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The
maiden production is the film "Good Grief," which Levy wrote,
directed and stars in. It follows his character, Marc, whose
life is turned upside down when his husband ,Oliver, played by
Luke Evans, dies suddenly in an accident.
Marc must reconstruct his life with the help of his two best
friends, Thomas, played by Himesh Patel, and Sophie, portrayed
by Ruth Negga.
The movie, which starts streaming on Netflix on Jan. 5, is a
drama which Levy hopes his fans will connect with even though it
is outside the comedic work for which he is known.
"I think it's very rare to be given an opportunity to do
something so different from what people know you to do and that
takes a leap of faith from, in this case, from Netflix to
greenlight something that's so different," Levy said.
He feels that actors often get type-cast and must stay in the
genre people expect them to be, so he is grateful for the chance
to do something personal to him.
Although lighthearted, the film shows how friendship can help
through the process of mourning.
"I think there's this fear ... that sharing your fears or your
sadness is a burden on your friendships, but I think that is the
greatest act of love ultimately," Levy said.
To create the friendship bond, he arranged for Patel, Negga and
himself to connect over several weeks before shooting, including
doing an escape room together in London, which Levy said had
"everyone's skill sets just put on display."
Whether it is comedy or drama, he wants people to see that his
work resonates across genres.
"I cared very deeply about 'Schitt's Creek' and I think the
common theme here is that both of these projects have a very
large heartbeat to them, and I hope will mean something to
people in very different ways," he said.
Levy's multiyear deal with Netflix began in 2021.
(Reporting by Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway; Editing by Mary
Milliken and Sandra Maler)
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