Scott Lowell, creator of the new mockumentary ‘ADOPTABLE!’ spoke to NerdAlertNews about the exciting new project. ‘Supernatural’ fans will recognize Emily Swallow, playing opposite Lowell in ‘ADOPTABLE!’. This project has been in the making for a few years now, with a star studded cast, it has been a big part of Lowell’s life. This is a passion project because of the personal nature of the story, though comedic, it is set around. NerdAlertNews is excited to share this project with our readers, to support Lowell as well as, ‘Supernatural’ alum Emily Swallow. Lowell graciously answered questions about ‘ADOPTABLE!’ and how fans can see it, as well as support the project:
Jadeen Mercado: Scott as the creator, can you explain to our readers what ‘ADOPTABLE!’ is about?
Scott Lowell: ADOPTABLE! is an awkward and bittersweet comic series loosely based on my own experiences searching for my birth parents back in the late ’90’s. It is presented as a documentary being directed by Jennifer Lim (Linda Park of TV’s “Enterprise” & “Crash”) which follows successful actor and adult adoptee Scott Fishman (me) of the hit TV show “Cops & Bottoms” in which he co-stars with Noah Wyle (Noah Wyle as a fictionalized version of himself). Bowing somewhat to pressure from his fiancé, Lisa Crane (Emily Swallow, “Star Wars: The Mandolorian”, “Supernatural”) and their therapist Bob Raskin (Jim O’Heir of “Parks and Recreation”) as well as his own desire to know himself a bit better before getting married and starting a family, Fishman embarks on the journey of seeking out his birth parents. He is aided along the way by an intermediary named Mary Elizabeths played by multi-Emmy Award® winner Sharon Gless (“Cagney & Lacey”, “Burn Notice”, “Queer as Folk”).
JM: Since it has been said that ADOPTABLE! is loosely based on your life, what was it like putting this creation together?
SL: It was wonderfully cathartic and a whole lot of fun to take actual incidents from my life and fictionalize them for humor. The challenge is to take something so personal and make the struggles of our hero relatable and, hopefully universal and not just a narcissistic exercise. You have to be willing to let yourself be incredibly vulnerable and at times, unlikable … but that’s the kind of story-telling I like. Where the characters are gray — not black and white. I hope we achieved that. I also realized while working on it and putting it together just how many people’s lives have been touched by adoption one way or another and how little representation there is for that out there in the media. It made me realize how much we all struggle with that question of “who am I?” … it’s just that adoptees have an even GREATER gap in answering that question.
JM: ADOPTABLE! is hitting the film festival circuit now, where are we able to see you guys?
SL: Well, we’re not really doing too many festivals but we WILL be appearing at the Miami Web Fest May 3 – 5th. ADOPTABLE! has been nominated for best Mockumentary and they have very kindly nominated me for best actor in a comedy. I’ve felt from the first day of filming that our show is very special and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. So my first goal is to find a platform that is willing to get season one out there and then help me produce at least two more seasons (whose storylines exist already in my head)! That’s where I’ve been focusing my energies rather than submitting to a lot of festivals that, frankly, won’t really do anything to help me achieve that goal.
JM: You have a lot of amazing talented people in your project, including ‘Supernatural’ fan favorite Emily Swallow, what was it like having such talented people in your project to bring your vision to life?
SL: I had a hard time not crying on set every day we were filming at the incredible level of talent and generosity that every actor brought to ADOPTABLE! That they all enjoyed my script so much and said “YES!” still humbles me. But mostly … it was just SO much FUN!! I mean they ALL brought 100% of their skills and humor and truth and joy to every scene we shot and always made things so much better than what I even envisioned when I wrote them. To get to work for the first time with people like Emily Swallow, Noah Wyle, Linda Park, Jim O’Heir, Julia Duffy, Jerry Lacy and Merrin Dungey who I had known personally (while also being a fan of their work) and to find that they approach their work with the same sense of “LET’S DO THIS!” that I enjoy on a set was beyond what I could have hoped for. Add to that having colleagues and friends like Sharon Gless, Gale Harold, Anjali Bhimani, Ron Orbach and my BFF Eddie Jemison so enthusiastically agree to come play on my show overwhelmed me. Everyone made each other better! The best part for me as the writer of the show was that once I knew I had this incredible cast I could really tailor all the parts specifically to them and that made my job SO much easier having their voices in my head. We all had so much fun all we could do was talk about wanting to keep making more ADOPTABLE! … or at least more COPS & BOTTOMS!
JM: You have been in the entertainment business for a while and have been in some amazing projects like ‘Queer As Folk’, and you have had the pleasure to work with some of your former cast members on ADOPTABLE!, what is something you would like people to know about you and your journey?
SL: That I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have been given and that I just love the work SO much. That was part of what I was delighted about the team we brought together for ADOPTABLE! The cast and crew were all the same way. Look, this was a VERY low-budget show … but you wouldn’t know that from the energy level and commitment of everyone involved. There have been many projects I have done for little to no money that I have enjoyed just as much (if not more) than some of the biggest paying gigs I’ve had … and fortunately everyone working on ADOPTABLE! felt the same way.
JM: Can you leave us with letting us know how we can support ADOPTABLE!?
SL: Well, as I like to say, stay tuned! You can check for updates on the ADOPTABLE! page on my website www.scottlowell.com for information on when and where we’ll be getting the show out to the general public.
Now, if any of your readers work at Netflix or AppleTV or any great streaming services then the BEST way you can support us is to adopt us and give us a home! ;o)
You can support ‘ADOPTABLE!’ by following their instagram page and stay on the lookout for information about where you can see ‘ADOPTABLE!’. If you are in the Miami area through May 3-5th get tickets here to their screening at the Miami Web Fest. For more information in the project please visit Lowell’s website www.scottlowell.com. Special thank you to Scott Lowell for giving NerdAlertNews his time and answers. Stay tuned for more information on ‘Adoptable!’