By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

Fans of the 2000 movie “Sordid Lives” are in for a real treat when gay cable network Logo unleashes the television series of the same name. With many of the beloved actors who portrayed the bizarre but endearing characters in the film reprising their roles in the series, no one will have to fret one bit about how faithful the show will be to its origins. Among those returning are Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy, Beth Grant as Aunt Sissy, Bonnie Bedelia as Latrell and Olivia Newton-John as Bitsy Mae. And with openly gay writer/director Del Shores at the helm, you can be certain that those characters are seen in the very best light. I spoke with Shore shortly before “Sordid Lives” made its debut on Logo.

Gregg Shapiro: How did the idea of transforming the movie “Sordid Lives” into a Logo cable series evolve?

Del Shores: I guess about three years ago or maybe a little more, my husband Jason Dottley, who plays Ty in the series, suggested that I should not be finished with “Sordid Lives,” (because) so many people love the characters so much. In response to that I started writing an on-line prequel novel and the subscribers would get a chapter a week. And it just about killed me (laughs). They subscribed and then I had to deliver every week.

GS: Certain key actors who appeared in the movie have returned in the series to reprise their roles, including Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy. What does it mean to you to have Leslie in the series?

DS: The thought of not having him in the series was one of those things where I didn’t think I could do the series without him. Leslie Jordan is so unique and perfect and specific for my material and he is so identified as Brother Boy that I think that I would have had to hold a gun to his head and make him do it if he had refused (laughs). But he had the other HBO series, “12 Miles of Bad Road,” with Lily Tomlin and Mary Kay Place, so we really had to work it out. They were good enough to let us have him as a guest star (on “Sordid Lives”)—he does appear in 10 episodes.

GS: Beth Grant, who plays Sissy, is every bit as amazing in the series as she was in the movie.

DS: Beth Grant is a writer and a director’s dream. I could go down the list, honestly. I am so privileged to work with these fantastic actors. Beth Grant is one of those character actresses who so immerses herself into a role that you don’t see the actress. You don’t see Beth Grant in Sissy Hickey. My manager, who had seen several episodes, said that she hadn’t seen a performance like that since Jean Stapleton played Edith Bunker (on “All In the Family”), because you really cannot believe that that’s an actress.

GS: You were also able to get Bonnie Bedelia, Ann Walker and Olivia Newton-John to come back, as well.

DS: Yes, they all came back, and Rosemary Alexander as Dr. Eve and Newell Alexander as Wardell. We have a new Odell, David Cowgill—he did the national tour with us and he’s fantastic. And we have a new Ty (Jason Dottley). Kirk Geiger, who I love and adore, who played Ty (in the movie), aged out of the role. He’s approaching 40 now. I want to bring him back as another character because I just love him as an actor. And then we have a new Noleta.

GS: Caroline Rhea, yes.

DS: I’m in love with Caroline. Delta’s my good, good friend and I want to work with her until I die. But she just wasn’t available to do this. I was devastated. “How can I do my series without Delta?” Delta’s such a good friend that while I was writing the series, I would literally just call and say, “Listen to this scene I just wrote you.” Leslie’s the same way. I do that with him all the time. Caroline really wanted the role and she auditioned for the role, and when I saw that audition I said, “I’m OK now. I found my Noleta.” After the first day I shot with her, and I don’t mean this in a negative way towards Delta—as I said, Delta is truly one of the most gifted comedians I’ve ever worked with—but I saw Caroline’s Noleta. There was never a comparison anymore. She owned that character.

GS: You kept the series in the same time period, 1998—was that so you could keep Tammy Wynette’s passing central to Brother Boy’s character?

DS: It certainly had a lot to do with it. When I backed it up I thought, I love to start a play, anything, with an event. In “Sordid Lives,” the event (is) that Peggy tripped over those wooden legs and hit her head on the sink in the seedy motel room and hemorrhaged to death. That’s huge, that’s a huge deal, this good Christian woman, and it just sparked every story that was in the movie really. When I conceived the series I thought, “OK, I need more than one.” So I started it with the day that Tammy Wynette died, because that was huge to the family and Brother Boy…

GS: In regards to “Sordid Lives,” you wrote the play, the screenplay for the movie and directed it. You’re doing the same for the series, as well as your new movie, “Southern Baptist Sissies.” Would you say that you have issues with control?

DS: I would say that I’ve certainly inherited my mother’s control issues. Latrell is based on my mother. You can kind of see where Latrell likes to be in control, too. I do love the control. It comes a lot from my theater background, because as a writer, as a playwright, you do have much more control in the theater than you usually do in television or film. The projects and the stories I have told that people seem to respond to the most are the ones that people didn’t fuck up. Networks and network executives are just all over your ass, and, “Oh you gotta change this and you gotta change this,” and I must say that Logo and Once Upon a Time Productions, they really allowed me to breathe and to do my thing, and I appreciated so much working for companies that appreciated me and let me be in control. If it fails, it’s my fault (laughs).

“Sordid Lives,” the TV series, makes its Logo debut July 23.

There’s more! Read Gregg Shapiro’s complete interview with Del Shores online at chicagofreepress.com.