By Gary M. Kramer–
Now available on Prime Video is the addictive new series Overcompensating, which chronicles a year of change in the life of Benny Scanlon (creator Benito Skinner), a closeted freshman at Yates University. Benny tries to deny his same-sex desires by “dating” Carmen (Wally Baram), but he realizes they are better as friends—especially when Benny finds himself attracted to Miles (Rish Shah), a film student. But Benny’s fears about coming out prompt him to lie about himself and to others. He also seeks belonging in a secret club that tests him in unexpected ways.
Despite being too old to pass as a teenager, Skinner is immensely appealing as Benny, whose need to “be perfect” has him overcompensating. Skinner spoke with me for the San Francisco Bay Times about Overcompensating.
Gary M. Kramer: How much of what is shown in Overcompensating stems from your real-life experience? What is true, what is fake, and what is exaggerated?
Benito Skinner: Quite a bit is exaggerated, but as far as coming out, I tried to be as true to my story as possible. I was inspired by the relationships I had in college and this one girlfriend, in particular. We did steal a golf cart, and I did come out to her before I came out to anyone else. But you start with, “This is my story,” and it is not that interesting; you can only pull from it so much. Any moment I felt was specific to my queer experience. I wanted that to be as honest and true on screen, so that people could feel that.
Gary M. Kramer: Benny lies to please others. Benny’s looking for a sense of belonging, in part, because he doesn’t know who he is. Can you talk about developing and expressing the idea about overcompensating and being “perfect”?
Benito Skinner: That felt so core to my experience as a gay man. My parents had made me feel so loved and so supported, but the second I got to school, I was like, “Oh, something’s different about me.” In order to make up for that difference, which to me felt so like bad and gross, I thought, “I have to get straight A’s, because if I don’t, then not only am I gay, but also I am imperfect and even more unlovable. And then there’s just no hope for me.” So, for me, it was how many hats can I put on? How many performances can I really do to finally feel like I’m accepted and loved and safe? And unfortunately, when you do that—the more and more you try to cover this thing—the more it consumes you. I think the beauty of the show is this moment where Benny meets Carmen, and he feels it is so strange to do this “performance.” Benny makes a decision that will get him out of this vicious cycle of self-hatred and being told over and over again that they’re not enough that all queer people experience. But that extends to everyone in the show.
Gary M. Kramer: Let’s talk about all the humiliating moments that Benny experiences, from rapping Nikki Minoj, to having to find his way home naked, to taking Viagra, and more. What observations do you have about creating moments and playing them for comedy?
Benito Skinner: It’s funny, hearing them all listed. I’ve kind of done it all on camera. I think college felt like that, naked and raw and animalistic and scary, so any moment we could do it, we just went for it. Each setting allowed for a new version of performative masculinity and feral-ness. I mean, I literally lick a condom I find in the trashcan. So, you know, we did it all.
Gary M. Kramer: Benny often behaves badly. How did you keep his character likable even when he makes a series of increasingly bad and hurtful decisions?
Benito Skinner: That moment where Benny says, “What if people don’t love me anymore?” I think we know exactly why he’s been doing all of this [overcompensating]. Hopefully the audience can see themselves in that. Now I find the coming out experience funny at times, but also so sad and complicated. And I think that that’s what we’re trying to show. You don’t just come out to one woman and then, Boom! I’m out. I’m so happy and all the internalized homophobia that was indoctrinated in me is gone. I am good to go. There is going to be backslide, especially in college. I think these are kids trying to figure themselves out, so maybe I can be out in one room, but I’m not going to be out in the next room in front of these guys.
Gary M. Kramer: It’s codeswitching.
Benito Skinner: Yeah, exactly.
Gary M. Kramer: The show features various fantasy sequences, such as Benny having sex or talking to Megan Fox. Can you talk about juggling the fantasies, the lies, and the reality of the Benny experiences?
Benito Skinner: I felt like so much of my experience in the closet and developing my sexuality was in my head because I wasn’t out in the world experiencing it. All my fears felt so big in my body. One of the first scenes I wrote for the show was the scene between me and [the gay and out] George (Owen Thiele). Benny feels like George is going to [out] him, so Benny is scared to be around George. I thought it should be Hitchcockian and subtitled because there is so much said, and we can’t say it in the scene. This is what it feels like when there is a whole conversation happening even though we don’t say anything.
The Megan Fox element was inspired by me being in these frat room bathrooms, and I’m surrounded by these like female icons, and they’re in there for the wrong reasons. In college, sometimes you’re so alone, and then you’re in your head. And these worlds feel so big in your head. I also didn’t want to shy away from it because it feels so true to my humor.
Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about the depiction of gender roles and gay stereotypes? The montage of Benny learning gay culture is playing into the gay stereotype. Can you talk about that?
Benito Skinner: I think we walked the line because he is a college student. The first Google search that Carmen does is her doing the best she can. It’s coming from a good place, but it is stereotypical and kind of inconsistent that Carmen would tell Benny to wear a harness to his first hookup. That was us playing with these things. But you can get it wrong even if your heart is in the right place. You do want to accept someone and celebrate them and tell them: “Be gay. Be yourself.” Shying away from that, or being angry at them, just didn’t feel right for these kids. Benny and Carmen are learning together. This is a college student’s understanding. I wanted to make a satire of it: This is the only thing you think gay people are. And to be clear. I really love Drag Race. I’ve done poppers. I love Brokeback Mountain. These things are a part of my gay experience, but thinking they’re the only part is what felt really funny to us.
Gary M. Kramer: Benny’s friendship with his ride or die Carmen is, as you said, the core of the series. Can you talk about their dynamic? She keeps him honest.
Benito Skinner: In writing the show, I just thought, when did I stop overcompensating so much? And it was when I met this woman in college who created this safe space for me outside of my home that made me feel like I could start to be out or reveal who I actually am. Anytime Benny is in a scene with Carmen, you can see Benny just relax a little bit. My shoulders come down from my ears, and I’m like, “Okay. I can show you a little bit of myself.” I think that the whole core of the show is about finding that person, which is true for so many queer people. It’s like these women who have all of their own s—t going on, but still manage to create this first safe space for us. That’s the love story of the show, and my favorite part of it.
© 2025 Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” He teaches Short Attention Span Cinema at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and is the moderator for Cinema Salon, a weekly film discussion group. Follow him on X @garymkramer
Film
Published on May 22, 2025
Recent Comments