How Noah Reid Felt About Playing Dan Levy's Boyfriend On 'Schitt's Creek'
Schitt’s Creek first aired in 2015. This Canadian sitcom was created by father son duo Eugene and Dan Levy. The show follows a rich family that suddenly loses their wealth and must move to a small town initially purchased as a joke. Johnny (Eugene Levy), Moira (Catherine O’Hara), David (Dan Levy), and Alexis (Annie Murphy) Rose must navigate a new lifestyle in Schitt’s Creek. While the show wrapped in 2020, it has been kept alive by fans and Netflix bingers.
The show follows the platonic and romantic relationships of its characters, but David and Patrick are most definitely the fan favorite. Originally Patrick was a business advisor to David as he was opening Rose Apothecary, however they quickly became much more than that. Patrick was playeyd by Noah Reid, a Canadian-American actor and musician. Here’s what Noah has to say about playing the role of Patrick on Schitt’s Creek:
6 He Was Nervous In the Beginning
Noah didn’t watch the first 2 seasons of the show before being brought on to season 3, according to an interview with Goldderby. He claims it was a risky move, but explains his logic at the time stating “Patrick doesn’t know anybody so it is probably best if I come in flying blind and experience all of this for the first time.” However, Noah was quite familiar with both Eugene and Catherine’s work, and was a bit intimidated to be in their presence. Luckily, he goes on to state, both actors were “generous human beings and they let me know I was welcome and important.” After finishing filming season 3, Noah admits to going back and watching seasons 1 and 2.
5 Their Chemistry Was Natural & He Didn’t Mind Playing a Gay Character
According to Awards Daily, the couple never did a chemistry reading. Dan Levy wrote a very specific character outline for Patrick, and it was clear to him that Noah was the only person for the part. Noah agrees with Dan that they were lucky in the fact it just worked adding “I could listen to you talk about this all day.” While Noah is married to a female, he believes “sexuality is a spectrum and gender is a spectrum.” In an interview with Evoke Noah said “‘Patrick had never had feelings for a man before or allowed himself to have feelings for a man before so in that regard I felt like I was in that position too.”
4 He Didn’t Know What He Was Getting Himself Into
“I don’t think I could have anticipated that it would turn into something so meaningful to so many people” Noah said when Awards Daily asked about his characters journey. He explains that in television, it can be unpredictable as you audition for a character not knowing exactly where they will end up. Dan originally brought him on as the writing team believed David needed a love interest, but if the chemistry hadn’t been as good as it was Patrick most likely would have died out or been written off.
3 He Was Excited About Getting To Sing
A musician himself, Noah was excited to arrange the song and use his knowledge from theatre school in Patrick’s perspective. In the episode “Open Mic Night” Patrick serenades David with Tina Turners “Simply the Best”. The song was very special to Dan, Noah noted so there was some pressure to not mess it up. It ended up coming together perfectly, and even began trending on Twitter, bringing the show to American viewers. He also ended up getting to perform in the season 5 finale “Life is A Cabarat.” He claims he isn’t much of a dancer but had a lot of fun with it.
2 He Believes The Storyline Was Crafted With Much Care
On the episode “Meet The Parents” Noah explains how the writing and character development worked together beautifully. The emotional content of anxiety and fear of coming out to one’s parents blended with the comedic aspects to develop a positive coming-out story that many were touched by and related to. Noah told Decider “I remember coming to set and really wanting to do justice to this storyline and what it represented,” of the scene. “I just wanted the best for him. I think that’s probably what his parents wanted too.”
1 The Show Was “Incredible To Be A Part Of”
All in all, Noah seems to feel very positive about his experience on Schitt’s Creek. He has received many personal messages from fans and enjoys watching people dress up like characters for the show or bring fan art/gifts. Most importantly, Noah is proud to have been apart of a show that has reached and touched so many people. Now that the show is over, Noah is focusing on his music with his latest album Gemini premiering this past May, and his relationship with wife Clare Stone.
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