'This Is Me.' Out Actor Jordan Doww on Queer Thriller 'Ganymede'

Actor/singer/songwriter/content creator Jordan Doww got his start on YouTube doing sketch comedy and vlogs in his teens. Projects such as "Coming Out: I am gay, I am Human," "Hollyweird," and "It's Sketchy" led to two Teen Choice Award nominations and his first two film roles in LifeTime's "Stalked By a Reality Star" and "Reach," opposite his friend Garrett Clayton, where Doww played a repressed high school bully. He has also released heartfelt, honest songs (and will be releasing more soon).

But nothing could prepare audiences for his fierce and committed performance in the new queer-themed film, "Ganymede," a Southern Gothic thriller about a high school wrestler, Lee Fletcher (Doww) who develops feelings for Kyle Culper (Pablo Castelblanco), an openly gay classmate.

Lee is the son of a rigid, homophobic, small-town politico and his uber-religious wife (Joe Chrest and "National Anthem's" Robyn Lively). Lee's parents turn to a conversionist pastor (David Koechner) who believes that Lee is possessed by a "Ganymede," defined by him as "an unrepentant homosexual with demonic forces that overtakes others with sex urges." Lee's mind begins to manifest a stalking demon that threatens to destroy him.

It's interesting to note that Ganymede in Greek mythology was the divine hero that Zeus abducted to serve as his cup-bearer. The myth was the model for the romantic relationship between an adult male and an adolescent male.

Filmmakers (and life-partners) Colby Holt and Sam Probst have created a true nail-biter, and Doww dives so deep into the role that the audience can feel his struggles, his longing, and his torment.

"Ganymede" had its festival premiere at Reeling, Chicago's LGBTQ+ International Film Festival where it won the audience award for Best Narrative Feature.

The thesp has an untitled Christmas film coming up, as well as the short film "Fairlane," which will drop on YouTube at the end of August. (Watch the trailer below.)

Doww came out as gay at 19 in a video that went viral. He has become a staunch LGBTQ+ advocate ever since.

EDGE had a pleasant zoom interview with the actor, who discussed the film, his career, and some serious reflection about his decision to come out.

EDGE: How did the project come to you?

Jordan Doww: (dramatically) The year was 2020. I was taking a bath, a much-needed bath. I got an email from my agent saying, "Hey, we got the script. The filmmakers are trying to shop it around to a bunch of actors, would you mind reading it?" So, I read it right then and there. And within 30 pages, I was like, I have to do this... It was one of those roles that was just a necessity for me.

Having auditioned for probably over 500 projects in the 8 to 10 years I've been doing this, this was like, "Oh no, this is me." I felt it in my gut, my spirit, my brain, my body, everything. So, when I was finished with the script, I asked my agent for the filmmakers' email, which is unconventional and unprofessional. And I sent them a really long, heartfelt message saying, I loved the project, I loved them, and I need to do it. I finally got the call around April, and then we went lockdown.

So, we had no idea when we were even going to film. It went through a lot of changes in that time. This is when I also left LA to work on myself so I could handle this material. We didn't end up filming till 2022 and I just think the timeline has just made the story so much more prevalent.

EDGE: Your performance is perfectly contained. Playing that kind of repression could not have been easy. Can you speak about diving into Little Lee.

Jordan Doww: Yeah, so, having done theater and comedy and improv and sketch comedy my whole life, the biggest compliment to me is that it was played with containment. I love that because that was the intention. And it was a struggle for me, too, because the character is so internal. And he is struggling so much within himself. However, it is exactly how my childhood was. I was a really shy, closeted kid, and I dealt with my own problems secretively. Not that anyone in my family or community made me feel that way. I was just such a quiet kid. And it wasn't until I found theater that I broke open my shell.

EDGE: What prep work did you do?

Jordan Doww: I watched a bunch of films. I watched "Donnie Darko." That movie scared the living shit out of me when I was younger, but now, as an adult, I can recognize the absolute beauty of it. I think Jake Gyllenhaal's performance in that is just incredible. And with the monster in our film, it's more subtle. That's why I loved drawing inspiration from "Donnie Darko." I also watched "The Babadook." "Love, Simon," because, why not? I also went to the gym a lot. (laughs) They were like, "You're gonna play an athlete." And I was like... okay, let me pack on some muscle to make that look a little bit more believable.

EDGE: Lee is filled with so many demons. Were you able to shake him at the end of the day, or did you find yourself taking him home with you?

Jordan Doww: I run a little bit on the anxious side, so first week of shooting we were doing school stuff. There wasn't much scariness. Then our second week we went into the households, the families. That got a little bit more heated with the familial stuff. And then the third and fourth week was mainly the horror. And I would say that by [then] it was harder to shake, because I was running high on that adrenaline, and especially with the ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) stuff... With the ECT, the wrestling and the underwater stuff, I was having to put my body through so much that it was like there was residual tension. I'm no method actor, but it helped our scenes a lot, and it allowed for a much more truthful performance.

EDGE: You got your start in comedy – YouTube videos – but lately, with "Reach" and now "Ganymede," there's a dramatic shift. Has it been deliberate on your part?

Jordan Doww: No, absolutely not. The main intention was always to do comedy, but as soon as I started auditioning, I was getting more and more dramatic roles, and then after "Reach," most of my auditions were for bullies in horror films and jocks. I am excited, though, my very next project is a comedy, so it was a dream to play.

EDGE: Can you tell us about it?

Jordan Doww: They haven't announced it yet. It's a Christmas film. I got to play with a lot of improv, which was just a dream come true. The cast is iconic. It's a Christmas family comedy. It's chaotic.

EDGE: So, you're an out actor playing a gay part. What are your thoughts on the subject of gay playing gay vs. best actor for the role?

Jordan Doww: It's a tricky subject, isn't it? I hope we don't get canceled for it. (laughs) Truly, it's scary to talk about anything these days because I want to remain sensitive and also have my own opinion.

EDGE: It has become very difficult. You're right.

Jordan Doww: I, myself, am sensitive to this topic, too, because I agree on both ends. I agree that actors are actors, and we should be able to morph into any role, right? That is my opinion, and I think that's how it should be. However, there was a time when queer actors weren't getting any roles. And I think it's important and necessary for out queer actors to be filling that space. I think it is important for, not only a more real and authentic portrayal, but it's just important for our community to have role models in the LGBTQ space who are playing these roles. So, I'm divided. I think actors should play every kind of role. I can play a straight role. And I have. I've also seen brilliant performances by straight actors playing queer roles. But what the trickiness comes down to is, as long as there's equal opportunity and you're auditioning both to play these parts.

EDGE: Having recently spoken to another out actor, we discussed how one used to look up actors in queer films and be so disappointed to find they were straight. Now, that's at least shifting a bit.

Jordan Doww: I'll say this, too. Having been a creator in the LGBTQ space, acting was always my number one. The YouTube stuff kind of took off on its own and did what it had to do. But I've always wanted to be in movies. I almost feel that now it's rather my duty, as a creator and now as an actor, to be sharing LGBTQ stories in queer cinema... so, if I can help share those stories by bringing whatever I have to those stories, I am certainly going to do it.

EDGE: You've been out since you were 19. Tell us about the decision to come out when you did, and how you feel it's affected your career.

Jordan Doww: That's a loaded question. I'll tell you right now, I think it was a little early for me. I think, back then, I was so excited and so starstruck and so naive. And I'm not trying to say any of this to derail anybody or make anyone feel any other type of way about this, but it was really fast for me. I just left Michigan at the age of 19. I started working at Disneyland as a photographer. And I launched my YouTube career shortly after that. I was on YouTube before then, but it wasn't long after that that I got a team and had people working for me and got my coming out video made and fully produced. And after it posts, I'm on all these talk shows. It was a lot. And I struggled a little bit. And you are the first person to hear that.

...I loved the project, and I loved the message. And I certainly have loved being out. But it just was a little fast for me and the attention I got. I mean, I didn't know anything other than what I knew I was. I didn't know anything about the community. And here I was getting asked to speak. I went through a lot of my own internal kind of shutdown. I have not told that to anybody. However, it's also done a world of wonders. It's allowed me to explore parts of myself without a care. Once I got through that chapter of the fear of what people thought, and the quickness of it, it almost jump-tracked my healing process.

But I wouldn't have it any other way, because now I feel this responsibility to be a role model for queer youth and show them an easier and safer way to do it. It's just so cool to me to see queer youth today owning who they are so young and so early. And I think especially with this film, we touch on internalized homophobia, and I think a lot of Millennials and Boomers and even maybe some Gen Z, we struggle with that because we [spent] so much of our youth closeted.

EDGE: "Ganymede" has such a strong cast. Can you speak about working with the ensemble which includes the amazing Robin Lively.

Jordan Doww: Icon! So, before we shot anything, me and the filmmakers – me, Sam, Colby and Pablo – all got dinner, and we sat down in a circle, held hands, and said, "What's our intention?" A week later, before we got to the family stuff, we invited Joe and Robin to do the same thing. And they were so sweet off the bat. I felt like I was getting to work with royalty, but that's my favorite thing about this work. I was so starstruck, but they're normal people who just want to collaborate with you and tell a great story. And once I felt that safety with them, it was like, okay, let's get to work and let's dive into this relationship. I'm working with icons, but I felt so close to them, and so loved. Robin's an icon, Joe's an icon, David's an icon, Pablo and Sophia are icons, Marissa... everyone in this film is just incredible. It was, truly, the best experience I've had thus far.

"Ganymede" is streaming on Cable and Digital VOD August 6, 2024, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Prime Video.

This interview has been edited for content, clarity and length.