‘Schitt’s Creek’: Noah Reid Describes Filming Patrick’s “Deeply Human” Coming Out Episode

The latest episode of Schitt’s Creek is everything this show does absolutely beautifully. The way the TV comedy handled a major life moment, with both a ton of sentimentality and total humor, is precisely why this show is not only resonating with but completely beloved by its viewers that only continue to grow in numbers. (Spoilers ahead!)

In the episode, David (Dan Levy) decides to not only throw his boyfriend Patrick (Noah Reid) a surprise party for his birthday, but also invites Patrick’s parents to the celebration. Except when they arrive at the motel, Johnny (Eugene Levy) assumes they know about David and Patrick’s professional and personal relationship and accidentally spills the beans. David asks Patrick if they really knew about their relationship, and Patrick opens up about his worries of telling his parents the truth. So David very sweetly runs damage control with Patrick’s parents to try and still give Patrick the experience of officially coming out to them, which culminates in a moment that will surely having you dabbing at your eyes.

So Decider jumped on the phone with Reid this week to hear all about why the episode mattered to him as an actor and what the experience of filming it was like, what makes Patrick and David’s relationship so special, and how it feels to get to get such a uniquely positive reaction from the show’s fans.

Decider: Let’s start at the beginning for this week’s episode. Did you feel right away the, ‘Oh, this is an important episode’ vibe to it?

Noah Reid: I know that they were working on this script and storyline up until when we shot. I remember Dan talking to me about this episode and particularly [about] writing the scenes with me and my parents, and with him and me. And he said in his semi-casual [way] but also there being some weight to it, ‘I think this is the thing that I’m most proud of.’

We all had a sense that it would have weight and importance, but I remember coming to set and really wanting to do justice to this storyline and what it represented. When you’re faced with the task of acting that or performing that, sometimes you can get in your own way. But that day, that the writing of it…I was surprised by how it snuck up on me. It just got me. I was feeling my throat catch a lot that day. And not in moments when I was trying to manipulate that or plan that. It just felt like such a deeply human moment between David and Patrick, and then with the parents and having that conversation and just what that must feel like: to feel like you want to do it the right way and you’ve been waiting for the moment to do it and you’re just not sure. Especially Patrick being such a comfortable, confident guy in his day-to-day routine. To see him faced with this conundrum of how to handle this conversation with his parents who, presumably your parents are the ones who know you the best, but for them to not know something about you that is so true to who you are just felt like it must be a really stressful and anxious moment.

It snuck up on me too. When you’re all sitting in the booth, it’s undeniable that this is such a big moment for that character.

Absolutely, and I think the relief that I felt personally, in a weird way, when they accepted that or had a positive reaction to what I was telling them about my relationship, it just felt like a huge weight [lifted]. And it’s not even my exact situation. It’s this character, this man who I’m embodying and playing but it’s somebody that I’ve grown very close to and I just wanted the best for him. I think that’s probably what his parents wanted too.

What was it like for you to actually film that? You’re wringing your hands and it really feels so genuine. What was that moment like, sitting in that booth?

It felt very much like one of those conversations that you have with people that you’re really close to and you’ve built it up a little bit in your head. You know it’s gonna be a big conversation and you don’t really know how it’s gonna go. And it’s interesting, I met [the actors that played] my parents that day. Immediately we had a connection and a bond and they were super present with me. There was a vibe on set, it felt like a very calm and safe place to be. The big scene, but that little sub-scene of us in the booth felt like we were in our own little bubble. As an actor you love a situation where you’re going through something in the moment, where you don’t feel like you have to generate anything. With the care and the love that had gone into the writing of that situation, it felt very natural to have that conversation. Not in a relaxed or calm way but it felt like all of the necessary tension was there in the writing and I could just relax into Patrick and let him feel what was going on. I think in the other scene with David too there there’s a lot of tension but it’s really been amazing to play off of with Dan and feel in certain moments particularly how he and David can morph into a caregiver almost. He takes care of Patrick. I think that’s one of the things that audiences have really enjoyed is watching these guys play with each other but also take care of each other when they need to. That’s what makes it a great relationship.

What have you enjoyed the most about Patrick and David’s relationship? Is there something to you that really stands out about them together?

It always feels like there’s a bit of a game being played between these guys. But the game is played with love and when the game is no longer, they can drop the game and be there for each other. That’s one of the things that I love in my own relationship is that you know you’re on the same team, but then inter-team dynamics can be a fun thing to play with and they’re obviously both very sharp. One of the things about them immediately was that Patrick could hang with David’s cutting sense of humor and could throw it back, which I think not a lot of people in Schitt’s Creek could do. That’s certainly a lot of fun to play and obviously working with Dan, I love watching his performances from the other side and watching the care. The level of care is all over the show with him, but particularly as David in that character. I’ve loved watching his heart grow and watching him evolve into somebody who’s in a devoted partnership and still growing aspects of himself too.

It’s nice that they’re not a Ross and Rachel with big hurdles every episode. They’re fun to watch together. 

It’s not that will they/won’t they. These guys felt from the beginning that there was something really special there. Like in a real relationship, you’re sort of constantly guessing, ‘Does the other person feel the same way?’ The road to the place where you’re completely comfortable with each other and with the world around you, there are constantly little speed bumps. With this episode, one of those things is the relationship has always existed in the context of the Rose family. The Brewers haven’t really been a part of that. It’s always difficult in any relationship when you’re bringing families together, it can be really stressful. Particularly in this situation, it’s a little bit more so, based on the information that they don’t have. I love this episode because I feel like it was constructed so beautifully by our writers and by Dan. It’s a beautiful little human moment.

This episode is a perfect example of what this show does best, in that it can be emotional but I’m still laughing a lot too. 

The comedy earns the heart and the heart earns the comedy. For me as a performer, it never goes too far in one direction. When there’s heart, you know there’s gonna be something funny that undercuts it. When there’s humor, you know there’s gonna be some heart to balance it out. It’s a lovely little balancing act there.

I’m guessing with the upcoming Cabaret performance, that will be the next time we’ll see you do some singing on the show again? 

]Laughs] I guess so, yeah. I had completely forgotten. One week at a time for me. That was a lot of fun to do. I’m looking forward to seeing it, I haven’t seen any of it.

Another thing about Schitt’s Creek is that they care about birthdays, as this is not the first birthday that they’ve celebrated on the show, and they make a point to make people feel special on their day. Do you care about birthdays?

Some more than others. You know, the landmark birthdays. I think it’s important to mark the passage of time. It’s always more fun celebrating someone else’s birthday than your own, I think. Birthdays are complicated, and I think they change over the course of your life. I will say that I had a great time on my 30th birthday. Other than that I haven’t really paid attention. I’m excited for 40, I think 40 will be fun.

I recently wrote about the Patrick vs. Ronnie feud that’s bubbled up. Is that something we’ll see a little bit more of? 

Oh, I hope so. I was so excited when I started to read those scripts and realize I was gonna get to be Karen’s nemesis. Because Karen [Robinson] is such a fantastic actor and human being. We know each other from the Toronto theatre scene a little bit so it’s great. Now when we see each other, we approach each other with that sort of Jerry/Newman type of vibe. Patrick’s not used to people not liking him, so it throws him a little bit. I think Patrick has had an easy go where he’s been pretty likable, and I’ve been handed some good storylines where I come out looking pretty good. So it’s nice to see a few of those little imperfect moments: the competitive element, the mishandling of the bathroom situation. That’s just fun to play because it makes you a little bit more vulnerable, puts you out of your comfort zone.

The fan reaction to this show seems to be overwhelmingly positive. People are loving not only Patrick and David but so much about the show. I know you just did some of the live shows, so do you get to hear the feedback, are people telling you their stories, is it coming on social media? 

A lot of it is on social media and I think as a cast we receive a lot of love which obviously feels incredible. I’ve received personal messages from a lot of people saying, ‘We’ve been going through a tough time and we’ve really relied on this show to get us through.’ Or parents watching with their kids and growing their scope of how the world is possible to be viewed. It is pretty amazing, and certainly to go on tour and feel that in person. It was absolute waves of positivity coming at us. I can’t tell you, as an actor it’s very rare to be on a show that hits in this way for so many people. Particularly people who haven’t seen themselves on television in this way. It’s incredibly meaningful. I didn’t expect this when I joined the show. It’s been wild to see people coming out and dressing up as characters from the show or making fan art or giving us personalized gifts and stuff. It really is incredible so I feel very lucky to be a part of something like that.

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