What”what”what are you doing if you have yet to see the viral antics of Brian Gallivan, also known as “Sassy Gay Friend?” The Second City Network's hit web series combines clever embedded advertising with hilarious rants as “Sassy” rescues befuddled maidens from famous literature.
The series Gallivan created and produced along with The Second City transports the scarf-flipping interventionist through time to change the outcome of literary classics by asking the question, “What would happen if tragic female characters in literature had a “Sassy Gay Friend' to bolster their confidence, admonish their boy-craziness, and prevent them from making life-ending errors?”
Eve, Juliet, Ophelia and even Great Expectations' Ms. Havisham are among the weary women Sassy has come across.
“Take off the dress, take a bath, take advantage of online dating and P.S. it's not vintage if you've been wearing it since it wasn't,” Sassy tells Ms. Havisham in one episode.
The
Watermark spoke with the 42-year-old
Watermark: Where did the character “The Sassy Gay Friend” come from?
Brian Gallivan: I created the character back in 2004 for a show I was doing as part of the main stage cast at The Second City in
Does “The Sassy Gay Friend” have a real name?
No. By default, it has become “Sassy.”
In a previous interview, you mentioned you wanted to have Shelley Long be a victim in one of your videos for “Sassy Gay Friend.” Have you had any luck with that?
First of all, she would be a “friend” of Sassy, not a “victim.” I resent your choice of words, you stupid bitch. No luck yet, though. I want it to happen organically.
How much of you is in the character of “The Sassy Gay Friend?” What makes you two similar or different?
I am not nearly as sassy as he is. I did an “It Gets Better” video as myself that lets people know how different/similar we are.
Are you a sassy gay friend?
I am. I definitely tell my friends when I think they are making poor love life choices. But I think I do that because I rarely have a love life of my own.
What advice would you offer women and gay men?
I would tell all people to try to make their lives as enjoyable as possible and forgive themselves when they can't.
What advice would Sassy offer?
Write a sad poem in your journal and move on.
What advice would Sassy offer say, Lindsey Lohan?
He would tell her to agree to be in a Sassy Gay Friend video.
Sassy has taken it to the streets and conducted improv interviews. Is he planning on visiting anymore distraught damsels?
I did “take it to the streets” talking to people about their lives and about MiO. I really enjoyed that. I love improvising. I just released another MiO video where I helped my friend Henry VIII make smarter choices, like not beheading my other friend Anne Boleyn. We have a couple more coming out this summer. I might save damsels. I might save dudes. Yeah, I said, “dudes.”
Speaking of MiO, the new sponsor of your videos; do you really like MiO? What does it do for you?
MiO is really good and working with them has allowed me to make a bunch of new videos, which is also really good. It's a great fit because Sassy tells people to take control of their lives, and MiO helps people take control of their beverage.
What's next for “The Sassy Gay Friend?”
Definitely some more videos with MiO, but I'm really not sure after that. I don't have a master plan for Sassy. He probably wouldn't follow it, even if I did.
Have there been any memorable/interesting encounters with fans?
The strangest was probably when I was vacationing in
Can you tell me more about your role in the upcoming film A Thousand Words?
I have a very, very, very tiny role where I react to Eddie Murphy acting crazy at a business lunch. Getting to do a scene with Eddie Murphy was very exciting. Allison Janney was in the scene too and she couldn't have been nicer. I am a huge fan of her work on The West Wing and in Juno and I was really worried she would not live up to my ridiculous expectations. But she was so nice and fun.
If you weren't an actor/comedian, what you want to do?
I used to be a middle school teacher. I am positive I would not go back to that. It's a very challenging job. I think I would try to be a singer/songwriter. I want to be the next Katy Perry.
