EVERYTHING IS OK – “Jungle Centipede” – Nicholas thinks that calls for frozen mojitos. Matilda puts her girlfriend at a distance socially and it’s atypically weird. Alex doesn’t think Nicholas’ new friends are fun. This episode of “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” airs Thursday, April 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET / PT on Freeform. (Freeform / Ser Baffo)
ADAM FAISON, JOSH THOMAS
Boyfriends aren’t much cuter than Adam Faison.
The handsome, energetic actor only started playing professionally in 2016, but has already amassed a considerable CV. Her past roles have included tours on Agents of SHIELD, Here and Now, Grace and Frankie, and Into the Dark. Then, last year, just before the pandemic shut down Hollywood, Faison landed his biggest role yet: that of Alex, the boyfriend and co-parent of madman Nicholas (played by Josh Thomas) in Everything’s Gonna Be Okay. .
Season 2 of the show – which debuts on Freeform on April 8 – finds Alex’s two teenage sisters, Nicholas and Nicholas, Matilda and Genovive (Kayla Cromer & Maeve Press) suffering from the mad commotion that has infected their home during the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, Alex becomes the voice of stability and support throughout… even as issues with his own family begin to surface.
We caught up with the affable Faison just before the new season premiere. Everything’s Gonna Be Okay returns to Freeform on April 8.
So you’re back for season 2. I have to ask you: how scary was that, how nervous were you that the show couldn’t get through the pandemic?
Man, that was crazy. We had been in limbo for the longest time. As you said, different shows were canceled. I think it was Group of five we found out we had been canceled so we were like Oh my God. What if it was the same fate? But, we survived. I think this is a testimonial from Josh. He is very good at pushing a penny, very good at hitting the budget. I think it’s because of his Please love me years. He knows a lot about a budget.
EVERYTHING IS OK – “Silkmoths” – Nicolas is terrible in love! Genevieve’s ambivalence over Nicholas’ boyfriend Alex takes an unfortunate turn when the three go out together. Matilda wants to bake Luke a cake but follows her brother’s advice. This episode of “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” airs Thursday, January 30 at 8:30 PM. on Freeform. (Freeform / Mitch Haaseth)
ADAM FAISON
That’s great.
So Freeform really liked it, and it’s something that sets us apart. He can make a really great story without putting any kind of Type Game of Thrones stories. We just live life and hope you like us. I feel like it was our saving grace. I also assimilate it to this film 2012 where John Cusack rides in a limo at the airport, and all the houses fall around him. That’s what I felt: we were in this car about to fill up. During the holiday season it was crazy. There were so many productions that were closed. But we didn’t have any transmissions on set, which was a pretty big achievement. Josh was great in making sure everything was safe.
Of course, the pandemic is playing a role this season. What is apparent, even more so this season, is that Alex hits me like an oasis of patience within a very crazy family. Do you see it that way?
You know, it’s so funny. When I first got involved in the show, I always thought Alex was a little eccentric. I didn’t meet anyone else while we were auditioning. While I read it, he was also a cook. But that’s a whole different storyline when you put it in the game with everyone. I was like, everyone is crazy compared to Alex. Just getting everyone to interact was wild, but I only got this pic after I was done and was able to look at the season from an objective point of view.
Sure.
It’s crazy. When you do, like Josh always says, we’re just in this little world, a bubble. Once it comes out it’s weird, because everyone looks in our bubble like The Truman Show. We’re just used to living in the world. It’s hard to have perspective when you’re in a little bubble living the character on a day-to-day basis. This new season is very similar.
EVERYTHING IS OK – “Pilot” – A 25-year-old neurotic still lives at home with his single father and two teenage stepsisters, one of whom has autism. He’s not particularly helpful in raising siblings, but when their father becomes terminally ill, the girls face not only devastating loss, but the realization that Nicholas is the one to hold it all together. (Freeform / Tony Rivetti)
KAYLA CROMER, MAEVE PRESS, JOSH THOMAS
How does it feel to be on set with Josh, Kayla and Maeve? Is it as wild as the house?
Well, this is so funny. I’ll take them one by one. Josh wears like twelve hats: he now directs and writes, performs and performs. The first season I think he was trying to balance all of that and prove to the network that he could do it. There was a lot of heavy work. So when the second season came around I think he got a lot more into the groove. I think he felt like he could have a little more time. He came from Australia where you can do everything on the fly and there isn’t as much pressure. In the United States, there are more issues and more money invested.
Related: EXCLUSIVE: Josh Thomas Gets Goofy On The Set Of ‘Everything’s Gonna Be OK’
It makes sense.
He is very confident and prepared. On the set, he can be eccentric but he is in his mode, to get things done. It’s great to see his process, as he works it in his head. He met us at the start of this season and asked, “Is there something you want from me?” And I appreciate when the directors are clear, even if they don’t know what they want. He followed up on that.
As for Kayla, she loves doing ankle weight exercises when not pulling
[Laughter]
She will do squats around the board or in her dressing room. She’ll just do squats, learn rows, and eat Smarties. That’s Kayla in a nutshell: a huge bag of candy and munching on while doing squats.
It’s awesome.
Maeve is just adorable. Constantly hanging out with snacks on the deck in his lodge. So I drop by to see if she has any snacks so I don’t have to ask a PA. She still has grapes. We love Tiger’s Milk bars so we would take them and share them in our dressing room. We would do stocks. It was crazy.
EVERYTHING IS OK – “Seven-Spotted Ladybug” – Nicholas’ single dad has very bad cancer and he’s going to die soon. Nicolas therefore proposes to be the tutor of his two teenage half-sisters. They already know not to put their heads in the oven. What’s the worst that can happen? This episode of “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” airs Thursday, January 16 at 8:30 PM. ET / PT on Freeform. (Freeform / Tony Rivetti)
ADAM FAISON
So this is your most important role to date. How has your life changed since you got the part?
This is an interesting question. I don’t think I’ve ever had this before. I guess for a very long time I was so worried about the next job. You take acting classes and financial wellness classes where they tell you to save up in case you don’t work for the next three years. So this has always been drilled in my head. I have always been afraid of being unemployed in the back of my mind.
Oh my.
They say that only 10% of people at SAG [the Screen Actors Guild] working. So this fear is still imminent. When that happened, that was some assertion. It reminded me that I had studied hard and worked to get to this place. All these small jobs gave me the energy and dynamism that resulted in this. It gave me confidence. Now I feel confident in the decisions I make. I trust.
Are you still pursuing other roles? How does being associated with the show change the types of roles you seek or are offered to you?
During the filming, I would have auto-bands here and there. It worked very well. Now, because of the pandemic, it has become easier. Almost everything is an auto-band; there are no more in-person auditions. Before, I had to plan around my shooting schedule, which was next to impossible. But I was able to do an auto-tape, maybe with a friend to help me out during a break in filming, and just knock them out. Sometimes I work with Bruno [Michels], our second AD, which is awesome. He would help me. So it became a balancing act, but that’s the name of the game. Even as a series regular, you’re looking for the next gig.
You are also a queer actor playing a gay character. How has this affected your career? Have you ever been warned not to date or play a gay character?
It’s interesting. I found it to be more of an unspoken thing. My reps have never been weird about my audition for queer roles. It’s also because I’ve played different roles so far, so I think I’ve established myself more as a chameleon. I think the other casting directors know that. I mean, hey, it’s always scary to say sometimes I will play this role. If people know me like this, will I be typed? And that doesn’t just apply to being queer, but it could also be playing autistic when you’re autistic, like Kayla, or any sort of “guy.” I think there is also an idea out there that your personal life can dictate your professional life, whether people think it consciously or subconsciously. And this is something I need to be aware of. I once had a conversation with a friend who told me he felt like he couldn’t get out until later in the process because I felt like the deepest part of me was so different from the character I was playing. I was worried that if executives found out, they would start questioning my every choice or my way. It’s a difficult conversation to have in a broader way. You hope people are awake, but they still have their prejudices.
Sure.
This is something I think about. I wish…
