Two Brothers is a new series that follows the struggles of siblings Aaron (Andrew Meikle) and Aiden (Meshach O’Brien) as they strive to fit in a small town while embracing self-acceptance.

The show, which tackles racial issues and the very real experiences that takes place within the LGBTQ+ community, will premiere in June on Amazon Prime and OUTtv.

Synopsis

When Aaron gets a full scholarship to one of the best Music Theatre schools in Canada, the brothers relocate to the small town of Borrowwoods.

Being people of colour makes it hard for them to blend in, and Aaron identifying as gay doesn’t make it any easier.

As they try to make themselves at home and form new friendships as well as unexpected
relationships, they also deal with racism, homophobia, and colourism.

As well as Meikle himself, the cast includes Meshach O’Brien, Allisha Pelletier, Taylor Wint, Tamara Marcano, Storm Clarke, Mike Haskins, Evan Boutsov, and Michael Spina.

Behind-the-scenes

I caught up with Andrew Meikle for a behind-the-scenes look at the series.

You’ve talked about how you felt that creating this series was a way that you could contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. How challenging was it to ensure that you explored the issue of systemic racism without over-simplifying or losing the complexity of the impacts of systemic racism?

It wasn’t a way to contribute to the movement, it was more so a way for me to express how I felt towards what was happening. I wanted to use the series to express some of the things that I had gone through and experienced because I am black and gay.

I don’t want to say too much because it will give some stuff away. I will say that I have incorporated a lot of stuff that I have gone through into the series and it will probably be a shock to many.

What was the development process you followed from your initial idea through to the series that you’ve now delivered?

In the very beginning there was only one brother. Then I wanted to figure out a way to make the show different. I had never seen a show that follows two twin brothers with one being gay and one being straight. Then, the rest came to me.

I wanted to show how these two had to deal with issues that were the same but also very different. One brother deals with trying to fit in because he’s a visible minority, but then his twin has to deal with that too but on top of that being gay also.

Did you always intend to cast yourself in the role of Aaron?

I never intended to cast myself in the beginning. I put out the casting call and I found that I got no applicants that were black who were interested in the role.

I had done acting when I was younger and it was still a passion of mine, so I decided to send in the audition tape to my co producer and she agreed that I should take on this role.

I am so happy that I did, and maybe it was the universe’s way of telling me that I needed to be in it and to be acting again.

The character of Aaron is me, and who better to play it than myself.

It was definitely tough at times to direct and produce while having to focus on acting. Luckily, I had my co producer Allisha Pelletier on set with me to help me out. Also the entire cast and crew was really great at coming together and helping out.

What was your casting process for the other roles?

We did casting during COVID so it was kind of tough. We started out with self-tape auditions and then we did the call-backs in person.

For the call-backs, we paired people up so we could see what their chemistry would be like.

To be honest, I think we found the perfect cast! I’m so excited for the world see their talent

What do you hope that people feel when watching Two Brothers?

I hope people laugh, cry, and feel joy for these characters.

At times, they will feel uncomfortable, but some issues need to be addressed and people watching will find some scenes tough to watch. I am using these scenes to educate people who might now realise this stuff happens. Again, I can’t say too much. Just tune in and you’ll see!

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