‘Better Nate Than Ever’ Filmmaker on Disney’s Handling of “Don’t Say Gay” Bill: “Good Representation Does Not Cancel Out Bad Legislation”

A red carpet world premiere may not seem the most obvious place to engage in conversations about controversial legislation, corporate responsibility and the wave of attacks aimed at LGBTQ youth, but there was talk about all of the above at Tuesday’s Better Nate Than Ever debut at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.

In fact, the creative at the center of the celebration, Tim Federle, said it was the “perfect moment” to engage. “There are a lot of years I didn’t feel safe in a room because I’m gay. As a gay middle schooler, I didn’t feel welcome at every party, so if this conversation’s happening right now and that brings more people to watch and say, ‘Nate may be different from me, but I’m actually a lot more like him than I realize,’ then we’ve done something beautiful,” he explained of the film, a passion project based on the 2013 novel of the same name that he wrote and adapted for the screen.

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The film hails from Disney, a second home for Federle. He’s the creator and showrunner of the hit series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and is attached to direct the studio’s anticipated Sister Act 3. Being knee-deep in business there, he might also be the perfect source to speak on such topics amid the current climate as Disney is facing a wave of backlash, internally and externally, due to CEO Bob Chapek’s response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Better Nate Than Ever, inspired by Federle’s experience growing up gay in Pennsylvania with dreams of making it big on Broadway, follows a 13-year-old named Nate who runs away from home to audition for a Lilo & Stitch stage production. Federle’s High School Musical series won a GLAAD Award and featured a same-sex relationship, kiss and a love song shared between male characters played by Joe Serafini and Frankie A. Rodriguez, a couple in real life that also attended Tuesday’s premiere.

“Good representation does not cancel out bad legislation,” said Federle of the bill, officially known as the Parental Rights in Education act. It prohibits discussions about sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade (and beyond unless it’s deemed developmentally appropriate), and gives parents the right to sue school districts for alleged violations. “I hope that a movie like this can inspire a group of kids out there who don’t always see themselves on screen, but that doesn’t go far enough. I want to see the company take concrete actions to really take us into the future because this is the studio that teaches kids the difference between right and wrong, and black and white. There’s a real opportunity here to do the right thing and I hope that happens.”

In the meantime, tensions have boiled over to the point that a group of employees have staged a series of walkouts in coming days to protest Chapek’s initial statement, news of which broke just hours before the premiere. Federle revealed that while he was “disheartened” by Chapek’s initial response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, he’s encouraged by recent actions that suggest there will be “real follow-through and real accountability” to come. Chapek’s internal memo — in which he defended not making a public statement and said “the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce” — was criticized by studio groups and eventually led to a formal apology.

Federle said as creative collaborators, Disney executives have always done right by him, from High School Musical to Better Nate Than Ever. “I have had a remarkably open experience to be uncensored and make the show I wanted to make. Everyone at the Disney studio level — from Alan Horn to Alan Bergman to Sean Bailey — told me, ‘Make the movie you want to make and don’t censor yourself.’ Disney’s made up of a whole lot of people and I feel that I have a lot of allies and brothers and sisters in the trenches who I march with toward greater equality and more inclusion,” he explained.

One of those allies is producer Adam Siegel who told THR how much he loves the finished product and how he believes “it puts good into the world.” Though the lead character is not explicitly part of the LGBTQ community — despite hints like a framed Bernadette Peters photo in his bedroom — themes of acceptance and love are sprinkled throughout. “Is content enough?” Siegel asked. “Obviously, it’s not. We all have to do more. But is the world a better place because this movie’s in it? I think so. When 11, 12 and 13-year-old kids from across the country watch this movie, they’re going to feel seen.”

What they’ll see when they do is a feel-good family film starring fresh-faced newcomer Rueby Wood in the title role. He stars opposite TV icon Lisa Kudrow, Wicked standouts Norbert Leo Butz and Michelle Federer (who married after meeting on the original production), All That’s Aria Brooks, and Joshua Bassett, the latter of whom stars on the TV show Federle created for Disney, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Bassett, who recently identified as being part of the LGBTQ community, said he wished he had a film like this when he was younger. “And as soon as I read the script, I was, like, ‘I need to be part of that,’” said Bassett, who plays Nate’s older brother, Anthony. “Seeing that arc and being able to play that arc with Anthony was really special. I think it will resonate with lot of people who need or hope or wish that they had an older sibling that permitted them to be who they are.”

For Kudrow, she told THR that signing on to play Nate’s aunt, Heidi, a struggling New York City performer and sometimes cater waiter, was an easy yes. “I was told, ‘Read this, and you need to know that this is for Disney+ and it’s the first time that they’ve had a lead character who is a gay 13-year-old boy. I said, ‘Okay. Good start.’ I read it and, yes, it’s that, and so much more.”

While she declined to comment on Disney and Chapek’s response, Kudrow did open up on how she feels about the wave of attacks on LGBTQ youth. “It’s really upsetting,” Kudrow said. “We have to see who our kids are. These are facts. These aren’t things you’re talked into or pressured into. Kids know who they are and we have to love them for who they are.”

In that spirit, authenticity is what secured the starring role for Wood, Federle added. “We looked at hundreds of actors,” explained the multi-hyphenate who also wrote the animated film Ferdinand. “He walked in and sang a song from Wicked. He eventually came back seven times but always nailed the thing that is impossible to fake, which is authenticity. He lives and breathes theatricality and has such a big heart, and there’s a real innocence to him. He was a dream to direct.”

At one point during the interview, Federle paused to admire Wood’s ensemble as he was doing an interview steps away. The young actor, who makes his Hollywood debut in the film, was outfitted in an embellished denim jacket with a black corset fastened over it and cascading tulle in neon green with accessories like knee-high black boots and multi-colored nails.

“This to me is the definition of why representation matters,” Federle said about the look. “I was texting with Rueby’s mom to ask what he was wearing and she responded, ‘He’s wearing Rueby.’ When I look at him and how comfortable he is being the huge, fabulous personality that he is, it’s a reminder that I believe the children are the future.”

As for Wood, he never thought the scene surrounding him could be a part of his present reality. “I loved theater and I loved performing, but I didn’t really think I’d get here one day,” he explained. “To be standing here now feels incredible. I hope that my presence, standing here today, sends a message to all kids who can’t be themselves because it’s not safe. I really feel deeply for all of them and I want to tell them that you can do this. You can get through it and I’m here for you. We’ll get through this together.”