Pop-Culturalist.com

Rising young actor George Sear has stolen our hearts with his transformative performance as Benji in the celebrated and critically acclaimed series, Love, Victor. Now in its second season, Love, Victor follows the titular character and his journey of self-discovery. Along the way, he meets Benji and sparks immediately fly.

As Victor begins to learn more about who he is and what he wants, Benji is right by his side, coming to terms with his own past and figuring out his own life, beautifully brought to life by George.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with George about Love, Victor, collaborating with Michael Cimino, the impact that the show has had on audiences, and he shares the song that best describes Benji’s Season 2 arc.

PC: After the first season premiered, you had a lot of viewers reach out to you about how the show made them feel seen and heard. What has that response meant to you? Does that bring a different weight to this project?
George: It’s been amazing to see that response. When we were making the show, we knew we were all a part of a project that felt quite special. But the way that it’s affected and impacted people and made them feel seen, especially the LGBTQ youth, having a show that they feel represented on screen, it’s amazing to see that response and to be a part of this project. I feel very lucky. I feel very blessed, because when you’re an actor, it’s hard to book a job in general, but when you do book one that has an actual impact and it’s connecting with people, it’s really special. It’s been amazing.

PC: This season, we’re going to see Benji and Victor navigate a new relationship. What was it like collaborating with Michael [Cimino] when approaching the dynamic between your two characters? How beneficial was it having a season already under your belt?
George: It was really great because we had that history there by that point, which helped the characters. When you meet the characters again in Season 2, they’re in this summer bubble—it’s that summer love, honeymoon period. I feel like Michael and I have always had quite good chemistry, and we managed to build on that.

They did ask us, “Do you want an intimacy coach?” They did that in both seasons, but particularly this season, because the nature of the scripts got a bit more adult. We said, “No,” because we already had a dynamic between us. We were both very committed to trying to honor the script and the characters. That’s how it went.

PC: We’re going to learn more about each character and their own backstories. Benji, in particular, has an interesting revelation towards the latter half of Season 2. What was your reaction when you read that arc? How did that challenge you as an actor?
George: It was amazing. It was really cool because I was hoping that we’d learn more about Benji and his other layers. When you first meet Benji, he’s this very confident guy. He’s still confident. He’s figured out his sexuality, but it doesn’t mean that he’s figured out life. He still has a lot of hurdles, and you get to see him deal with things. We bring in his family and his family dynamic. He gets to learn much more about that. You get to see all this through the lens of his relationship with Victor. As an actor, it was really great to have this material.

PC: If the series gets picked up for a third season, is there a character that you would like to see Benji interact more with?
George: I’d like to see him interact more with Ava Capri’s character, Lucy, because they do allude to them having a friendship a lot of the time, but you don’t see it much. If Season 3 goes ahead, I think she’s going to get quite an interesting storyline. It’d be interesting to see those characters and their dynamics.

PC: Having played this character for two seasons now, has anything surprised you about his journey? What’s been the biggest takeaway for you as an actor being a part of this project?
George: I’d say a lot of the scripts surprised me, actually. I think a testament to good writing is when you’re reading the script, and you expect one thing, and then they throw you a curveball; they give you something completely different. I feel like I got that with Benji.

One of the biggest takeaways is the joy in doing something like this where there’s so much comradery. It’s such a team effort from the scriptwriters to our directors to the cast. We all got so close, especially shooting through a pandemic. We really bonded. It gave us more of a chance to hang out with each other. That was probably one of the biggest takeaways.

PC: You’ve played Benji for two seasons. Do you have a favorite moment of his? What’s been the most challenging scene for you to film?
George: There’s a scene between Victor’s mum, Benji, and Victor. It was quite a challenge because we wanted to do the scene justice. There was a lot of high energy and a lot of staying in it. It was a good challenge.

Sometimes the music stuff is challenging because I want to find the right way to be Benji on the stage. What is his persona like? How would he do this song? There’s some music that’s brought in again this season.

PC: Speaking of music, if you had to pick a song that described Benji’s season two arc, which would it be and why?
George: “Maybe My Way” by Frank Sinatra. “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.” I feel like Benji has made some mistakes this season, but he was trying. He was trying to do it his way and figuring out who you are plays a part there.

To keep up with George, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Season 2 of Love, Victor on Hulu on June 11th.

Photo Credit: Buddy Corona