It’s been an eventful yr for Luke Macfarlane, who reunites with Bros director Nick Stoller for Apple TV+’s comedy collection Platonic alongside Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne.

Within the present that hails from co-creators Stoller and Francesca Delbanco and is at the moment streaming, Macfarlane performs lawyer Charlie, who’s elevating three youngsters with spouse Sylvia (Byrne) and has to regulate to her rekindled friendship with the unpredictable Will (Rogen).

Macfarlane has had a full plate lately, having co-starred reverse Billy Eichner in final fall’s Common launch Bros, which spurred loads of debate when it underperformed on the field workplace. He’s additionally recognized for his Christmas movies, together with starring in quite a few Hallmark tasks and showing in Netflix’s 2021 characteristic Single All of the Means, which was the streamer’s first rom-com to concentrate on LGBTQ lead characters.

Throughout a dialog with The Hollywood Reporter, Macfarlane weighs in on why starring in Platonic meant saying goodbye to a job in Greta Gerwig’s extremely anticipated summer time launch Barbie, the vary of feelings he feels now in regards to the Bros expertise, why tv comedies don’t all the time appear to earn the respect they deserve and what it’s prefer to be referred to as a mainstay of Hallmark’s Christmas movie circuit.

For Platonic, you reunite together with your Bros director Nick Stoller. Had you already filmed Bros earlier than doing the present?

I used to be forged in Bros for a really very long time. There was the pandemic, after which issues didn’t occur for an excellent very long time, however we all the time frivolously saved in contact with one another, which was simply greater than something setting the groundwork for an excellent director-actor relationship. After which after we had been filming Bros, I knew that he was pitching this present with Rose and Seth, however he by no means talked about it to me actually in any element. I didn’t know a lot about it, aside from it was actually Francesca’s child and one thing that felt very private to her.

It was attention-grabbing as a result of I had auditioned for a small half in Barbie and received it. After which I received an e-mail from Nick that was like, “I feel you’d be actually nice on this half.” I used to be like, “Nice. I’ve this provide for Barbie, so that you gotta let me know.” We tried to make it work, and I used to be like, “You already know what? I actually, actually wished to work on this present.” Careers are humorous issues — you by no means actually know. After I learn in regards to the character on the web page, I used to be like, “That is any person I perceive.”

For Barbie, it was simply that the timing couldn’t work out for each?

It was a kind of brutal issues. Yeah, the timing couldn’t work out for each. I’m not making an attempt to sound boastful. It was a small, little half, however I’ve by no means been a part of some stunning, huge, cool factor like that. It will have been cool to have the ability to do each.

You’ve an awesome straight-man presence on this, versus the chaos of Seth and Rose. What was that dynamic prefer to play reverse them?

Intimidating — they’re each so good. Seth is that this actually brilliant, verbal man. Jokes simply come out of him with like this unimaginable ease, and every thing’s easy. And the identical factor for Rose’s comedy, particularly in the case of her physicality — it’s actually laid-back and humorous.

Charlie’s uptightness is one thing that comes naturally to me. Nick would typically poke enjoyable at me in the course of the filming of Bros — he’s like, “You’re very stiff.” And that’s simply sort of the way in which I transfer, which appeared acceptable to Charlie. He’s actually received a robust ethical heart, and he believes in doing issues the correct method, and he’s slightly stiff. [With] Seth and Rose’s very easy calm, it makes for an excellent distinction.

Had been there any distinctive challenges to the position?

I’ll let you know precisely: I’m not a dancer. Actually troublesome time getting on that bar with Seth, and I used to be getting over some accidents. Oof, I used to be not nice.

The present’s crew made it clear in advertising earlier than the launch that viewers wouldn’t have to fret about Seth and Rose’s characters doubtlessly hooking up. Was {that a} good side to doing the present?

Completely. It was nice. It wasn’t a love triangle scenario. To not get too heavy or deep about it, I additionally assume anyone that noticed Bros final yr, anyone that is aware of something about me, is aware of I’m an brazenly homosexual man. The truth that that may nonetheless work despite what we consider the performer exhibits that our viewers is extra open-minded. I acknowledge I’m not a family title by any stretch of the creativeness, however that it doesn’t must be alienating that I can play a straight man that’s in a wholesome relationship, that exhibits one thing about the place we’ve come.

Has there been discuss of a second season for Platonic?

I do know there’s been discuss, however I’m not at these high-level concepts. There’s been positively a dialog, however the world is an odd place proper now with the strike and momentum and never understanding what’s a sure metric for achievement. After which actually, Rose and Seth are A-list film stars. It depends upon them and in the event that they wish to do it once more too, however I do know that lots of people concerned have frivolously advised that there’s a risk for a season two.

One factor that stands out in regards to the present is that, particularly for awards consideration, there are a whole lot of “comedies” that aren’t comedies.

I completely agree.

Whereas Platonic appears to thrill in making folks giggle. Does that appear to be a harder promote on this prestige-TV period?

Seth’s an awesome individual to speak to about this, and he has actually attention-grabbing, sensible opinions, so I’m going to echo a whole lot of what he stated. However look, being on set with Nick, one thing that I actually realized, which had not been a giant a part of my expertise earlier than, is jokes are essential. Touchdown jokes — whether or not that’s [because] they’re humorous, the timing’s proper, the efficiency is correct, it’s not pushed — that could be very arduous to do. In a present like Platonic, jokes have to maintain coming, and I actually recognize that.

Myself, like lots of people within the business, and I don’t know why that is, however do flip their nostril up at that. I feel it’s simply because folks assume comedy is less complicated than it really is. What’s so intelligent about Platonic is that beneath it, there’s an actual set of stakes and readability about who all of the characters are, and also you perceive them proper off the bat.

Now that we’re a bit faraway from the Bros launch and the dialogue of its field workplace, how do you’re feeling about all that?

Disenchanted that extra folks didn’t exit and see it, however it’s OK. I actually felt tremendous proud in regards to the film. I can’t consider something that I felt was a giant mistake in making it, so it’s disappointing. Billy is so, so, so gifted, so humorous, so artistic, has such a giant coronary heart. So it’s disappointing, however this can be a enterprise. And I feel individuals are gonna discover it. A man got here as much as me within the fitness center the opposite day and was like, “I got here residence, my 17-year-old son was watching Bros. And I used to be like, ‘I do know that man’” — and he knew me from the fitness center. He sat down and watched it. Hopefully, folks will uncover it that method. There’s a protracted custom of movies that don’t kill it within the field workplace however stand the take a look at of time, and I imagine Bros will probably be like that.

Does it appear that there are execs who nonetheless are taking the possibilities wanted to make rom-coms like Bros which might be extra inclusive of their alternative of leads?

I don’t know. The concept of greenlighting any extraordinarily costly movies looks as if a very daunting factor proper now. Rom-com is a extremely troublesome style usually as a result of we all know what occurs: They get collectively. That makes it more and more arduous to be recent. So in a method, the rom-com is primed for the sudden coupling, whether or not that’s a homosexual couple or one other sort of couple that’s not nearly all of folks. I hope that they do as a result of that’s an effective way to make it recent.

You actually have expertise with the house because the king of Christmas films. Does your private expertise lead you to imagine that issues are trending in a optimistic method with inclusion?

They actually are. Hallmark is totally making efforts to create queer content material, and I applaud them for that. They’ve been typically the butt of jokes in regards to the kind of restricted nature of their forged, however they’ve actually modified that, they usually’re actually persevering with to try this. I feel they’re doing that not only for the press. The Christmas film [The Holiday Sitter, featuring an LGBTQ couple] they did final yr was a giant success for them, had a lot of viewers. There’s an viewers there, for certain.

Candace Cameron Bure, who’s herself a Christmas stalwart …

Maven? Sure.

Proper. She made headlines about her firm Nice American [not focusing on queer characters in holiday films]. So strikes like Hallmark’s appear encouraging.

Precisely. It’s that complete factor that was, why does me having visibility make your self any much less totally different? I feel that all of us deserve a spot within the media, within the movie world.

In an ideal world, the place are we seeing you in a pair years?

(Laughs.) Properly, I might love to return again and do Platonic once more. We’re in the course of a writers strike, and that could be a bummer. However as I stated, Hallmark has been superb to me, and I’ve agreed to do a Christmas film for them this yr. So I’m including to the canon.

Nobody’s taking that crown.

That’s proper. It’s getting very aggressive.

Does it really feel totally different to be on a Hallmark set now that you just’ve performed such a spread of massive Hollywood tasks?

All units are totally different. I’m so grateful in my profession. I’ve performed every thing from a interval drama to a sci-fi present to those Hallmark movies, they usually’re all totally different. That’s a part of the enjoyable of being an actor is like, “How does this factor work?” What’s been all the time enjoyable in regards to the Hallmark films is how a lot leeway they offer you and the tempo. Discuss studying on the job. You gotta know what you’re doing once you present up as a result of there may be not a whole lot of time. We shoot them in 15 days, they usually are inclined to overshoot in order that they’ve their bases coated.

I used to be telling somebody lately that I might see you in Chris Evans roles.

I recognize it. Out of your lips to whoever’s ears as a result of that actually is the factor I need greater than ever. I like doing motion. I actually do. I can’t dance, however I can study a battle sequence rather well.

Interview edited for size and readability.

Platonic is at the moment streaming its first season on Apple TV+.