Alexander: We really are standing on the shoulders of all the people that came before us. When you hear that phrase, I know it sounds like, what does that really mean? But when you actually dig into it, as a gay man discovering the history of your community and how it’s impacted the way you’ve grown up — it really helped me understand myself and has just been such an informative experience. It’s helped me be a better ally as well.
There’s a line in the final episode that seems to sum up the whole series, “People will forget it was so much fun.” What’s the benefit, do you think, of showing joy alongside the pain?
Douglas: These characters were subject to prejudice and endless shaming, but they were also just living life and trying to have a good time like any other young person would have. And then suddenly their wishes are robbed away from them. But you have to show the joy in order to understand what it is that they’re losing.
West: There was a lot of hardship that came that came out of the period, a lot of death, a lot of sorrow. But overall these people lived such vibrant, amazing lives. There’s so much to celebrate. These kids are in their 20s and they’re dealing with death, but you learn to keep going — you still have sex, you still love your friends, you still have fun, you still party. And that’s what we remember. Because they lived so richly and they’re no longer here with us. But they didn’t die in vain, because we’re still celebrating their existence.
There have been a number of different creative takes on the HIV/AIDS crisis, on stage and screen and in books, like the stories you’ve all mentioned. What do you hope It’s a Sin adds to our understanding of that time?
Alexander: A story has the power to move someone in a way nothing else does. I think that’s what’s beautiful about the show. I hope people watch it and fall in love with the characters and then miss them when they’re gone. I think it makes people ask questions as well, and opens up a conversation that I think is really helpful.
Douglas: The friendship and ordinary life aspects of the AIDS narrative can get swept up in the sensationalism of it. I think that’s why people have really been able to relate to It’s a Sin so much, because these are just teenagers looking for a little bit of independence. They go off and they start pursuing their lives, and then all of a sudden that all gets compromised. I think we’re bringing it home to something quite domestic and real and raw, in that sense. Hopefully, people can show a bit more compassion for what went on at the time.
West: It’s not to take anything away from the amazing work out there that explores the period, which is monumental and will forever be respected and loved. Works like The Normal Heart, The Ghosts of St. Vincents, The Inheritance. I think It’s a Sin just adds to that collective body of work, and it’s through a lens of joy and friendship and chosen family and love.
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