Sean Leviashvili Explores Sexuality, Disability, and Friendship through Film
Sean Leviashvili
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood.
Sean Leviashvili is a writer, producer and performer who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. Much of his sensibility and sense of humor come from his New York and Jewish background and he strives to tell stories that encompass this tone. Sean recently wrote and starred in LIMP, a short film that talks about his experiences dating in the gay community as a person with a disability. Sean has cerebral palsy and walks with a limp, but lovingly jokes on his Hinge profile that "not everything is limp" on him. His goal is to be able to write about and star in stories that tackle difficult topics using comedy. Aside from writing and performing, Sean is passionate about music, theater, food, travel and art. He believes stories like his that touch on intersectionality, sexuality, the power of friendship and authenticity are important and need to be told.
What are you best known for?
I'd like to say I'm best known for my work on LIMP, a short film I wrote about my experiences as a gay man with cerebral palsy using the apps and dating in New York City, but it's a toss up between that and a Countess Luann (REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK) parody I wrote and recorded about the early days of quarantine. Luckily, LIMP screened in more than 20 film festivals in the United States and United Kingdom before finding a home at Revry!
What is the first thing you worked on?
LIMP is the first thing I wrote and starred in. It's something I first wrote in 2014 and was one of many scripts I wrote about my dating experiences as a gay man with cerebral palsy. Each story I focused on explored sexuality, disability, friendship and New York, which was where I lived at the time. After visiting and revisiting the scripts for a few years, a few writer friends of mine told me to really hone in and focus on what I would see as the "pilot" or anchoring story in my collection of scripts. Heeding that advice, I zeroed in on this one particular storyline: about figuring out the right time and way to disclose or explain my disability to potential love interests. While some of the other scripts I wrote were a little more outlandish and specific, this one really encapsulated the journey I was (and sometimes still am) sorting through. While LIMP is specifically about my experience as a gay man with a disability, I like to believe it can pertain to anyone who is trying to figure out how to address, disclose, introduce or navigate a sensitive subject in their own lives. I like to say we all have conversational landmines we are still navigating. The tagline I have for this short film is, "Hey, we all walk around with something" and I believe that captures the essence of the journey I explore in this film.
What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
I have a couple of things I would really like to develop further. I have a pilot about a gay relationship that takes a dramatic turn, an early 2000s coming of age film script I am working on and another very personal autobiographical script I wrote about surviving setbacks and the importance of friendship. I hope to share these with you soon!