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Frankie A. Rodriguez on Chad Powers
The actor’s character is gay, a co-conspirator, and a catfish mascot who is integral to the storyline of the hit series.
Watching Glen Powell in Hulu's Chad Powers play a former quarterback trying for a comeback by assuming the persona of “Chad Powers," a walk-on to a struggling college football team, has been pure joy, particularly if you’re a football fan.
The series was created by Powell and Michael Waldron, and was inspired by a viral Eli Manning prank.
One of the breakout supporting performances comes from Frankie A. Rodriguez, who plays Danny, the mascot of the fictitious South Georgia Catfish and co-conspirator behind Powell’s character’s audacious scheme.
“There’d be no Chad Powers without Danny,” Rodriguez tells The Advocate. “Danny is pretty much the mastermind behind everything.”
Rodriguez, who is gay, finds meaning in playing a character whose story isn’t defined solely by sexuality. “It hasn’t been mentioned yet on the show,” he says. “It’s kind of nice that it’s not the central focus at all. The show is very much about football, very much about Chad/Russ and all of these characters that are there to support that story. But you could assume, right?” Russ Holliday is Powell's character's real name.
For Rodriguez, it’s a welcome change to inhabit a role where being queer is part of who he is but not the entire narrative, reflecting a more normal depiction of LGBTQ+ life on-screen.
He had a groundbreaking role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+, a mockumentary-style show where he played Carlos, the gay choreographer of East High's staging of High School Musical. On the High School Musical franchise, he was the first clearly gay teen.
"I think for Disney to take a chance like this, it's very exciting," Rodriguez told The Advocate in 2019.
Related: High School Musical (Finally!) Has an Out Gay Teen
Rodriguez also had a role in the ABC hit Modern Family. “That was my first ever on-camera television job I ever had, like, a very small little costar recurring, so that was really cool,” he recalls.
Getting the part of Danny was fairly straightforward for Rodriguez. After submitting a taped audition from his living room, he received the script, something not always guaranteed in auditions. On reading it, he was “addicted.”
Rodriguez sensed something special. Knowing that Glen Powell was already attached raised expectations, and just a few weeks later, the role was his. “It was kind of one of the easiest audition processes I’ve ever had,” he says. “Very thankful it all worked out.”
Rodriguez says working with Powell is a highlight of the series. “He is one of the coolest. He’s so sweet, so nice, so fun to work with, which I really appreciate. He brings such an energy that’s like, we are so blessed to get to do what we do, and just being around that every day gave me a whole new appreciation for not just acting but the whole art of making something with essentially strangers when you first start, and then by the end, you’re like, don’t forget to write me.”
Football may not have been Rodriguez’s personal passion, but being part of a football-focused story has pulled him in. “I have never been a big football fan, but now, being a part of this world in some way, I kind of feel a little left out. Now that we are in football season, I’m trying to find a team to root for, but I don’t even know where to start.”
Then there’s the mascot element of Danny’s character. Rodriguez prepared by talking to real mascots during pre-production, learning what the job is like beyond the laughs. “I was shocked to find out that most of them aren’t really performers. Most of them are science majors, medical majors; sometimes it’s a legacy passed down by their grandparents who did it at the school they’re going to. So I just wanted to know who these kids were, and that was a fun part of the process.”
Related: The Top 10 gayest NBA mascots, ranked
Wearing the suit itself is its own challenge. “It’s very hot, but I was warned about that. It really only isn’t fun for the first 45 minutes, and then your body acclimates, and then it’s fun to be a twerking catfish, so I can’t really say too many bad things about it. It adds even more life to my character.”
With Chad Powers, Rodriguez steps into a role that pushes his range, giving him the chance to bring both humor and heart to the story. Danny is one of the more out-there characters he’s played, and the experience has given him a new appreciation for collaboration, comedy, and even football.
For queer viewers, Rodriguez’s presence on the show is a reminder that representation can be authentic without being the whole story. Danny’s character is gay, yes, but there’s more to the story, which includes catfishing, but only in the truest, best sense of the word.
The first three episodes of Chad Powers are out now on Hulu, and new episodes will drop each Tuesday in October. The series is also available on Disney+ if you have a Hulu and Disney+ bundle.
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