedroom behaviors.
    KIDS don’t need to know who’s f*ing who.

    Reply
    • Have you ever read a book? Do you know the difference between ‘except’ and ‘accept’? If you’d like for people to consider your perspectives (closed-minded as they may be) consider learning to speak and write the English language. By the way? It’s not about being ACCEPTED by the general public. It’s about letting kids who might be gay themselves know that they aren’t alone. That there are people in this world who see them, and will love them for who they are. It’s about helping them to accept THEMSELVES. Hope this was helpful. Wow.

      Reply
    • Actually no. I need to add here that teaching children about diversity and compassion is extremely important. Gay isn’t just about what happens in bedrooms. Raising kids to hate and compartmentalize others based on their differences is how we end up with hate crimes and demented lunatic reality TV hosts in the White House. And now I’m done. Sort of. I’m going to stop typing, anyway.

      Reply
    • It’s not about who is sleep ping with whom, it’s about gay people having representation too, just as heterosexuals have forever. Being gay isn’t just about sexuality, something that far too many heterosexuals fail to understand.

      Reply

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