Set to reinvent the high school comedy, the brilliant G.B.F. is a bold new film placing the gay character—so often the humorous sidekick—in the center of the plot and action. And Derek Mio, of TV’s Greek, is thrilled to be a part of it.
“Everyone in the cast is so uniquely different,” Derek recollects. The energy of the film is far from mainstream, choosing instead to portray a realistic cross-section of teens today. Derek plays Glenn, a friend to the title character Tanner (Michael J. Willett). The creative aspect of the experience was a great one as well. “The director gave us a lot of freedom to improv, and play off the other actors, and since we’re all so different, I think it creates a really fun and interesting dynamic when we’re brought together.”
In addition to featuring a diverse cast, G.B.F. also has a fair share of drama and fun, true to the form of any successful high school comedy. “I got to wear a lot of cool stuff,” Derek smirks, nodding to the slightly flamboyant and fun look of the film.
And of course, G.B.F. packs an important message as well. For Derek, it touches upon our common bond of struggling to be accepted. “Every struggle we go through is a learning experience.” And does he have a G.B.F. of his own? “I don’t know if I have a G.B.F., but I definitely have G.F.s!” he answers proudly.
What’s next for Mr. Mio? “I’m gearing up to shoot my first film that I wrote,” which he plans to do once publicity wraps for his current film and he heads back to LA.
G.B.F. premiered last month at the Tribeca Film Festival and will hopefully be playing at a theater near you soon…
—Dan Heching