In a new interview with GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos, actor, comedian and writer Brandon Scott Jones chats about his new comedy Senior Year and his beloved TV series Ghosts. As an out actor, Jones tells Ramos that he is excited to see and contribute to LGBTQ representation in the mainstream media.
Brandon Scott Jones not only stars alongside Rebel Wilson in Netflix’s Senior Year, but he was also a co-writer of the new comedy. Senior Year tells the story of a high school senior in 2002 with a dream of becoming popular. When she finally achieves this dream, she has a cheerleading accident leaving her in a coma for the next 20 years. She wakes up as a 37 year old in the year 2022, and makes it her mission to have the senior year experience she missed out on.
Jones, who plays the guidance counselor, says that Rebel Wilson recommended him as a writer for the film after they worked together in the 2019 romantic comedy, Isn’t it Romantic. Jones says that for the new film his job was to “Rebel-ify” the screenplay.
The film highlights how “what was acceptable in 2002 in high school, is no longer acceptable, Jones tells Ramos. He also says that what interested him the most about the project was getting to be a part of a film where “queer people being themselves are the cool kids in school.” Furthermore, he describes the plot as “if you went to high school in She’s All That, you hit your head, and wake up 20 years later in Euphoria.”
The Ghosts actor also reveals how surreal it was to live out his own high school fantasy by recreating the iconic Britney Spears music video of (You Drive Me) Crazy in the film.
Ghosts on CBS recently wrapped up its first season and in the season finale Jones’ character, Isaac, was given a beautiful queer story arc. In the interview, Jones reflects on how important it is to tell stories like Isaac’s on broadcast television for such a wide audience. He says that Isaac not only “challenges the idea of what classic masculinity is” but “lends himself to intergenerational conversations.”