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14 September 2020, 17:06
Julie and the Phantoms cast spill secrets from the set
Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix features a gay romance between Alex (Owen Joyner) and Willie (Booboo Stewart).
Julie and the Phantoms is finally out on Netflix and fans can't get enough of the gay love story at the heart of the new series.
Julie and the Phantoms is a brand new musical drama created by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical, Descendants). It tells the story of Julie (Madison Reyes), a talented teen who stopped singing following her mum's death. With the help of a band of ghosts, Luke (Charlie Gillespie), Alex (Owen Joyner) and Reggie (Jeremy Shada), Julie finds her love of music again.
READ MORE: Julie and the Phantoms season 2: Release date, cast, spoilers, trailers and news
However, the show doesn't just tell the story of Julie. It also explores the lives of the ghosts in it and one of them is gay.
Julie accidentally summons Luke, Alex and Reggie into her life after finding one of their CDs in her garage and playing it. The band learn that they died over 20 years ago but they have no idea why they've suddenly been brought back to Earth. During the series, they develop a close friendship with Julie as they learn more about who she is and their place in the world.
That's not all though. Early on, we learn that Alex is not only gay but he's out. Better yet, there is no moment in the show where his sexuality is ever a cause for concern. His bandmates openly accept him and he never hides his queerness. If that weren't enough, he also gets a ghost love interest, Willie (Booboo Stewart), and their storyline is beyond adorable.
Naturally, viewers are living for it. One fan tweeted: "i was bored so i started watching julie and the phantoms on netflix and then found out it’s directed by kenny ortega AND there’s two gay characters i’m literally gonna cry i’m so happy". Another said: "alex and willie actually getting the same pace, development and attention as julie and luke makes me so happy".
On top of that, the show inspired a viewer to come out. Someone wrote: "I WAS WATCHING JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS WITH MY MAM AND BROTHER AND THEY SAID ALEX IS GAY AND MY BROTHER JUST TURNED TO MY MAM AND CAME OUT “IM LIKE ALEX MAM I LIKE BOYS TOO” IM LITERALLY CRYING."
i was bored so i started watching julie and the phantoms on netflix and then found out it’s directed by kenny ortega AND there’s two gay characters i’m literally gonna cry i’m so happy
— reya ᵇˡᵐ (@reyapal) September 11, 2020
alex and willie actually getting the same pace, development and attention as julie and luke makes me so happy
— #2 bokuto stan (@cypherwylie) September 11, 2020
GUYS IM CRYING I WAS WATCHING JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS WITH MY MAM AND BROTHER AND THEY SAID ALEX IS GAY AND MY BROTHER JUST TURNED TO MY MAM AND CAME OUT “IM LIKE ALEX MAM I LIKE BOYS TOO” IM LITERALLY CRYING THIS IS WHY ITS SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE LGBTQ REP!!! @KennyOrtegaBlog !!!
— MΞG 🎬 (@manicthings) September 14, 2020
STOP I JUST REALIZED A GHOST IS A LOST SOUL AND IF BOTH WILLIE AND ALEX ARE GHOSTS AND THEY DATE THEY L I T E R A L L Y ARE SOULMATES pic.twitter.com/YRN7wE9xt1
— amber (@tksbuckley) September 12, 2020
Fully hooked on Kenny Ortega’s JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS. Incredible pop songs and gay ghost boyfriends.... and Madison Reyes is a SUPERSTAR.
— eric, at home (@MrEAnders) September 12, 2020
The musical number that opens episode 4, “I Got The Music,” rivals anything in High School Musical for sheer musical-nerd joy. Love it.
o gay panic do alex kkkkkkkkk
— mirella and the phantoms 👻 (@lorienvive) September 10, 2020
JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS pic.twitter.com/6SNkHDhnfA
julie and the phantoms spoilers
— alex kinnie ✡︎ (@ncstlgc) September 11, 2020
kenny ortega really said “yeah they let me make two characters canonically gay but i’m still going to make all of them ‘subtly’ gay”
love victor is a gay show for straight ppl and julie and the phantoms is a gay show for gay ppl. no i will not elaborate.
— bev ⁷ (@scnsetcurve) September 13, 2020
julie and the phantoms has endless bops AND a cute gay ghost romance? please don't talk to me for the next 6 hours pic.twitter.com/xCdyP0c5Sy
— The Most (@Most) September 10, 2020
We ship Alex and Willie in this house!