Vanity Fair talks to Cameron Monaghan, who plays gay teen Ian Gallagher on Shameless, which premieres on Showtime this Sunday.
So let's talk about this role: Ian Gallagher. For the folks who haven't seen eleven-hundred previews for the show, Ian is clearly meant to be a bit…incendiary, sort of the anti–Kurt Hummel.
He's the anti-stereotype. He never does anything that's stereotypically perceived as “gay”. He's tough, he's street smart, and he's pretty much unlike any gay teenager on television right now.
That's for sure! He smokes, he relishes porn, he's in the R.O.T.C., and he's having lots of sex—some of it with his married, Muslim boss. I think he's great. But what did you think when you read the pilot?
When I first got the sides, it was definitely a little shocking seeing the content and the language. So at first I was like, What is this? It's crazy! But it was really intriguing how no-holds-barred the situations and dialogue were. And I was so interested that I read the whole script, and I was hooked. I became a fan of the show before I was even cast.
Watch the trailer and behind-the-scenes for Shameless, AFTER THE JUMP…
