Malerie Grady shares the magic behind turning her experience with queerness into art
Malerie Grady
In this series, we will be highlighting many notable people who have contributed to the queer community in media. We’ve asked them some questions to provide us with an introduction on who they are and what we can expect from them in the future.
Malerie Grady, a professional dancer, actor, and writer, shares her unexpected journey with her web series Tough Love. What started out as a short film written in a writing class ended up gaining notable traction by premiering at Outfest, making its way to the Tribeca N.O.W. Creators Market, and is now streaming on Revry.
What are you best known for?
I’m best known for my recurring role on the TV show Manhunt: Deadly Games.
What is the first thing you wrote?
The first thing I wrote was Tough Love, which is about a bisexual woman trying to find love. It was originally a 3-page short film I wrote in a writing class. I didn’t think too much of it, but then thanks to a string of events and coincidences, the idea kept evolving until it became a series.
It’s honestly hard for me to put into words how much this project means to me because it was such a rewarding experience. And I think any writer can relate—especially when you’re telling stories surrounding your own queerness—that there’s always some sort of weird healing that happens in the writing process. To take painful experiences, write them on the page in a new way, and then hear an audience laugh or gasp or sit in complete silence while they watch those words on the screen……it’s nothing short of magic.
What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
My co-creator and I are almost done with another series called Renée and the Seven Cards, which we shot with a tiny group of friends at various locations around town. We used a lot of the same crew from Tough Love, so it felt like coming home again.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Revry has curated a powerful collection of stories told by female artists featuring films, TV series, music, and more.
