David (Justin Bartha) finds being a stay-at-home Dad tougher than he imagined.
After last week’s Matt Bomer-riffic episode of NBC’s The New Normal, our favorite gay couple, David (Justin Bartha) and Bryan (Andrew Rannells) take a look at their novice parenting skills in the “Stay At Home Dads” episode, airing tonight.
Bartha chatted up the episode and also discussed what he’s learned from his character and reminding himself on other projects that he’s not a gay man.
AfterElton:What’s happening on this week’s episode?
Justin Bartha: You’ll see David and Bryan’s different techniques and methods of parenting and when fantasy and reality finally meet for them as parents. So, they both think that they can be stay-at-home dads, and they get a little help with trying to take care of Shania. Then you see that maybe they might bite off more than they can chew.
AE:Is it safe to say that David and Bryan have very different ideas of what parenting is all about?
JB: They do have very different ideas and, as most people learn, you can never quite plan to be a parent. You can try, but it always has a life of its own. We start to see them realize that having a child is really not something to be taken lightly and now they are going to learn the hard way.
AE:In last week’s episode that just aired, Shania (Bebe Wood) builds her little group of friends. Are those the same friends we see David and Bryan working with this week?
JB: Yeah. You’ll see them again. It gets pretty crazy. It definitely gets crazy!
AE:You’re not a parent in real life. Is that right, Justin?
JB: That is correct.
AE:What have you learned from David and from this whole experience [on the show]? So much of it is about babies and parenting.
JB: We’re shooting a television show so it’s not quite akin to real life, but it reminds you of the fact that you can never quite plan. We all have fantasies of how our lives are going to turn out, how the day is going to go. And almost certainly thingsl go the opposite of how you plan. It’s just a nice, gentle reminder that that is the way that life works.
The New Normal baby is coming...but Bartha would not tell us when. Hmmmm...
AE: How well, at this point, do you know David?
JB: I’m always learning. I mean, I think that’s one of the big benefits that comes with a television show is that you get to stay with this character for a long time, and he’s constantly evolving. You get to experience that evolution week-in and week-out and that’s another one of the themes of the show: that each character is going to evolve through the other characters.
I mean, we change because of the point of views of each other. David’s point of view will constantly be shifting, because of all the new people in his life that have different points of view. So, because of that, you know the core of the character, but it’s an ever-changing thing. You have to lean into that adapting…that evolution. That’s the fun part.
AE:What have you personally heard from straight viewers who are watching the show? Are they surprised that they love the show about a gay couple?
JB: Yeah. They have to love it on the down-low. They have to watch it like porn. [laughs] No, it’s always hard to tell because there’s a lot of people that are just going to tell you what you want to hear, but the overall response has been overwhelmingly positive, [and] not just from the content of the show.
People think it’s funny. I have friends that are kind of the comedy nerds of the world that respect the writing because it’s so strong, but you also have a show that is dealing with real issues and happens to be very relevant in today’s society. So there are people, also, that very much respond to that aspect, and I respond to both. We just want people to see it. We just want people to tune in and get to know these characters.
AE:Are we going to see Goldie (Georgia King) give birth by the end of the first season, or is that going to go into season two?
JB: That you’ll have to stay tuned for…can’t quite tell you that.
AE:Were you filming Hangover III at the same time or how did that work time-wise?
JB: Yeah. I was shooting at the same exact time as the TV show. It was fun. This is the third Hangover, so it’s kind of like a little family, the cast and crew. It’s the same cast and crew over the years, so it was a lot of fun to go and be with them. It’s like you go to work and you laugh all day, so it was nice. I mean, there were times where I would be on set that I would have to remind myself that I wasn’t a gay man, but that happens. It’s natural.
The New Normal airs Tuesdays at 9:30pm on NBC.
