911 Lone Star’s Ronen Rubinstein on “inevitable” Tarlos wedding – digitalspy.com

August 10, 2021 Kim Martel

Rainbow Crew is an ongoing interview series that celebrates the best LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Each instalment showcases talent working on both sides of the camera, including queer creatives and allies to the community.

Next up, we’re speaking to 9-1-1: Lone Star‘s Ronen Rubinstein.

Ronen Rubinstein always wants to be challenged by every role he does, and boy was that latest episode of American Horror Stories a lot to deal with. Between all those brutal deaths and that twist(s), even we were left shook by what’s easily the spinoff’s best chapter so far.

But Ronen didn’t find this episode challenging quite like we did, and that’s because he was too busy having fun filming it. “I had such a good time. Working with Billie [Lourd] was incredible.” Even just being in this world was “a huge deal” for the Israeli-American star. “I very much love the mystery and the spookiness of the American Horror Story universe,” Ronen tells us. “I’m just embracing it. I can’t believe I’m part of it now. It’s still surreal.”

And that’s not the only “surreal” aspect of Rubinstein’s career. After landing the role of TK Strand in 9-1-1: Lone Star, Ronen has since become one half of the internet’s favourite gay couple on TV, alongside Rafael Silva. Together, TK and Carlos are affectionately referred to as #Tarlos by a “mind-blowing” number of fans online.

911 lone star, ronen rubenstein as tk, rafael silva as carlos reyes

Fox

TK has faced his fair share of challenges on the show these past two seasons, but more importantly than that, he and Carlos are also challenging the hearts and minds of network viewers who might not be used to seeing gay love portrayed with such tenderness and authenticity on TV. That’s particularly poignant now in light of Rubinstein coming out as bisexual just a few short months ago.

Digital Spy caught up with Ronen to talk about American Horror Stories, and during our chat, we also discussed why a Tarlos wedding is inevitable in the future of 9-1-1: Lone Star.

How do you feel about the response to your American Horror Stories episode? From what we’ve seen, it’s been really positive.

In a way, I was really relieved, because the season so far has had a polarised response. Either people absolutely love it, or they just despise it. So I was definitely a little nervous. It’s also my first time in the American Horror Story Universe.

I always just want to do good work. It doesn’t really matter what project or what character. So I was nervous. But literally right after the episode aired, I made the fatal mistake of going on Twitter.

“I’m going to get the photo of my name in the credits framed and put it up in my office.”

Luckily, it was really incredible, actually. I was scrolling for quite a while, and I didn’t see anything negative. That rarely happens. And then the next morning, you wake up to a bunch of articles praising the episode, and praising the performances. It was a big, pleasant surprise, man.

American Horror Story is so iconic. How did you feel seeing your name in the credits for the very first time?

Oh, man. It makes me super emotional to even think about it. I understand how iconic this universe is. Even the font is iconic. For our episode, they used the original theme music from season one. Just seeing that – it’s surreal, man. It’s surreal to be a part of something like this. I’m going to get it framed. I’m going to get the photo of my name in the credits framed, and put it up in my office.

How did you feel when you read your character’s big twist in the script?

I always prefer to play layered characters and really complicated people. The beautiful thing about Matt is, you’re pretty much playing two different people. I always looked at Matt as a sociopath, because I feel like that’s the only way you would be able to do something like this to a loved one – especially your wife, especially to the mother of your child. You’d have to be a pretty dark person to go through with that.

billie lourd in american horror stories episode 5

It was so fun – I almost did a character breakdown of two different people. There’s the sweet, supportive husband in the first half of the story, and then the second half was the piece-of-shit husband. It was really fun to break it down – and to great detail – of how a supportive husband spoke, and everything was very soft, and minimum, and very grounded, and very supportive. The volume of my voice never really went up much. It was always very touching and supportive and sensual.

And the second half guy was sort of, you know, loud and arrogant, and definitely louder. The movements were louder, and the walk was a little different. It was just really fun to sort of play two different characters in one. I’ve never gotten to do that before.

Would you ever want to return as Matt in a future episode of American Horror Story?

I don’t know. I think the whole point of an anthology is, you do one story, and then you leave it. But I have no idea what the plans are. There’s nothing we’ve ever spoken about. I don’t even know if that’s an option.

“You’d have to be a pretty dark person to go through with that.”

But of course, the actual American Horror Story series – the OG – It would be an honour to be a part of that. I know they got picked up for a million more seasons. I’m here for whatever.

You first joined the Ryan Murphy universe in 9-1-1: Lone Star, and from the start, TK’s relationship with Carlos has been a huge talking point. What does it mean for you personally to see all that fan interest and #Tarlos trend regularly online?

I’m sort of just mind-blown as to how many people all over the world needed to see something like this, on a much deeper level. Not just for entertainment, but also personally, to be heard and seen and understood.

And these are kids I’m talking about. Very, very young people. I mean, this sounds crazy, but it could really change their lives. For a lot of them, it is changing their lives. I know a lot of them are coming from places where it’s either illegal to be LGBTQ+, or it’s just completely not accepted. And the fact that a single character or a couple on a television show can help – I think that’s the most important thing we can do as entertainers, and as actors, and as creatives overall.

911 lone star – ronen rubinstein as tk strand

Fox

I want to just be doing stuff that says something on a deeper level. And I think that Lone Star is very much that, on the biggest scale, because we’re so lucky to be able to reach so many countries around the planet.

So at this point, when you’re asking me this right now, it’s just pure amazement. I just feel so thankful that we’re able to do this for people. I just go in front of the camera and say some really great lines. I just try to do my best. But it’s really the writers, man. You have to give all the praise to them. They understand the magnitude of these characters and I’m just so grateful that they’re embracing it. I think Tim Minear, our showrunner, is just a genius.

Has there ever been a storyline or a moment perhaps that you wanted to see and it didn’t happen for whatever reason? Like the network wasn’t sure about it, or something was cut?

No, man. I’ve been so over the moon and happy with everything they’ve been given us, especially with TK. I mean, from the moment you see him – you know, I almost overdosed. My heart gets broken. I’m spilling my heart and soul to my dad. We move to another state. It’s the greatest intro you could ask for as a character.

“They’re not holding back, especially with my character’s relationship in season three.”

I’ve heard about so much stuff that’s going to happen in season three. Again, they’re not holding back, especially with my character, and my relationship with Carlos. They’re not holding back, and I think they’re really embracing what’s been going on, and the reception to our characters. It’s only going to get bigger and crazier. I can’t wait to talk about season three, that’s for sure.

Tarlos fans have had wedding bells on their mind for some time now. Is that something you think that could happen one day?

You know, I think it’s bound to happen. This is not a secret – I’m able to say this because our showrunner is teasing it, and he says it’s almost inevitable. But it’s all about timing. How long have they really been together? Is their relationship strong enough to get married? And I think the big question is, is TK even ready to get married?

He had an engagement blow up in his face, and then he almost killed himself. We can’t forget about that part. And that only happened a season ago. I don’t know what that is in the sort of timeline, but I think with TK, that’s still very much in the back of his head. He probably has some scar tissue that he hasn’t necessarily worked out yet fully.

911 lone star – ronen rubinstein as tk strand and rafael silva as carlos reyes

Fox

So I think there’s a lot of variables. I think it’s going to happen eventually. It’s just the timing is going to be very crucial. I’m very excited to learn more about how TK actually is doing mentally. Because in season two, he was kind of strong. He was kind of happy. He was probably the happiest he’s been in a very long time. So we’ll see if that continues, and we’ll see what’s going on with Carlos.

I think we’ll definitely know by the end of the season. It’s more of a matter of when than if it will happen.

There’s been a lot of talk around the Tarlos sex scenes in 9-1-1: Lone Star and how groundbreaking it still is to see this on a network show. What are your thoughts on the impact of that visibility?

I mean, the fact that we did it in season one episode two – that was intense. That was not a casual “two men kissing”. That was a steamy, very long, intimate scene. So I think the writers were like, “We’re going to make sure people know what we’re about, and we’re not going to hold back.” It was a very clear message as to where they want to go with the show.

“TK probably has some scar tissue that he hasn’t necessarily worked out yet fully.”

And in season two, we got to see a little bit more of that. And I’m sure season three will have something steamy too. It just needs to be normalised. Why can we have a straight couple on screen roll around in bed all the time, and be naked, and have intimate scenes, multiple times a season, but we’re still scared to show a same-sex couple do the same, exact thing?

It’s way past due for us to be, you know… It should be normalised, because it is normal. And I think our show is doing that. I think it’s not afraid of any sort of backlash or negativity. The numbers speak for itself. The people love it, and they come back for it.

Do you ever feel awkward acting in those intimate scenes, or are you comfortable with nudity just being part of the job?

It’s part of the job, man. I always joke that it’s like I can almost expect it with any project that I do. For some reason, since I started, literally since my first movie, It Felt Like Love, I had a nudity scene. There was a love scene. I showed my butt. I was a 19-year-old kid. And it’s almost in every single project that I do. I guess I’m flattered.

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But no. At the end of the day, it’s work. Hopefully you work with somebody that’s professional across from you. So far in my career, I’ve been very lucky. You’re still doing work, and you’re still telling a story. Maybe if you work with somebody immature, it can be awkward. But for example, with Rafael [Silva], it’s been incredible. He’s such a pro, especially for it being his first project. He’s really embraced it, and has been a true professional.

So in that sense, it comes with the territory at this point of my career. Even American Horror Story – I was reading the script, and I was like, “Come on! Another love scene? OK. Here we go.”

Is there any one particular TK story that’s really resonated with you personally?

Well, personally, I hope we could explore this more, and I think we will – his drug use, specifically with opioids. Where I come from – in Staten Island, in New York – I think it’s one of the worse opioid crises in the country, if not in the world. And it’s really sad. The fact that it’s only gotten worse since I was a teenager, is really depressing.

So, you know, I have a really close connection to that, and I have a very sort of brutal history with that as well. The fact that I get this incredible character, the biggest moment of my career, and we share that – it was very surreal. It was definitely just a little mind-blowing as to how sometimes life can imitate art. It forced me to face, I guess, some demons that maybe I didn’t face before, especially through my work.

“Playing TK forced me to face some demons that maybe I didn’t face before, especially in my work.”

So I’m very excited to go down that rabbit hole eventually, and see: how long did TK do it for? How serious was it? Was it just for fun? Was it an actual problem? That was something that has always been in the back of my mind. I wondered what it would be like for me to revisit that part of my life again.

So we’ll see. It can either be amazing or go horribly wrong. But we’ll see.

American Horror Stories will start airing in the UK on Disney+ from Wednesday, September 8. American Horror Story airs on FX in the US and FOX in the UK. Catch up on series 1-8 on Netflix, with seasons 1-9 available to buy on Amazon Prime Video.