Pop-Culturalist.com

Media has the power to reflect the world as it is. But for many bisexual individuals, that reflection has often been incomplete, skewed, or entirely absent. In Practically Gay, writer-director Marc Underhill steps in to fill that gap with a story that embraces the complexity, fluidity, and nuance of bi identity. At a time when authentic, affirming bi representation is still rare, Marc offers a heartfelt narrative that doesn’t just acknowledge the “B” in LGBTQ+, but centers it.

After Alex’s boyfriend breaks up with him at a wedding, a seemingly casual nightcap in another couple’s Airbnb hot tub takes an unexpected turn. As Alex begins to open up about his romantic past, he’s consoled—emotionally and physically—by the pair, sparking feelings he’s long ignored. What unfolds is a quiet reckoning, as Alex questions the boxes he’s placed himself in and the ones the world has tried to place around him. Is living authentically as a bi man impractical—or is that belief itself the thing that needs to be unlearned?

Directed by Marc Underhill and produced in collaboration with Thundercane Productions, Practically Gay is both a proof of concept and a deeply personal directorial debut. With over four million views and counting, the short has struck a chord with audiences around the world—proof not just of its resonance, but of the real hunger for stories like this. Pop Culturalist caught up with Marc to discuss the inspiration behind the film, the importance of bi visibility, and how he’s redefining queer storytelling on his own terms.

PC: Practically Gay carries this beautiful sentiment that sometimes you have to do the thing that scares you, which also ties back to why you created this short. Can you share a bit more about the inspiration behind this project, and how you were able to weave in your own personal experiences?
Marc: Absolutely. Practically Gay is a very personal story—it’s kind of my story. The idea came from asking myself, “What would I do if I were a little braver?” I’m a millennial gay man who has been with women, and before I wrote the short, I had this experience with a straight couple that really made me reflect. It brought up a part of myself I’d been suppressing—shaped by years of dating women who, after learning about my past, thought I was slowly coming out. Gay men often assumed the same thing. There’s this stereotype that bi men are just on their way to coming out as gay.

After a breakup, I started wondering—what if I changed my dating settings and explored dating women again, even after living openly as a gay man for years in LA? That led to this moment where I thought, “Okay, maybe I should stop trying to be bi and just pick a lane.”

I ended up writing a feature about that experience. From there, we created the short film as a proof of concept. It was really special. We just said, “Let’s make it.” It was my first time directing, and because the story was so personal, I felt like I needed to be the one to tell it—even if I’d never done it before. I’m so happy with how it turned out. The response online has been really encouraging, which means a lot.

PC: That’s exciting to hear that there’s a feature script out there because when you finish the short, it’s so clear that there are so many possibilities for where the characters’ journeys could go. There’s also so much vulnerability that you ask from your ensemble, even within this shorter format. How did you create the space on set where they felt safe enough to tap into those emotional depths? I’d love to hear particularly about Darren [Bluestone] and Dan [J. Johnson], whose characters open up in such a personal way. Their experiences, much like life, are deeply individual. How did you approach both their unique perspectives and the similarities that connect their characters?
Marc: First and foremost, it was really important to me that we had an intimacy coordinator on set. We were also able to have one night of rehearsal with them before filming, so by the time we shot the more intimate scenes, it wasn’t the first time we were having those conversations. That preparation made the actors feel more comfortable. It’s also a huge testament to them for being willing to go there with me. DaRyn [Merriwether], our intimacy coordinator, was phenomenal.

Darren and Dan already had a friendship with Sara [Lindsey], who plays Paige, and because of that shared connection, they clicked pretty quickly with each other, too. That familiarity helped build trust on set.

It was a really special experience. We were working with a small crew on a small-scale proof of concept, and that intimacy translated behind the camera as well. It created a space where everyone felt safe to be vulnerable. Ultimately, it came down to the actors being willing to share that part of themselves—and the script giving them a space to do that.

What’s interesting is that Darren, who plays Alex, and Dan, who plays Brent, approach their characters’ identities from different angles. They’re both bi, but they’re making different choices about how to move forward—one is choosing to be with women, the other with men. But in this moment they share, there’s a realization that maybe there isn’t a binary for what’s possible. They really embraced that idea in such a thoughtful and open way, and I’m so grateful they were willing to go there.

PC: The chemistry is so believable on screen. As you just said, this is your directorial debut. Congratulations, by the way. Did you find that your background as an actor influenced the way that you stepped into the director’s chair? What did you learn from this process that you’ll bring to the next?
Marc: Thank you. Prior to this, I had been working as a writer and producer, which actually grew out of my acting background. As a writer, I tend to keep my scripts intentionally lean—not overwritten. I think of them as blueprints that give actors room to breathe, to see themselves in the roles, and to make their own choices. I never want to write something where it’s like, “You have to do this, this, and this.” That mindset really helped when I stepped into directing for the first time. It made it easier to communicate what was important to me while also inviting collaboration, especially because I was working with such talented actors who brought their own perspectives to the table.

We spent a lot of time discussing their individual characters. Having the full feature script to pull from was incredibly helpful because it allowed us to reference the larger arc of the story—even if the audience doesn’t know those details yet. Some of the choices the actors make in the short are informed by things that happen much later in the feature—maybe even around page 70—so there’s a lot of subtle setup already baked in. Hopefully, we’ll get to bring that full story to life.

As a director, the biggest thing I took away from this experience was the importance of making sure the actors really understood their characters—and creating a space where it felt like a true collaboration. I never wanted it to be me saying, “I know exactly who these characters are.” I had a clear idea of the themes and the emotional throughlines I was trying to explore, but I was just as interested in what the ensemble brought to it.

PC: Creating that space also builds trust among everyone working on the project. Filmmaking is such an editor’s medium, and your stylistic choices—from the underwater sequences to the transitions—are so seamless. It makes you such an exciting voice. As you were directing, how much were you thinking about how it would all come together in the edit, especially with limited time and coverage?
Marc: Yeah, I actually edited the project as well. I tend to write and produce with the edit in mind, especially since the projects I work on are usually at a micro-budget scale. We’re not operating with huge budgets, which—as you said—means less time and fewer shots. So with limited coverage, you have to be very intentional. You need to know how it’s going to cut together before you’re even on set. That’s something we think about heavily in pre-production—making sure we’re telling the story visually in a way that works in the edit, because we don’t have the luxury of reshoots.

I also leaned on my experience from working on a feature film called Auggie. I co-wrote, produced, and edited that one, and it was a fast-paced shoot—we had just twelve days to get through principal photography. We structured it so that every scene would have no more than three setups. That kind of constraint might sound limiting, but it forces you to be strategic. You have to ask, “What are the three best shots we can get to tell this story?”

Constraints like that can actually be empowering. They push you to be resourceful and economical, and when you’re thinking that way from the start, it sets you up for success in the editing room.

PC: I also feel like those constraints allow the actors to trust their instincts, especially since they don’t have dozens of takes. Licensing music can be incredibly expensive, but the soundtrack for this film complements the story so well. With original music from Morgxn, how did that impact the creative process? What went into the decision to incorporate all those different original compositions?
Marc: I’ve been a fan of Morgxn’s for a long time—we actually went to college together. He’s such a talented singer-songwriter, and he’s also a friend. As fellow artists, it’s been really special to share our work with each other over the years. When I was writing the feature version of Practically Gay, I found myself listening to Morgxn’s music as a way to connect emotionally with the story. I told him that, and he was really flattered. Around the time we were filming, he shared some unreleased tracks with me.

I was deep in the edit when I first heard those songs, and they just clicked—they fit so naturally with the tone and emotion of the piece. It was really fun to play around with which tracks worked best for which moments. For example, when we were filming the hot tub scene, we shot it without music, but there’s this little dance moment with Darren. We played Morgxn’s music on set to help capture the right vibe tonally.

As you said, music really elevates the story, and Morgxn’s work contributed so much to the emotional fabric of the film. He’s a queer artist, and thematically, his music was a perfect fit for what we were trying to say. I feel really lucky that he was willing to be part of this project—and that it worked within our budget.

PC: That’s so cool—and what a small world. Media and art play such a crucial role in reflecting the world we live in and the different walks of life. Have you had the chance to read the comments people are leaving about the short and how they feel seen, and the gap this project is filling? What does that response mean to you?
Marc: I’ve read a few of them, and it’s been really special—because that’s exactly why I wanted to tell this story. It’s a story about self-acceptance. I feel like YouTube has become a place where queer people can find representation that traditional media doesn’t always make space for. My goal with the feature is to keep pushing that forward and to create even more representation—especially when it comes to the “B” in LGBTQ.

Having the short live on YouTube and seeing it reach over four million views is beyond anything I could have expected. That’s wild. Reading comments from people who saw themselves in Alex or Brent—it’s really moving. It makes it feel like the story doesn’t just end when the credits roll. It keeps going. And that’s the kind of impact you can only get from a platform like YouTube.

I love film festivals—they’re such a special space for connection, and those one-on-one conversations in a communal setting are invaluable. But being able to reach people on a global scale through “Practically Gay”—people who maybe don’t have access to festivals or those spaces—that’s been incredibly meaningful. It’s a completely different ballgame in terms of the reach and impact, and I’m so grateful for it.

PC: Did you have a festival run for this?
Marc: We didn’t do a festival run because it was created as a proof of concept. The idea was that it would serve as a selling tool and a companion piece to the feature script. I’ve had some great meetings with production companies who really connected with the script, but unfortunately, the timing wasn’t ideal. A lot of those conversations happened right before and right after the writer’s strike, which made it tough for people to take a chance on a small indie story like this.

But putting it online and seeing the response—how quickly it racked up views—has been incredible. That’s the proof of concept in action. It shows there’s an audience for this story, and that’s exactly what I was hoping to demonstrate.

To keep up with Marc, follow him on Instagram. Watch Practically Gay on YouTube today.