Is O-T Fagbenle Gay?

While HBO&8217;s &8220;Looking&8221; perhaps chronicles the existence of gay friends residing in San Francisco, a compelling aspect that attracted actor O-T Fagbenle to the series was the universal resonance of its narratives with individuals of all sexual orientations. For instance, numerous people have encountered companions who are unsettled.

Fagbenle portrays Frank, the established partner of artist Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez). As the program commenced, Agustin relocated to Oakland, intending to experience idyllic cohabitation with Frank. Such domestic tranquility, however, endured for a mere ten minutes. Subsequently, Agustin initiated a threesome and, following an encounter with the attractive male escort CJ (TJ Linnard), is currently contemplating the prospect of pursuing a career as a commercial sex provider himself—or, at a minimum, engaging in something &8220;artistic&8221; alongside CJ.

The British performer asserts that although Frank might appear to be approving of Agustin&8217;s exploratory inclinations—he did participate in that threesome, after all—he is, in fact, experiencing considerable apprehension and simply wishes to ensure his partner's contentment. Frank is engaging in concessions, a practice common among many individuals in relationships, Fagbenle noted.

&8220;Should you grant them an initial concession, they will then desire significantly more,&8221; he quipped, further hinting about Frank&8217;s endurance: &8220;He possesses immense forbearance. Yet, anything can reach a breaking point.&8221;

Put differently, Frank might soon be seeking a new boyfriend.
Fagbenle additionally discussed the unfolding developments for the duo, his preparation for the part, and his perspective on the unfavorable responses directed at the series.

&8220;Looking&8221; is broadcast on Sunday evenings at 9:30 p.m. on HBO.

Could you please elaborate somewhat on the character of Frank, and how you undertook his portrayal?
It seems I simply devoted considerable effort to the screenplay. Michael Lannan has crafted this charming, gentle persona who desired to tame his unconventional partner. I spent much time not only perusing the script but also contemplating his origins, as subtle indications are scattered throughout the text. For example, Frank bears an Ohio-themed tattoo upon his bicep. As an ardent researcher, I investigated Ohio. I arrived in San Francisco ahead of schedule, frequented certain establishments Michael had suggested Frank might have visited, and listened to the music he indicated Frank would likely enjoy. Yes, such activities were undertaken to cultivate a specific mental state.

Are you, then, inclined to conduct research of such a nature?
It can occasionally lead to complications. Nevertheless, indeed, I am a dedicated investigator. I also advocate for experiential inquiry. You understand, like visiting locales and engaging with experiences directly as much as feasible.

You shot scenes in San Francisco. Did you, by any chance, extensively explore the city prior to commencing your work?
Yes, sir, I did, and then some. [Laughs.] Oh yes, absolutely. I was compelled to. I undertook numerous activities. I ambled extensively. I engaged in social revelry a couple of times &8230; attending nightlife venues, as it were. That was quite engaging. Yes, considerable imbibing was involved, as was conversing with locals. I approach my profession with diligence. [Laughs]

Given Frank&8217;s residence there, did you manage to pass any period in Oakland?
Yes, I did. In fact, that&8217;s the sole location where I get my hairdressing done is Oakland. &8230; Oakland proved splendid. Oakland possesses distinct charm. &8230; Perhaps I didn&8217;t observe its less desirable areas, but the sections I did were delightful.

I perceive Frank as the most grounded and serene individual within the group. Do you concur with that assessment?
It&8217;s rather amusing, you know? Numerous individuals have expressed that to me, but I had not entirely perceived him in that manner. I feel that Frank experiences considerable apprehension concerning his affections for Agustín and the progression of their relationship. I believe he&8217;s rather adept at concealing and managing his feelings. Ultimately, Agustín and Frank have been in a relationship for a considerable duration, and he&8217;s had to discover methods to avoid unsettling Agustín, because exerting excessive demands upon him would cause him to depart. One must appear remarkably composed. Yet, I believe you are correct; he possesses a high degree of forbearance. But even the most resilient things can break.

Do you think Frank is assenting to Agustín&8217;s exploratory sexual endeavors solely to ensure his contentment, or is he genuinely comfortable with it?
I think that the motivations behind individuals engaging in non-monogamous arrangements are quite diverse. And for Frank, I believe it&8217;s not his primary preference, but he&8217;s receptive towards it. He wasn&8217;t coerced into the situation, but there is a perception that I think he&8217;s endeavoring to placate Agustín. He desires to ensure his happiness. And I believe the majority of individuals often undertake actions motivated by their fondness for their partners. But &8230; to what extent does one proceed?

To ensure your companion&8217;s ease, you mean?
Yes, what actions can you take to ensure your partner remains? And then, should you grant them a small concession, they&8217;ll desire substantially more.

I somewhat empathize with Frank, actually, as I apprehend an impending negative development in the near future. When reviewing the screenplays, did you feel that he was going to be profoundly disheartened at some point?
I am cognizant that conflict underpins all dramatic narratives. And even though we were unaware, upon commencing production of the show, how exactly everything would turn out, I approached it with the understanding that there&8217;s no drama without conflict. There is no compelling television sexuality devoid of intensity.

I am perplexed by Agustín&8217;s motivations, given that Frank&8217;s a decent fellow. Were you harboring similar thoughts?
Well, the amusing revelation, I believe, is that the remarkably gifted Frankie J. Alvarez is actually substantially more akin to Frank in his personal life, and I&8217;m actually somewhat more similar to Agustín.

I think it&8217;s noteworthy that the two heterosexual actors among the quartet of principal characters are the ones portraying the homosexual partners. Did you gentlemen share a chuckle about that?
We did on occasion. It is amusing to a degree, in a way, but ultimately, significantly greater commonalities exist between homosexual and heterosexual affection than there are distinctions. For instance, we continue to embrace, we caress, and we offer mutual comfort. There is a distinction, but it&8217;s only rather subtle. So, I guess it was amusing, but at a foundational echelon, it didn&8217;t feel, like, radically dissimilar.

Because of the inherent political dimension of the &8220;gay&8221; show, did you experience any hesitations or additional concerns compared to other parts you would&8217;ve done?
It is my belief I did, candidly speaking. Because, to some extent, I suppose it represents a truly distinctive chance. Numerous segments of the population have not historically seen their narratives recounted. Their histories have remained largely untold. And I think the community of gay men represents a demographic whose story hasn&8217;t been told with the frequency or depth it merits. And so I was conscious that &8220;Looking&8221; was a significant prospect. But, in the final analysis, I think if one attempts to engage in a creative undertaking with an overt political agenda, then I believe one ultimately compromises its integrity.

For me, it was paramount to comprehend my character as an authentic, multifaceted individual. A person whose foremost compelling trait isn&8217;t his sexuality; rather, it&8217;s his sincere emotional transparency and his sentiments regarding romantic partnership. And these various facets are what I can connect with and embody. And I feel that by endeavoring to create a comprehensively developed, nuanced persona whom I identify with, whom I hold affection for, that will thereby accomplish the crucial task of authentically portraying individuals.

The performances, including yours, seem remarkably organic. I was curious whether significant deviation from the script occurred, reminiscent of the Mike Leigh approach, where &8220;here&8217;s what you should be thinking, but articulate freely&8221; type of thing.
The remarkable aspect of collaborating with Andrew and Michael is that they were not overly rigid. They are primarily dedicated to accurately narrating the tales. And so, they granted us considerable latitude to achieve this. And, to be honest, it&8217;s quite challenging, because you frequently find yourself extemporizing, and they tend to discard some of our preferred segments. I&8217;m like, &8220;Oh no, they edited out all instances where I ad-libbed.&8221; So, a reasonable quantity occurred, but it wasn&8217;t incessant. It&8217;s a superb screenplay, but there was also ample scope for us to incorporate our individual interpretations.

Did you gentlemen spend much time together socially prior to the commencement of shooting, just to foster mutual acquaintance?
I endeavored to. HBO was gracious enough to arrange my early arrival in San Francisco so I could conduct some preliminary investigation, and also to provide Frankie J and me a chance for social interaction. So, we went on some platonic outings to locales where we imagined our characters would frequent. He&8217;s also an enthusiast of basketball, so we attended a pair of matches together.

When you visited those venues to socialize, do you possess any noteworthy anecdotes from there?
You know what, they were rather uneventful. I did certainly encounter some intriguing personalities while exploring. The point is, now I regret not having some scandalous tale to discuss.

I was not referring to anything scandalous, but I thought perhaps one of you would be identified, or maybe there was an ardent admirer of &8220;Quarterlife&8221; in one of the bars, or a similar occurrence.
Oh, amusingly enough, I did participate in a film project called &8220;Double Wedding,&8221; and I was recognized on the street by a nurse; she was a devoted enthusiast of it.

That&8217;s quite interesting. What are your thoughts on the various critiques that have been directed towards the show? Have you been perusing these opinions about it being unengaging?
I have become aware of some of those sentiments. I think, basically, diverse tastes appeal to varied individuals. What did I read? Goodness gracious, I read &8220;The Tale of Two Cities.&8221; Are you familiar with that particular novel?

Indeed.
It&8217;s tedious. It&8217;s exceedingly lengthy. But I&8217;m cognizant that there are people who read that and deem it a masterpiece. And this fundamental truth applies to artistic expression: It&8217;s open to individual interpretation. What one person considers brilliant, another might perceive as a pointless endeavor. And so, I would far rather prefer to be part of artistic creations that provoke a response, as in, evoked strong opinions (whether adoration or disdain), than be involved in some unremarkable, uninspired, or intellectually undemanding television production, which elicits a universal reaction of, &8220;Oh, that&8217;s OK.&8221;

One aspect I appreciate about the show is that despite its semblance to a &8220;vérité depiction of everyday existence,&8221; there&8217;s a genuine underlying message within it regarding what the gay community anticipates from those within its ranks, I suppose. Have you gained significant insights from undertaking the show?
Reverting to what you were saying, I believe you precisely articulated the core issue there about the implicit meaning. There are some people who switch on their television sets, and they desire &8220;instant gratification and immediate impact.&8221; They want explosions, and they want rapidly unfolding plots, and they do not require realism, which is perfectly acceptable. That&8217;s entertainment.

However, a distinct form of artistic expression exists where, amidst these nuanced actions between people, within unarticulated sentiments, there&8217;s an authentic essence of existence that resonates with you. You identify with personal experiences and specific instances, which elicit the thought, &8220;Yeah, I know what it&8217;s like to experience such discomfort,&8221; or &8220;I know what it&8217;s like to be involved in a similar partnership.&8221; And that feeling of familiarity is a profoundly gratifying experience when you observe it authentically portrayed.

&8220;Looking&8221; does not overtly impose its themes upon the viewer. &8220;Looking&8221; is the kind of series that presents its narrative subtly, and you are invited to observe it closely and perceive, &8220;Oh, look what I can find within the nuances.&8221; So, I think you accurately assessed the implicit meaning being present, and that people who can discern its value, perceive its depth, and possess a penchant for such content, truly derive pleasure from the show.

&8220;Queer as Folk&8221; originated as a British series, and subsequently it was adapted into an American series. Do you think that could occur conversely for &8220;Looking?&8221;
Fundamentally, I am uncertain. Did they ever undertake such an adaptation? Do they ever transform American productions into British iterations? &8230; The truth is that Americans excel significantly in television production; their execution is simply superb. And I think &8220;Looking&8221; is a similar caliber of production. So, when something is executed with excellence, at that point, it&8217;s akin to replication. Therefore, I&8217;d be astonished were they to produce a British rendition of &8220;Looking,&8221; but it might potentially catalyze a companion series, a kind of show addressing analogous themes from an alternative perspective.

Is there any locale in Britain akin to San Francisco? I mean, San Francisco&8217;s such an integral component of the series, so they would genuinely require discovering a comparable essence, I think.
I am genuinely uncertain. That&8217;s one of the remarkable attributes, I think, about America: it&8217;s exceptionally diverse; it&8217;s immensely expansive. Whatever your inclination, whatever your preference, you can almost certainly discover it in this vast nation you inhabit. I don&8217;t know if we possess it on the equivalent magnitude in England. There could exist specific streets or districts, but I don&8217;t think there&8217;s any urban centers akin to San Francisco.

Let&8217;s revert to discussing your character and Frankie&8217;s character. Now, Frankie and viewers have been introduced to CJ, the commercial sex provider. So, give me a slight indication about what kind of potential issues CJ may engender without revealing excessive details.
Observe him, for heaven&8217;s sake. Take a thorough glance at him and those piercing cerulean eyes, and you tell me what complications might arise. [Laughs.]

But to what extent will Agustín be capable of influencing Frank into that domain?
Well, I think it&8217;s reasonable to assert that Frank is an individual eager to satisfy others, and he desires his partner&8217;s contentment.

Irrespective of Frank&8217;s own discomfort?
Well, I think the paramount consideration for Frank, and I believe it is applicable to many partnerships characterized by openness actually, is that the crucial element involves candor and forthrightness. And those are essentially non-negotiable terms. And everything else is subject to discussion and compromise.

Was Frank already predisposed to music before you were selected for the role, or did they discern your musical aptitude and decide to incorporate it?
Not at all, he was initially conceived as a musician. As a matter of fact, I performed on my saxophone at my audition. &8230; But I think we concluded that Frank is a keyboardist. However, I do have some proficiency on the keyboard as well.

Do you feel that despite potential dissimilarities with you, you&8217;re capable of infusing elements of O-T&8217;s persona into Frank&8217;s character?
You know, I feel like each individual contains a multitude of potential personas that we could uncover and that we can manifest occasionally &8230; And for me, the artistic endeavor of performance isn&8217;t so much about discovering an external persona and imitating it, but rather unleashing aspects of my own being and integrating them into the role. So Frank is me. He&8217;s simply a distinct blend of my inherent traits, mixed differently.

Can you tell me the derivation of your O-T? Is that your abbreviated first names, and what is the purpose of the hyphen?
Precisely speaking, it&8217;s an abbreviation. My full name is Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun Fagbenle. I was named after my grandfather. It&8217;s Yoruba, which is specifically from southern Nigeria.

Are there any intentions to return to theatrical performances?
I genuinely desire to perform on Broadway. That&8217;s my subsequent objective. &8230; I am uncertain if it will be revived, but the part I&8217;m ardently aspiring to portray is in a show called &8220;Ma Rainey&8217;s Black Bottom,&8221; the dramatic work by August Wilson. There&8217;s a character within it called Levee, and I&8217;d very much enjoy embodying it.

Are there any other forthcoming developments of which we should be apprised concerning you?
Yes. I&8217;m debuting my inaugural short cinematic piece called &8220;MOTH,&8221; and it&8217;s set for imminent release. Yes, so basically I will be launching that project, and now I&8217;m expanding it into a full-length motion picture.

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