When asked what he thought the lasting message of “Schitt’s Creek” would be, Dan said he hoped to leave behind a legacy of beautiful, artistic contribution.
“I hope it teaches how to live your own life, create your own beautiful story, and lift other people up along the way.”
Dan Levy, Workhuman, May 2022: https://www.workhuman.com/resources/workhuman-live-key-takeaways/7-reasons-why-dan-levy-is-our-kind-of-human
“Finish the screenplay […] because the experience of writing something from start to finish is so invaluable, you have no idea. And even if you finish that movie and you hate it, you’ve had the experience of writing that first screenplay,” Levy said.
This is a queer experience that Schitt's Creek makes universal: If you want to be loved, you cannot hide.
Full quote:
The importance of being seen is a recurring thread in David and Patrick's story.
David, who carries the trauma of an emotionally unavailable family and a string of bad relationships, is hesitant to reveal too much of himself, preferring to present a curated image. Reassuring her skittish son, Moira tells him, "[Patrick] sees you. For all that you are."
So when David needs to extend an olive branch to Patrick, the clearest way to tell his boyfriend how much he trusts him is to make a public spectacle of himself — to let himself be seen. He echoes Patrick's song back to him, performing a lip sync to "Simply the Best" in the middle of the store. "You know people can see you, right?" Patrick teases, winking at the fact that the audience is the point.
This is a queer experience that Schitt's Creek makes universal: If you want to be loved, you cannot hide.
“It ended up having more to do with friendships in your 30s than actual romantic relationships. What would a love story look like if it was really about a group of friends in their mid-30s? The clarity that comes with age and the time you’ve spent with these people,”
“There’s romance in the movie, obviously, but really, it’s a love story about friendship.”
“I think back to the bullying, the name calling, the shoving, the side eyes, a guy in math class calling me a faggot...I bring this up because when I was told that I’d be receiving this honor I immediately went back to that place and asked myself, “how did I get here - to this place - standing in front of you all tonight an out and proud gay... Emmy loser?”
Dan Levy, Glaad award acceptance speech, September 2019
Celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the Schitt’s Creek finale:
“What I wanted for our series finale was just a great [expletive] episode of TV,” he said. “I think that’s all people want. They don’t need a huge fireworks display. They just want to know that the characters are going to be O.K.”
“It’s surprising how novel it seems to create a show where homophobia is just... not allowed to exist, but it’s comforting to see how normal it actually looks in practice.”
"The fear around her son’s coming out was rooted in how he would be treated in society, and in their family watching the show, they were able to see that he can have a love-filled life that is not going to come at some huge cost — she doesn’t have to worry quite as much as she had thought. And that was quite a special note to receive."
Dan Levy, talking about a letter he received from a mom of a queer son to Bustle Magazine, Jan 2019
A mother feared for her son because the assumption was he’d be treated more poorly for being queer. This is why coming out and pride matter- if people don’t see queer people thriving, they’ll think they can’t.
Though his character on Schitt’s Creek, David, is pansexual, Levy himself identifies as gay. On his decision to make David more fluid in his attractions, Levy said that:
"To not have to define yourself or categorize yourself, I think, is beneficial to everyone. I think the more we can understand that people just exist…the sooner we’ll be in a better place."
“If you have a friend who is going through something, you don’t necessarily need to call them and say, like ‘tell me everything’.
But it is important, in terms of friendships, to be aware of what other people are going through and from time to time, there’s a delicate way of navigating that, and it’s simply, shoot someone a text saying ‘if you need to talk, ever, know that I’m here.’”
Dan Levy- IG Live with Emily Hampshire- April 2020
Photo: Leigh Kelly
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We’re all going through something. Check on your friends. You never know who needs you right now.
“I’ve read about actors trying to prevent their kids from getting into it,” Dan said, “and I think that’s from what they themselves experienced in the industry. And I feel like you didn’t have those kind of traumatic experiences.”
“No, I didn’t,” Eugene said. “I was lucky. Horrible experiences meaning you’re sleeping on the floor blowing dust balls away from the crumpled-up shirt you’re using as a pillow …"
"If I've taken anything away from making Schitt's Creek, it's that kindness always wins, that love is best served unconditionally, and that wearing sweaters in the dead of summer is a very, very bad idea."
-Dan Levy, MTV Movie Awards acceptance speech, June 2019