The multitalented queer Chicago native DeWayne Perkins is returning to town on Thursday, April 30, for his show, How Being Black And Gay Made Me Better Than You!
Perkins is a writer, producer, actor and comedian who has been involved in projects such as The Blackening,The Break with Michelle Wolf, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Sausage Party: Foodtopia and The Amber Ruffin Show. He currently stars opposite Seth Rogen in the critically acclaimed, award-winning Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio, which made history as the most Emmy-winning first-season comedy series of all time, earning 13 of the awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: it’s nice to talk with you again. I understand you recently went to the Fifth Annual #GLAADHONORS [which spotlighted Black GLAAD Media Award nominees]. What was that like?
Dewayne Perkins: Oh, it was great.
I think it’s always nice to celebrate queer people, specifically; it was very empowering. I got to be a part of a moment where we got to honor Noah’s Arc and Patrick Ian Polk. That was very amazing to be able to be on stage and honor people who were a big part in inspiring me to pursue the career that I have now. I really enjoyed it and all the work that they do to keep supporting and uplifting the community.
WCT:Noah’s Arc! You just took me back. How groundbreaking was that show?
DP: So groundbreaking that they refused to do it again, as a genre… It’s very iconic and I hope, at some point, there can be more shows about Black queer friendship.
WCT: By the way, I took your advice from our last talk and I saw Sausage Party: Foodtopia. Well, I saw the first season and I thought, “This is cool.” It wasn’t too much for me at all.
DP: In rewatching it recently, I think there was such a parallel to humanity—especially right now. And I don’t think people would assume that that’s what it would be about, based on the movie.
WCT: I was just about to say that I see how it reflects society in so many ways. And with [Foodtopia], was that the first time you worked with Seth Rogen? [Rogen and Perkins co-star in The Studio.]
DP: Yeah—that’s where we met.
WCT: And speaking ofThe Studio, I have heard you say that you found the experience of working on that show to be cathartic. Could you talk about that a little bit?
DP: Yes. I think with my experiences in Hollywood so far in the entertainment industry—the spaces that you can be in—really vary depending on who’s dictating the space. And to experience a show with so many iconic people and to have the set itself be so pleasant is surprising. I think [it’s nice] to be able to do the work in the way that we do—which feels almost like theater camp-esque. There’s a joy that exudes from people who are just all excited to be there and to do their best work.
And for that to be consistent with the cast, the creators, the crew—it just created a very pleasant experience, which is, I think, very cathartic compared to some experiences that were not as pleasant.
WCT: You actually made me think of a quote I saw from Billy Porter that ran in The Advocate. He feels that Black and queer their roles have pretty much diminished—not just across the country but, specifically, in the arts world.
DP: I was talking to some executives recently; I believe it was at Netflix. They asked me about the conversation around straight people and gay characters, and how I felt about it. Basically, my answer was “I think that idealistically there shouldn’t be a problem, but that only would exist if it went both ways.”
And because it doesn’t, it creates an imbalance that then perpetuates the system that’s already been historically imbalanced.
So, yeah, it’s not an easy path. And I used to allow that to kind of dampen the experience, but I’ve been trying to just lean into the positive and be more grateful that I have a career, knowing that there are so many people who have not been able to push past the barriers of entry.
WCT: You’re coming back to Chicago with the show with the subtle title How Being Black and Gay Made Me Better Than You. [Perkins smiles.] Why did you choose that title?
DP: It’s from experiencing the arts, and it’s very much in line with the conversation that we’re just having. When I went to acting school at DePaul University ,and from the moment I entered the space of acting professionally, I immediately saw the barriers to entry; I knew how difficult it would be simply based on the representation that was already out there. So, in order to break through, I had to do a lot.
I had to have as many skills as possible. I had to be as undeniably talented as I could be just to get through the door. And so the show title is based on that experience of pursuing a career in a system that was not made for you and recognizing that, despite it being harder, it fortified me in a way that made me better than everybody. So that’s the title.
It’s about that purpose of knowing that if I’m in the same place as a person who did not have the same difficulties, people should know what I had to do to get there made me significantly better.
WCT: OK. Because when I first saw the title, I started thinking that people can take this one of two ways. Some could take it too seriously: “So who does he think he is?” But I don’t think there would be that many people who think that. Then, there would be other people who say, “Okay—I’m really intrigued by this. What does he mean? Or why does he think this, or does he even really think it?”
DP: Yes. I mean, if somebody read the title and was like, “Who do you think he is?” Come see. I’ll show you who I am.
By the end of the show, you recognize that it’s more an affirmation for myself that I had to believe in order to break through the other points of views that would tell me, “You don’t belong here at all.”
WCT: Yes—it sounds like a show that will be affirmational, inspirational and probably educational.
I wanted to mention The Upshaws [a Netflix show about a working-class Black family that co-starred Mike Epps, Kim Fields and Wanda Sykes] really quickly. I mean, it’s a little sad that it’s ending [after seven seasons] although Kim said it might not be the end.
DP: That’d be dope. I feel good. I feel very honored to have been a part of a Black sitcom for that long and tell a Black queer story. I just felt very grateful to share that space with those iconic actors; Wanda Sykes, Mike Epps and Kim Fields—those are people I grew up watching.
WCT: So of course, you know, what I’m going to ask you. When I told people I was going to interview you, they said, “Ask him about The Blackening.” So, when is part two coming out? It seems like everyone I know and his mother wants to know this.
DP: I don’t know. That’s not up to me. I wish people knew how things work more so that because I don’t have any answers. It’s currently being worked on. We are in the middle of a rewrite right now so, hopefully, it will be coming soon—but it’s just hard to say.
Based on how things work, I think this is the best version of it so far. But, yeah, I think I’m very excited for what’s to come. So people just have to be patient.
WCT: I think some people think you’re a studio head and you can just make it happen.
DP: Yeah, I think they think that I just made it myself. [The original and sequel] would have been made at the same time.
WCT: Is there anything you want to say about the show or anything else we’ve discussed, or maybe something we haven’t discussed?
DP: I would just implore people to come see the show who are just curious—to not have any preconceived judgments. And come in just ready to have some laughs and feel a little bit.
I think it really is just a show about learning to love yourself. It’s just hyperbolic because I’m hyperbolic. I’ve been working really hard to put together like the most polished version of it, so I’m excited that everybody in Chicago will get to see it because that’s home. That’s where I grew up and where I have so much love. I’m just excited for people to see it.
For tickets to How Being Black and Gay Made Me Better Than You! at The Den Theatre on Thursday, April 30, visit this link.