Owen Thiele on Adults, Connor Storrie and Nepo Baby Allegations

Owen Thiele has a lot more riding on “Adults” this time around.

The FX comedy returned for its second season Aug. 27 with an audience now invested in its messy, co-dependent group of twentysomethings. Thiele, who plays Anton, says the cast spent much of the wait for renewal worried the show might not come back at all. “But I feel like now we have a little, tiny, beautiful cult following that hopefully will stick by us and get us that third season..”

That was the mood when Thiele sat down with Variety at an Instagram-hosted dinner at Palma in New York celebrating the new season. It can be hard to wrangle even the closest friends to a weeknight event, especially only one day after a booze-heavy premiere the previous night. But Thiele is unquestionably popular. Bowen Yang, Molly Gordon and Mary Beth Barone were just a few of his bold-faced friends who made their way to the West Village for a multi-course Italian meal and many, many dirty martinis.

Instagram also used the dinner to spotlight Instants, its newer feature for sending spontaneous photos through DMs, while Thiele is set to share behind-the-scenes content from the event on the platform’s @notfit4main account.

One reason for Thiele’s bursting-at-the-seams friend group is his growing list of Imdb credits. The 29 year-old also appears in Prime Video’s “Overcompensating,” where his character George represents a very different kind of queer friendship than Anton does, and he’s headed to the big screen in “Peaked,” Molly Gordon’s upcoming comedy, alongside Connor Storrie and Dua Lipa.

He’s also writing “Off Color,” a semi-autobiographical Amazon comedy inspired by his experience growing up Black and gay in a white Jewish family. The project pulls from his fascinating family history: Thiele is the son of music producer Bob Thiele Jr. and the grandson of iconic record producer Bob Thiele (“What a Wonderful World,” which Thiele co-wrote for Louis Armstrong, might ring a bell.) Susie Essman, known for her iconic role in “Curb Your Enthiusiasm,” is set to play Owen’s mother.

Below, Thiele talks to Variety about portraying queer friendship on screen, being a “nepo grandchild” and working with Connor Storrie and Dua Lipa:

What can we expect from Season 2 of “Adults” — and Anton and Paul?

Well, a lot happened. A lot happened. So I’m invested too. When I got those scripts, I was immediately reading. I was hoping that the kiss was addressed and it is but it’s addressed in a way that I think people wouldn’t expect.

Like avoidant-attachment vibes?

Sort of, sort of. It’s sort of like me in a relationship.

I feel like you pull from your own life a lot for the character.

Yes, I do, I do, I do. A lot of people would say I can’t act because of that. But the writers did such a brilliant job crafting this season because it doesn’t feel at all expected, and there are so many twists and turns that when I was filming it, I was like, “What? This is happening?” I couldn’t believe it.

You’re in “Overcompensating”, too: the two shows reflect very different types of queer friendships. What do you think might have been missing in representations of queer friendship before, and what do those two separate arcs bring to it?

I think “Overcompensating” does such a brilliant job of showing someone who isn’t comfortable with themselves finding solace and space in people who are comfortable with themselves. And I think what “Adults” does is show this immediate comfortability and coziness. Sexuality isn’t even uttered.

But I think they’re two very important stories to tell. One is what I felt in high school. I came out in high school, and I was very much looking for somebody who I could relate to in that way, which is Benny [Benito Skinner] to George [Thiele]. And I feel like in “Adults,” I’m kind of where I am now, where it’s just unspoken and unsaid and it doesn’t really matter.

I have to ask about “Off Color.” I imagine the “nepo baby” conversation is going to come up. How are you feeling about putting something this personal out there?

One hundred percent. Everyone thinks I’m a nepo baby. I don’t think my dad was successful enough for me to be a nepo baby.

But your grandpa was successful. I was on his Wikipedia today!

No, my grandpa — I am. No, no, he was successful. I am a nepo grandchild, for sure.

I’m scared, and I’m also ready. I’m like, you know what? I want to put myself out there in every way possible and see what happens. Some things will not be received well, and I’m ready for that. And hopefully other things will be.

What have the conversations with your family been like while writing?

It’s hilarious. It feels like therapy. It’s family therapy. My mom will be like, “I never said that.” And I’m like, “You definitely said that.” We’re all working through things, and I’m working through things as I write this show.

I’m not running things by them. I’m more like sending them scripts, and my mom being like, “Why’d you make me a bitch?”

Susan Essman is playing her. How did she get involved?

I met with her. I sat with her and explained my life story to her, and she, for some reason, wanted to be involved, which is so crazy to me still. She’s Jewish, my parents are Jewish. But more than that, she’s an idol. She’s one of my comedy idols. She’s a comedy legend. So I feel very lucky.

I can only think of her as her character in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” What kind of energy does she bring playing your mom?

My mom is a helicopter mom, but Owen in the show is front seat in the helicopter. He is obsessed with her being that way. So it’s the back-and-forth. It’s the enabling. It’s the codependency. She’s not really a yeller. She’s definitely a crier. She cries at everything. It’s a lack of boundaries. I haven’t seen Susie play this, which I think will be fun.

Going back to “Peaked,” what was it like working with Connor Storrie?

Connor is a dream. He is not only a very attractive man, he is so beyond talented. I interviewed him for my podcast, and afterward I was like, “Oh God, you are a dream.” And then I got to work with him after that.

He was just down to play. Everyone on “Peaked” was just down to fucking clown. We were all down to do whatever Molly [Gordon] wanted us to do. Molly has such a great, beautiful, clear vision.

What was it like being directed by Molly, who you’re so close to?

She’s my best friend. It felt like we were kids again. I’ve known her since I was two. I’ve been in plays with her. She has directed me before. When I auditioned for “SNL,” she was very involved and was kind of directing my [audition] sketches for “SNL.” She’s been directing me for years, so this just felt like a natural progression.

What’s your overall vibe with posting on social media?

Oh my God, I love Instagram. I posted on Instagram twice today. In-feed. I think people are sick of me. I think people are unfollowing. I’m also like, who the fuck cares? Post when you have a hot photo. You have a hot photo, you want people to see it — post that shit. Who cares? Let’s not be precious with our dumps. Let’s just post when we like something.

I want to go back to 2016 Instagram, where you’re posting a photo of something you like.