Reeling Film Festival returns Sept. 18-25 as the second-longest running LGBT film festival in the world.
One film, Saugatuck Cures, contains an original plot about a gay man ( played by Max Adler ) posing as an ex-gay minister curing homosexuals in churches around the Midwest to raise money for his sick mother.
Before spoofing conversion therapy, Adler kicked off his acting career with the hit television show Glee as a high school jock and bully. Ryan Murphy was so impressed with him that he wrote the part so the character would come out of the closet kissing character Kurt Hummel, the object of his frustration.
Now he stars as Tank on Switched at Birth and played the role of Baker in Believe Me as well, with more projects on the horizon.
We called the talented performer who is about to film the final season of Glee to discuss Cures and more.
Windy City Times: Hi, Max.
Max Adler: Jerry, my Twitter buddy! How are you?
WCT: Great, and I appreciate the tweet. You were raised in Arizona?
Max Adler: Yes, I went to high school in Arizona.
WCT: With all of your advocacy against bullying, were you ever bullied as a kid?
Max Adler: I am a pretty peaceful dude. I consider myself a pacifist. There were two incidents. The first town I lived in was called Fountain Hills, Arizona and we lived closed to an Indian reservation there. The school was overwhelmingly Native American and they wouldn't let me play basketball. They used to shove me away because I was the white boy. My dad told me if I fought for myself and pushed back he would raise my allowance. I was called to the principal's office and they called my dad who couldn't have been more happy. They let me play basketball and we all became friends. It was an interesting lesson to stand up for yourself once and earn respect.
The only other time was when we changed schools and my mom was the art teacher. They used to pick on me for my mom being in the school. I got teased but I was fortunate to have two great parents that really reinforced my self esteem. They always taught me that whomever is doing the bullying is just taking it out on me, that there is something wrong with them and not me.
I would say after sixth grade I didn't really encounter any bullying, so I guess I was pretty fortunate.
WCT: You have become such a champion for the underdog after the role on Glee.
Max Adler: Because of that role, it has opened so many doors to people I have talked to who have shared their stories with me. If I can help represent them on Glee, I am honored to do that. I hope I shine a light into the mind of a bully and what is really taking place.
WCT: How was filming in Saugatuck?
Max Adler: It was great. First of all, it all came together in a really cool way. It is a brilliant script written by Jay Paul Deratany. He's a very prominent lawyer in Chicago. All of his life he's been a closeted writer, if you will. He wrote this clever script that deals with sexuality and religion with a comedic lens. It allows everyone to look at these hot button issues but be able to laugh at it, accept it, and not be offended by it.
The director Matthew Ladensack went to high school with me in Arizona. We worked on schools projects together and dreamed big. I got Glee and he won a bunch of awards for short films. He got the money to make his directorial debut in a feature film and offered me the part. I jumped at the chance to work with a friend.
We brought Danny Mooney onboard to play my best friend in the film. Danny had directed me on a film called Love and Honor with Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer. It was an amazing thing to come together. There were three of us that had known each other and worked together. We got to go to Saugatuck and make this film in a beautiful location.
WCT: It covers the theme of converting gay folks into straight people, which we found out doesn't work.
Max Adler: Oh really, Jerry? That doesn't work? [Both laugh.] That is the great thing about this film: You are able to talk about these things. It is definitely a conversation starter. I think it will change some people's perspectives.
When they pitched it to me, they called it a combination of Sideways meets The Family Stone, which I really feel. It is a buddy road-trip film but also covers families acceptance of people regardless of their sexuality. Do you take your faith over family or can both work out equally? The movie deals with that and is about acceptance and love. You get all of that while you are laughing. I think it's a smart film. I was glad to be a part of it.
WCT: There was a scene from The Dunes Resort in the movie, I noticed.
Max Adler: That is definitely a one-of-a-kind place with a couple of fun nights there. It was gay cowboy line dancing when we went there.
Saugatuck itself really opened their doors to us. The town was very excited to have this movie filming there. Everyone could not have been sweeter from the people at the grocery store to the coffee shop to the hotel. People were so nice that it felt like we were filming in Pleasantville!
WCT: I think that star Amanda Lipinski resembles Christina Applegate at times.
Max Adler: I don't know if anyone has actually said that before, but she does. Amanda and Matthew Klingler are both Chicago actors who were discovered there. They came to Michigan and are just phenomenal, talented actors. They had us cracking up in every scene. Judith Cha—who is a soap star and theater actress—plays my mom. [Her character] suffers from cancer and is the impetus to the whole film. We needed to get this money to pay for an experimental treatment. That is what causes this wild journey that we go on.
WCT: Are you coming in town for the Reeling Film Festival?
Max Adler: I would love to. We are trying to work it out schedule-wise with Glee because I am not sure of the filming dates. If I have to film in L.A., then I have to, but I am definitely trying to make it happen.
It's funny because I was in Chicago a few months ago and we stayed at Jay, the writer and producer's house in Lincoln Park. We had a great time and got to see all the cast and crew again.
WCT: What can you say about the final season of Glee?
Max Adler: I'm excited to come back. What I can say is they have locked me in for the first four episodes out of the 13. I can't reveal anything without being drawn and cornered but I definitely interact with Blaine and Kurt. You have to tune in to see where those relationships all go.
WCT: Do you have certain people you are close to in the Glee cast?
Max Adler: Darren and Chris are the two people I am closest with. I think because we are on set together a lot of the time or sharing screen time. They are both supportive, talented guys. Me and Darren Criss, in particular, have become very close friends. When the news came we called each other and had a laugh because when me and Chris started that journey we didn't know each other. We had just met as two actors. It will be fun to come back and reprise the role now after having developed a relationship after onscreen. Working with friends on the set is a really cool experience.
WCT: Tell me about doing Switched at Birth?
Max Adler: I just did season three of that show. I had an amazing time and it was a great character to play. The first time I had a romance with a woman. That was fun to play and it has evolved in a roommate thing with Lucas Grabeel, who plays Toby on the show. He's a blast.
I believe they are interested in having me back for season four. I hope that works out. It has been a real treat. It is a real cool cast and crew to work with.
WCT: What is Believe Me?
Max Adler: Believe Me comes out Sept. 26. It is a college comedy about students who start a fake christian charity saying they are going to drill wells for drinking water in Africa. They embezzle the money and wind up partying instead. They use religion as a backdrop for people's morals and judgments. The message is how powerful platforms can be. There is a lot of power with a person and a microphone onstage. There is influence over people and can be used for good or bad. It is an original story and stimulates conversations. It deals with religion in a way that you have never seen before.
It is a top-notch cast with Nick Offerman and Christopher McDonald. We shot in Austin, Texas and it was a blast.
On Oct. 24—after Saugatuck Cures and the movie festivals—I have 23 Blast. It's a sports movie. It is a football film based on a true story about Travis Freeman from Corbin, Kentucky, where we shot the film. He is from a small town very much like Friday Night Lights, all about high school football. He gets an illness that causes him to go blind. He overcame it and gets back on the field. He learns to play football by his other senses. It is an inspiring and uplifting story. It is about overcoming obstacles and not letting challenges get you down. Dylan Baker directed it and is a great actor. I learned a lot from him.
WCT: He graduated from my college's theater department and I met him on campus.
Max Adler: He is amazing. We are still in touch. What a small world.
Stephen Lang plays a coach in the film and has been a part of amazing projects like Avatar coming up.
I just filmed something called The Midnight Man, which is a revenge thriller. I play the muscle to the mob boss. I am all tatted up with neck tattoos and a goatee. I got around and torture people so something I have never done.
That's about it, nothing going on...
WCT: You are on fire! You have done a lot for the gay community in your roles.
Max Adler: It has been a pleasure and an honor. Thanks for your words.
Road trip to Saugatuck Cures at Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark St., at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22. Visit reelingfilmfestival.org for the complete Reeling schedule.
