Schitt's Creek Alum Noah Reid on Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws: "It Is Anti-Human"

Canadian actor Noah Reid, best known for his role in the Emmy-winning comedy Schitt's Creek, took a moment from his Broadway debut to address the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being passed in conservative states across America.

"I think it is anti-human, and I think it's very sad that in this country where people are obsessed with freedom there seems to be a cognitive disconnect around who gets to experience freedom," Reid said in an interview with The Daily Beast on Tuesday. "But I have hope and faith that the people will be the deciding factor in these matters, and that we will overcome these draconian, ridiculous pursuits of hate and intolerance."

Reid is starring in The Minutes from playwright Tracy Letts and director Anna D. Shapiro, which had its opening night on Broadway this past Sunday. Set in a council meeting in the small town of Big Cherry, the play delves into a dark mystery behind the town's founding and explores themes of racism and white supremacy.

"It spoke to me so much about the times we live in and the choices we are all making one way or another--who we choose to protect, who we choose to defend, and what story we like to tell about ourselves, and what story history will tell about us."

He also looked back on Schitt's Creek and his on-screen relationship with star and co-creator Dan Levy, who was in New York to attend opening night of The Minutes on Sunday.

"When I was approaching the character, I thought it would be mistake to 'play gay,'" he said of his role as Patrick. "I thought, 'What I can play is a man who falls in love with another man, and build that connection into the character.' I can fall in love with another person, for sure. I think all of us can.

"Dan made that very easy," he added. "We have a natural chemistry, and we're good friends to this day. It was incredible to have such a front-row seat to the sculpting of that relationship and the way it impacted people."

Levy and Reid's portrayal of David and Patrick in the show was praised by many in the LGBTQ+ community for providing a same-sex love story that was not defined by tragedy or homophobia.

RELATED: Schitt's Creek Depicts a Modern Gay Couple

"Some of the storylines--like Patrick coming out to his parents and even that first kiss moment--were very carefully constructed with a lot of love and tenderness," Reid said. "It was intended to be, and ended up being, a ray of light for people. And that representation is incredibly meaningful. We've seen a lot of stories about how difficult it is to come out, and that coming-out story was a beautiful repurposing of that experience and that narrative."

In addition to his run on Broadway, Noah Reid is also starring in Amazon Studios series Outer Range, alongside Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, Imogen Poots, and fellow Canadian actor Tamara Podemski.