Growing up in Brazil, Darwin del Fabro dreamed of making it in the film industry.
He’s gotten a break being cast in the feature film, “They/Them,” which began airing on Peacock on Aug. 5.
“There are so many things about the project that I wanted to experience,” he says. “(Director and writer) John Logan. I was working with him in a play in New York. Things shut down because of the pandemic. I thought I lost my opportunity to work with John. Then I found out that he wrote ‘They/Them’ and wrote a part in it for me. Life is so good.”
“They/Them” a horror film and is a queer empowerment story set at a gay conversion camp.
The cast is led by Kevin Bacon, Anna Chlumsky and Carrie Preston.
Del Fabro plays Gabriel in the film, who is one of the kids sent to the woods to attend a gay conversion camp.
“Gabriel is an outsider and he is mysterious,” del Fabro says. “He starts the film as a very shy and delicate person. Seeing all the queer kids, he builds his strength. The majority of the cast and crew are queer and it was a unique opportunity for me. There’s a layer of embracement and I felt very comfortable.”
Shooting for the project took place in Georgia.
It was also an opportunity for del Fabro to experience a different part of the country.
He also took notes watching both Bacon, Chlumsky and Preston on set.
“The entire time, it was like a master class seeing how each one of them works,” he says. “I was impressed with Anna on set. Then I learned that she speaks Portuguese fluently and we were able to communicate.”
Del Fabro was also drawn to the project because the characters were unique.
“I felt like Gabriel let me celebrate myself and part of my queerness,” he says. “It’s important to have that representation in TV and film. This was one of those projects that will get noticed.”
Del Fabro hopes that more projects like “They/Them” are in his future.
“We need to see more diversity and we need to see more faces like our own,” he says. “Having Blumhouse and Kevin Bacon and Peacock give us those opportunities helps make the world a little more diverse. We’re moving forward to a better industry.”
It was less than five years ago that del Fabro moved from Brazil to New York City to pursue his dream in acting.
Not knowing a bit of English, he immersed himself into the dance community and was a quick study.
The son of Brazilian fashion models, del Fabro has a unique and nonconforming personal sense of style.
“We say a lot with the way we dress,” he says. “From a very early age, my sense of style was very personal. Sometimes this includes accessories that could be considered female. When I see something I like, I immediately build a look not for a gender, but for me. This expresses my influences, my taste of course, but above all, my freedom and celebrating that.”
Del Fabro hopes that the film connects with an audience and starts a conversation to where more people understand the queer community.
“Growing up in Brazil, I had never seen myself on screen before,” he says. “I can count the number of Brazilian actors who have made it big on one hand. I hope to celebrate a little of myself with each role. I want to be respected as an actor. And I want to be that reference point for younger actors.”
