Sep 06, 2026 8:00pm IST
Actor, Comedian Steve Way on What ‘Furious’ Gets Right About Disability Representation on Screen (EXCLUSIVE)
How far would you go to defend the one you love? On “Furious,” the Hulu crime thriller series currently streaming on JioHotstar, a female serial killer, Catherine (Lola Petticrew), is on a revenge spree, with an FBI agent (Emmy Rossum) hot on her trail. But Catherine’s day job is that of Vanessa (her fake identity), a gentle nurse, caregiver and friend to Alden, who is protective of her, even after finding out her truth.
Played by Steve Way, a 35-year-old comedian who was born with muscular dystrophy and is a disability rights advocate, Alden is easily one of the best characters in the first season, and his portrayal and the romantic relationship between him and Vanessa are a refreshing change from the usual fare.
In an exclusive chat with Variety India, Steve Way expands on the psyche of his character, Alden Drummings, his friendship with Lola Petticrew off-screen and with her character, Vanessa, on screen, and how most media, barring “Furious” and another show he was on, have gotten disability representation wrong. Excerpts:
Was there anything about Alden that was not on paper but you had notes on, which got incorporated into the arc?
Alden is very scared to go outside. He doesn't have a lot of friends or family, so I had to really tap into that. There are times throughout the year when I don't want to leave my room. People come to me. So I thought, what am I like during that time? He wants to have fun. He wants to love. He's just like all of us.
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In Episode 6, your scenes sassing Rob Yang’s FBI Agent Choi and Scoot McNairy’s Detective Danny Kelly are downright hilarious and cathartic to watch. How did you build that dynamic and plot the physical and verbal comedic timing of the moment?
I think it was just me thinking, “What would I do if I were with the police? I don't care. What are they going to do to me?” We really worked together to make these scenes as funny as possible, but we couldn’t have done that without those actors. Rob Yang and Scoot McNairy were great and taught me a lot.
What conversations did you and Lola Petticrew, who plays Vanessa aka Catherine, have when developing Alden and Vanessa’s relationship? That was some great chemistry!
Yeah, we talked about our lives and families. We talked about professional wrestling. And we really, really connected on a personal level. So, on the first day we shot together, it felt so natural. We got there, the awkwardness was out of the way and it was just our characters.
What was your favorite scene from the season?
I think it's the shower scene [where Vanessa bathes Alden] because it's so vulnerable, but it's also so beautiful; it shows how close they are. And we don't get to see that, you know? Characters shower all the time, but we don't see that for disabled people.
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What's one thing that you feel most representations of disability on screen get wrong? Is there a piece of media that surprised you by getting it right?
A lot of it is all about pity. Yeah, the emotion is that you feel bad, and you just want to pray for us and want us to be healed. But that's not what we want. We want to be included. We want to be treated like everyone else. I think the two shows that got it right are “Furious” and “Ramy”. They’re the two projects I was on. So, yeah, go watch those!
What does life before and after “Furious” look like? Has there been a change in terms of the work coming your way, finding representation in the industry and so on?
Well, I have no representation! No agents or managers. So unless the role is written the way it was written for me in “Furious,” it's almost impossible to get roles or pitch-ups. So I'm thankful that Liz Meriwether wrote this part for me, because without her, I don't think I would’ve got this.
You have a great sense of humor and are a stand-up comic yourself. What are your professional ambitions beyond “Furious”?
I've been doing stand-up comedy for 16 years. I love telling jokes and would love to tell jokes for other people. You know, that's the dream!
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