Hunter Doohan on queer fans identifying with Wednesday: ‘It strikes to the very core, being a gay person’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The actor, who plays Tyler Galpin in the hit series, tells Attitude that the sense of being different is central to its LGBTQ+ following
By Callum Wells
Hunter Doohan has opened up about why Netflix’s Wednesday resonates so strongly with queer audiences, comparing the show’s themes of otherness to his own experiences of growing up gay.
The actor tells Attitude that the sense of being different is central to why many LGBTQ+ viewers identify with the show’s ‘Outcast’ characters – who grapple with hidden strengths and abilities in a world that misunderstands them.
In an exclusive interview after the release of Season 2, Part 2, he explains: “I think that’s kind of why I, and other people, have connected to Tim Burton‘s work in general. But, yeah, I mean, that just strikes to kind of the very core being… you know, a gay person is feeling like an outsider from such a young age. So, yeah, that’s kind of just intertwined.”
“It’s been nice just to see the impact firsthand” – Hunter Doohan on Wednesday’s queer representation
Doohan, who plays Tyler Galpin in the hit series, also reflects on the importance of queer representation on screen, adding, “It’s been nice just to see the impact firsthand sometimes and just have fans say little things here, there about it. I think I’ve always felt it’s important so I don’t think it’s changed. But it’s been nice to see that it is touching people.”
In Wednesday’s second season, Tyler undergoes a dramatic transformation, taking a much darker turn. He is revealed to be a Hyde, a powerful alter ego that emerges under emotional stress, adding new layers of complexity to the character. Doohan found this shift exciting, saying that “it’s been really fun” to explore. He gushes, “I feel like this darker version was what I was excited to get into ever since Alan Miles told me the twist from season one. But the way season two starts is just even darker than I ever kind of expected it to go.”
The star reveals he had an inkling of Tyler’s secret from the start – picking up on clues about the barista’s hidden side. He recalls, “Before we started shooting season one, I knew that he had something he was hiding, but wasn’t totally sure during the audition process. There was one scene that hinted a dark secret that I don’t even think was in the final version of the show.” Once cast, a Zoom with the writers walked him through the entire storyline, giving him the clarity he needed.
“I was wondering if they saw a leak or something!” Doohan shares his surprise on “accurate” fan theories
Despite being ordered to keep Tyler’s fate under wraps, Doohan admits it was quite tricky, confessing he accidentally let Joy Sunday (who plays Bianca Barclay) in on the news. “I had already connected and become friends with Joy, just over text, and I told her, and then immediately after that found out I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone in the cast! But we were able to keep it secret enough for the general public when it came out,” he assures.
Looking ahead to a third season, which has already been confirmed, he hopes to see a version of Tyler who has control over his Hyde. “It’d be fun to get to see a version of him where he is in control, because we’ve yet to fully see that,” he says, noting that Tyler has always been controlled by someone else, whether Laurel Gates (Christina Ricci) or his mother Francoise (Frances O’Connor) and Isaac Night (Owen Painter).
Doohan also enjoys seeing fan theories about the show. “It’s just fun to see them kind of before it comes out. Sometimes, like before Part 2 came out, I was wondering if they saw a leak or something, because it’d be so accurate,” he jokes, adding that other times they were “so off that it’s funny”.
“A boy needs some healing” – Doohan on his hopes for Tyler’s future storylines
For the actor, working with executive producer and director Burton has been a career highlight, especially on the newer episodes. “I feel like, this season, I got to really step more into his world because he’s done half the season both times – he did the first four episodes of season one,” he explains. “Tyler’s really just keeping that big secret the whole time. So I felt like he had more fun working with me on Tyler’s character this season doing the darker, more twisted sides of him, especially they’re like, really twisted.”
He also praises his co-stars, particularly Billie Piper, calling her “incredible” and admitting he immediately fanboyed after a cast photoshoot. “Penny Dreadful was one of my favourite shows of all time,” he says of her 2014 Sky Atlantic horror. “At first we weren’t sure if we were keeping Tyler’s return a secret or not, so we did one photo that I wasn’t even in… and then I saw Billie and I was like, ‘The hell is Billie Piper doing here?'”
Finally, Doohan shares his hopes for Tyler’s past and future. “It would be nice just to see something of him when he was, like, super young and before his mum was taken away, and maybe get to see happy Tyler for once, even if he was, like, four,” he says. “That boy needs some healing.”
Wednesday Season 2, Part 2 is available to stream now on Netflix.