Profiles in LGBTQ+ Pride: Actor Marco Calvani
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Pride: Actor Marco Calvani originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
LOS ANGELES CELEBRATES 50 INSPIRING ANGELENOS WHO UPLIFT AND ADVANCE THE COMMUNITY IN ESSENTIAL WAYS
Playwright, filmmaker and actor; he/him
What projects or accomplishments are you most proud of?The Four Seasons (Netflix.) It is my return to acting after 15 years, something I wasn't really chasing nor even dreaming of. I'm proud I was able to put my fears aside and accept this enormous gift that came my way. Working with such amazing talents has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, not just professionally. It has changed my approach to the creative work in general and to life itself.Read about The Four Seasons' Los Angeles premiere here. [Secondly,] my first feature film, High Tide, which I wrote, directed and produced (currently available on demand on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.) I've been a gay man all my life and a storyteller for most of it, and yet I had never put queer characters at the center of my stories before. Bringing this film to life somehow ended up healing me from my own internalized homophobia. I was born and raised in a very Catholic country and conservative family, and I'd been carrying it with me for so long without even knowing. [Also], my marriage to Marco Pigossi. He is a wonderful man and such a gifted artist. I'm so incredibly happy to be on this journey with him. We've been together for five years now and we've built so much together: a home, a family, a film. We think of High Tide (of which he is the protagonist and the heart) as our first baby; the first one of many!
Who from L.A.'s LGBTQ+ community has inspired you? The workers and the volunteers of the LGBTQ Center. I happened to volunteer a few times for the center and to witness their commitment and dedication was just amazing. They filled me with gratitude. The trans community. They are — and always have been — a rare and true example of resilience, an inspiration to always fight back no matter the consequences and [are] an ally in any circumstances. Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon (theater and film producers) and Colman and Raul Domingo (also producers, on top of the obvious!). Both couples are friends of mine and have been together for at least two decades. Their relationships are a true collaboration — both personally and professionally — and that's been tremendously encouraging. They exemplify what success in life really means to me.
What does Pride mean to you, and why is it important to celebrate? It is a public platform to embrace myself and celebrate the truth of who I am — despite all the hatred, the fear, the doubt. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to be or become a political body and send a message of union to the authorities and the institutions [and] to fight for equality with the support of the community. Our message is filled with love and joy, with passion and enthusiasm. It is also an invitation to remember and honor all the ones who came before us and fought for our freedom.See all 50 LGBTQ+ Angelenos making an impact.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cosmopolitan
38 minutes ago
- Cosmopolitan
The Ending of 'Echo Valley', Explained
Sometimes you need a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat and your phone out of your hands. The new Apple TV+ thriller Echo Valley does just that. The movie stars Julianne Moore as Kate, a horseback riding instructor, who lives alone on her farm following the passing of her wife, Patty (Kristina Valada-Viars). That sounds quaint, right? Wrong. Enter: Sydney Sweeney as her daughter, Claire, who comes in and out of her life when she needs money for drugs... or to take advantage of her mother's love in an even darker way. As you can see, I'm not giving away anything just yet, because we're about to get deep into spoiler territory. So, if you're here, hopefully you've watched the movie already and are just looking for a little clarity on how Kate's plan to get out of a very tricky situation involving a vengeful drug dealer unfolded. Let's get into it. To quickly summarize what happens in the first two-thirds of the movie or so: Claire tells Kate that she accidentally killed her boyfriend, Ryan (Edmund Donovan), during an argument. Without Claire even asking her to, Kate disposes of the body in a lake because she just loves her daughter that much. You can tell by Claire's face that she's like, Ohhhh wow, didn't know that was going to be so easy. Claire soon disappears, but Kate finds her by tracking her phone. Turns out, she's hanging out in some random house with Ryan, who is definitely not dead! Claire and Ryan flee the scene, leaving Kate to be like, "Whose body did I throw in a lake then?!" The next thing you know, drug dealer Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson)—who has already been established as a horrible person—shows up at Kate's house and is all, "I know what you did, so now I'm gonna extort you." He also tells her that the dead body was that of a guy who Ryan caused to overdose. Meanwhile, Claire—now feeling regret—texts Kate that the dead person was named Greg. Kate needs a way to get out of all of this, obviously. Jackie wants money from Kate and doesn't care how he gets it. Since Kate doesn't have a lot of funds to her name, she comes up with a plan to burn down her barn for the insurance money, which she can then give to Jackie. In the meantime, he demands to stay in the apartment over her barn and poses as an employee on her farm when one of her horseback riding clients, Emma (Rebecca Creskoff), shows up. Kate and Jackie's plan is that she will burn down the barn with a flare in the middle of the night, which will look like an accident since she says flares are supposed to be undetectable fire-starters. Jackie makes sure Kate starts the fire, then drives off. Little does he know, Kate has purposely left a stand for the flare behind, because she previously heard a story about a man who tried to burn his house down for the insurance money, but was caught because he left a part of the flare behind. But, she doesn't want to be caught, she wants it to look like Jackie purposely burned down the barn. The next day, Kate is taken into the police station for questioning, and she brings up her "employee" Jackie and says she didn't know much about him and that the only person he ever brought around was some guy named Greg. The police chief reveals that a dead body was found in the apartment above the barn, and Kate is shocked at this information... or is she? In a flashback, we see that Kate and her friend, Les (Fiona Shaw), retrieved Greg's body from the lake and put it in the apartment when Jackie left. When the police eventually find Jackie and bring him in for questioning, he denies even knowing Kate at first, but then says he'll tell the true story—that Kate threw Greg's body in the lake to protect her daughter. Of course, the police don't believe him. There's also video footage of him buying the flares, a corroboration from Emma that he was a farmhand living in the apartment, and a bank statement showing that Kate transferred money to him. Kate and Jackie had set up this last part, because Kate needed to be able to slowly wire him the insurance money when it came through under the guise that she was paying him as an employee. Kate also purposely invited Emma to show up at the property while Jackie was there. So, Kate walks free, and Jackie is, presumably, going to be put trial for murder and arson and various other charges. Yes, the horses are fine! Jackie had suggested that Kate also "burn the horses" (his words) living on her ranch, because they are insured, too. And while it does appear that that happens at first, Kate and Les, thankfully, freed the horses once Jackie drove away. In a movie full of upsetting moments, it's really a relief when they show us those poor innocent horses making their escape. STREAM ECHO VALLEY HERE After Claire runs off with the very much alive Ryan, we don't see her again until the very end of Echo Valley. But, we do see text messages from her to Kate in which she expresses regret for the situation she put her mother in. It's hard to trust her, though, given that Kate also found texts between Claire and Ryan in which Ryan said that he couldn't believe Kate agreed to bury the body, and Claire responded, "I can make her do anything." Chilling. At the end, when Kate is working on rebuilding her barn and her life, she gets another text from her daughter, which reads, "Would you ever forgive me?" She doesn't respond, but soon, Claire shows up at Kate's door, tears in her eyes. She and Kate look at each other and the movie ends. Will Kate let Claire in yet again, potentially putting herself in another terrible situation and enabling her daughter's drug use? Or will she close the door this time, knowing all that she's already gone through? On the one hand, Claire's her daughter. On the other, Claire nearly got her imprisoned for disposing of a dead body, almost got her extorted or killed by a drug dealer, and once bit her and banged her head against a wall. Toss-up, really.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
There's A New ‘Ginny And Georgia' Season 4 Release Date Update
Ginny and Georgia There is no waiting period to see if Ginny and Georgia will be renewed for season 4 now that season 3 has aired, given that it was already double-renewed ahead of season 3's launch. However, when that fourth season is actually arriving is another question entirely, and a new update is disappointing if you were hoping that the show was going to be fast-tracked this time around. Despite the early renewal, that will not result in early filming of Ginny and Georgia season 4, which has not yet begun and will not begin for a while yet. According to Ginny actress Brianne Howey speaking on Collider's Ladies Night show, filming will start later this year. If we're being generous, we can say maybe that's in three months in September 2025. If not, December 2025. So, here are the release dates for the first three seasons of the show: That gap between seasons 2 and 3, two and a half years, was so long that the show's Austin actor grew a comical amount between episodes that were supposed to take place in the same night. Now, fans looking to avoid that wait may actually be getting a significantly shorter gap. Ginny and Georgia Filming and post-production of Ginny and Georgia has taken roughly 14 months or so in the past. So, if production begins in September 2025, that's November 2026. 14 months from December 2025 instead would be February 2027. That means the release date of Ginny and Georgia season 4 could be in the range between November 2026 and February 2027, which would be between 17 months and 20 months after season 3. So a year and a half gap, thereabouts, rather than a two and a half year one. But if production slips, all that's out the window. It remains something of a mystery as to why the show was delayed to this degree. There were the strikes in the middle, but that affected all productions, not just this one. But so long as things are able to get back on track now, this could be a series that moves back to being a 1.5-year break series rather than a 2-2.5-year break series, which is about as close to good news as we get in this day and age of huge spaces between seasons of streaming shows. Hopefully, we'll get more confirmed information soon. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
Blue Eye Samurai Season 2: Release date speculation, cast and plot details – Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on June 14, 2025, 18:30 IST Last updated June 14, 2025, 12:15 IST Blue Eye Samurai took the streaming world by storm with its stunning animation, gripping storyline, and complex characters when it debuted on Netflix in November 2023. The R-rated animated series, set in Edo-period Japan, follows Mizu, a mixed-race samurai voiced by Maya Erskine, on a bloody quest for revenge. After a critically acclaimed first season, Netflix swiftly greenlit Blue Eye Samurai Season 2, leaving fans eager for more. Here's everything we know so far about Season 2. Release Date Speculation for Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 While Netflix confirmed the renewal of Blue Eye Samurai for Season 2 in December 2023, no official release date has been announced. Based on production timelines and statements from the creators, fans may need to exercise patience. The first season was greenlit in October 2020 and took three years to produce, partly due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. With production for Season 2 already underway, the timeline is expected to be slightly shorter, but high-quality animation remains time-intensive. Executive Producer Jane Wu and co-creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi have hinted at a 2026 release window during interviews. Wu noted that the team is working on the first episode, with four of the six episodes already written. Given the complexity of the 2D/3D hybrid animation style, which aims to resemble a 'moving painting,' a 2026 premiere seems realistic. Some reports speculate a late 2025 release, but most evidence points to 2026 as the earliest likely date. Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 Expected Cast The voice cast for Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 is expected to feature many returning stars from the first season. Here's a breakdown of the likely cast: Maya Erskine as Mizu : The titular blue-eyed samurai, a half-Japanese, half-white warrior disguised as a man, will continue her vengeance-driven journey. Erskine's performance has been a cornerstone of the series' success. Kenneth Branagh as Abijah Fowler : The Shogun-allied Irish smuggler, spared by Mizu in Season 1, is expected to return as a key antagonist. Masi Oka as Ringo : The loyal, optimistic cook and Mizu's companion is likely to continue his journey alongside her. Brenda Song as Princess Akemi : The strong-willed princess, whose arc intertwined with Mizu's in Season 1, is expected to return. Darren Barnet as Taigen : Mizu's rival-turned-uneasy ally, a proud samurai, is likely to feature prominently. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as The Swordmaker : Mizu's mentor figure is expected to return. Stephanie Hsu as Ise and Ming-Na Wen as Madame Kaji : Both supporting characters are likely to reprise their roles. Harry Shum Jr. as Takayoshi : Another key figure expected to return. Freddie Fox as Poet: A new character introduced for Season 2, though details about whether Poet is a friend or foe remain undisclosed. Plot Details for Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 The first season of Blue Eye Samurai ended with a major cliffhanger, setting the stage for a bold new direction in Season 2. Mizu, having confronted and spared Abijah Fowler, learns that her quest for revenge against the three remaining white men who could be her father leads her beyond Japan. The season finale sees Mizu embarking for London, marking a significant shift from the Edo-period Japan setting to Europe, likely England. This change promises to explore how Mizu navigates Western culture and whether her perceptions of Europeans as 'monsters' hold true. Season 2 will consist of six episodes, down from the eight in Season 1, but each episode will average around 44 minutes, ensuring substantial storytelling. The narrative will continue to focus on Mizu's quest for vengeance, with new challenges and enemies emerging as she pursues the remaining traffickers. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
