Last Wednesday on TV Land, five 20-somethings and five 70-somethings were picked to live in a house and learn things about their respective generations. Among the young crowd is Angelina Mazzone who comes out as a lesbian to her cast mates.
At first, Angelina comes off as stubborn and tough, an Italian and New Yorker who butts heads with 85-year-old Shirley when the “juniors” are paired with a “senior” during challenges like in this clip below.
But once she lets her housemates know how she’s closeted to her family because she’s worried what her mom will think, Angelina becomes much more likable and opens herself up to the group. We spoke with Angelina about her experiences on the series, which airs Wednesday nights on TV Land.
AfterEllen.com: How did you become interested in the show?
Angelina Mazzone: I got an email one night and it was like 10 questions or so asking what I thought about our generation vs the older generation and what bothers me about them, and I guess I had a lot to say!
AE: Were you planning on coming out on the show?
AM: I was not planning on coming out on the show at all.
AE: What were your initial thoughts on sharing the house with the elders?
AM: I thought this could be very interesting but could be really difficult at the same time. For me personally, I have one speed and that’s fast, so to have patience for the seniors was the hardest thing I had to overcome.
AE: Were you worried about what the elders would think about your being gay?
AM: Not really. It definitely would have made it more difficult if someone in the house wasn’t OK with it, but I couldn’t have asked for better roommates.
AE: Would the experience have been different if one of the elders had been gay too and shared their experience in that way?
AM: No, I don’t think so.
AE: What did you get out of the experience that you would suggest to people your age as to how to interact better with people significantly older than them?
AM: Sometimes I think juniors, including myself, forget that the seniors have lived through heartbreaks, hardships, struggles, deaths, obstacles, financial trouble – I’ve learned a lot from them and if you just take the time out to listen to them you could learn a lot and get some great advice as well.
AE: What do you hope viewers get out of watching the show?
AM: To each their own! That’s what makes this world go round.
Forever Young airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on TV Land.
