Special, the Netflix comedy about a gay, disabled 20-something, admits he had to push hard to get the project that centers marginalized people off the ground in Hollywood.“Notice that I did not say ‘scrappy little nobody,’” O’Connell jokes, invoking the title of Anna Kendrick’s memoir.
He considers Kendrick a “queen,” but says, “God knows I don’t want to be associated with that. My drug of choice is proving people wrong.”O’Connell and his series changed the TV landscape on a few fronts when it dropped in April 2019.
Special was created and written by O’Connell, and he stars in it as a character with some similarities to himself. He and his character Ryan both are gay, have cerebral palsy, and were hit by cars.