Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for the finale of English Teacher.

Since its premiere on FX earlier this year, Brian Jordan Alvarez’s English Teacher has only been drawing in more and more viewers. The comedy-drama series follows the titular educator, Evan Marquez (Alvarez), as he juggles between the professional and the personal and how they often intersect at his job at a high school in Austin, Texas. Throughout the school year, Evan also strengthens his bonds with his co-workers, including his best friend and fellow teacher Gwen Sanders (Stephanie Koenig), athletic director Markie Hillridge (Sean Patton), principal Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni), and counselor Rick Santana (Carmen Christopher) — all of whom show up at the gay bar in the finale to celebrate Evan’s birthday, even if it definitely puts them outside of their comfort zone.

Shortly before the airing of the “Birthday” episode, Collider had the opportunity to sit down with Patton and discuss his time on the hit series. Over the course of the interview below, the actor and comedian discusses his journey to being cast as Markie, the note he was given that completely changed his performance, and his reaction to his character’s surprising crush. He also talks about filming the last scene of the season with the rest of the cast in Gwen’s backyard, what he enjoys about balancing opportunities for improv with scripted moments, and much more.

COLLIDER: I would love to hear about your journey joining the show and becoming part of this cast.

SEAN PATTON: I was just walking by set one day, and they were like, “You, get over here! Can you act?” That’s what it felt like. They were up and running this. Stephanie [Koenig] and Brian [Jordan Alvarez] have been a creative pair forever. Jonathan Krisel, they’d all been working together. They were looking for Markie, and he’s quite a complex character, so they were digging around. With any casting, you want to get it right, obviously, and they found me. There was a casting agent in New York who I’ve auditioned for a dozen times or so, and she’s amazing — Gayle Keller is her name. They connected, and the rest is history.

I remember I was out in New York in Manhattan doing shows. I think it was a Thursday night, I got the email that I had an audition, and my manager called me and was like, “I don’t care what time you get home, do this one. This is priority. Do it tonight.” I read the audition while I was on the subway, and I was like, “Wow, this is funny.” You get a lot of auditions that you read, and you’re like, “I’m not a 19-year-old kid. Why do they want me to audition for this?” But this one I felt immediately. I was like, “Oh, wow, this is a good one.”

I auditioned with my manager, and we did it on Zoom. She read all the other parts and I read Markie. We did it over and over again at three in the morning and then sent it in. Then within the week, they were like, “Hey, they wanna do the callback.” And I was like, “Really?” That was awesome. The moment I started reading with Brian, it felt like it was already a show. The moment he and I started reading as Markie and Evan, it was like, “This feels right.” It was my birthday, actually, last year, or the day before my birthday, when we got the notification, “Hey, it’s going to season!” So, that was awesome, and now we’re here and looking forward to a Season 2.

‘English Teacher’s Sean Patton Reveals Why He Was Drawn To Play Markie
Image via FX

Do you remember anything about how Markie was originally written? Did any part of him change after you were cast?

PATTON: When I auditioned for him originally, I was doing a Southern, a Texan [accent]. I grew up in Louisiana, and on a quiet night in Louisiana, you can hear Texan. So I was doing a slight Texas accent, and when I did the callback with Jon and then Brian, the first thing they said was, “Don’t worry about it. Talk like yourself.” And I was like, “Oh, okay.” They did such an excellent job writing the character that I almost feel like it just jumps right into you. You get this guy. You get him immediately. He’s basically all of my uncles and a few of my cousins, and he’s such a familiar character in the sense that everybody knows him. There’s a Markie in everyone’s life. He’s such a human being. He’s complex. He’s stubborn, he’s open-minded, but he’s also trying. We’re all trying to be better versions of ourselves every day. At least we should be.

Even though he won’t admit it, I think his insecurity drives him to be a better person. When he works with people like Evan and Gwen, he constantly feels like he’s playing this game of trying to one-up Principal Moretti. Rick’s his friend, but he and Rick have a love-hate, and he always secretly wants Evan to like him. He wants Evan to think he’s smart. Evan is a very diverse character in his own right, but I feel like Markie is constantly looking for approval from Evan. So, there’s a lot to Markie, but it was all right there on the page.

Markie is not always the most politically correct, but he is open-minded. The “Powderpuff” episode is the first time we really get to see a big gesture from him, but he’s trying to downplay it. What was your reaction to reading those moments in the script and knowing this is where his soft side is?

PATTON: I was excited about it. That’s what drew me to it. Markie is a great example of — and I think they nailed this with the whole cast, too — everything isn’t just black and white. Markie is an ambassador of the gray area. I don’t think anyone out there, whether you agree with them or not, is motivated by being evil. I’m pro-choice, but that’s because I have my beliefs, and I don’t want people on the other side to die or suffer. A lot of us disagree, especially in this country right now. There’s so much turmoil, so much anger, and so much pain, but I don’t think any of it is motivated by evil. I think it’s motivated by misunderstanding, by just not connecting as people. We can all exist in the gray area peacefully together. We will always have differences, and accepting them is part of being human and part of living in society. The only way I think we’re gonna succeed is if we get that together. I think Markie is the prime example of that guy, who accepts Evan’s lifestyle. He needs to. We’re people. He’s a gun owner and a very big 2A guy, but also at the same time, he’s the middle. He’s the balance that I think a lot of us should try to strike in our day-to-day. I know I do.

That’s why the writing was so spectacular. They really nailed that. “Hey, this guy is just your neighbor, but also, straight-up, he’s struggling with it too, but he’s trying.” You don’t want to play a character who’s not trying. Because then what are you doing? I love that. That, on the page, is what really got me amped to be Markie. I understand this guy, and I think we all do. There’s no phoniness to this guy. He’s real.

Related Is ‘English Teacher’ Setting Up This Surprising Romance? These two just need to get together already!

To touch on the writing, you are all encouraged to improv and riff. Enrico [Colantoni] told me that sometimes, mistakes are even kept in the final edit. As a comedian, are you living for those moments of getting to go off-script?

PATTON: Oh, yeah. The thing is, this script is so, so good, so well-written, and it’s almost like an insurance policy to riff because you know whatever you say you’ve already got a great take or two. It was like, “Let’s get the scripted lines, and then now, let’s go a little nuts.” It’s funny because Rico likes to act like he’s terrified of riffing. He would always keep saying, “I need the words. I can’t just come up with stuff like you guys can,” but then would, instantly! He’s so good on the fly. He’s too modest.

But I love that. Of course, you live for those moments, especially when you’re in it, and it’s one of those scenes where you’re like, “Oh, this is a thick one.” You almost feel it. It’s like a visceral, “Oh yeah, we’re in this,” and you’ve got the lines down, and you’re nailing them. That’s good writing, too, when it doesn’t feel like you’re just saying lines, when it feels like, “I’m speaking from this character.” I’m almost not thinking about it. I’m just saying it because I’m reacting, because I’m in the moment. You live for those moments, the little moments where it’s like, “Alright, let’s get crazy on this thing.” Or you would say something in one [take], and then they’d be like, “Hey, go back and say that,” and you’re like, “Oh yeah, I forgot. That’s right. That was just the moment.” It’s all about trust, straight up. You trust the writers to give you an awesome script, and then they trust you to deliver their words, and then the director trusts you to be there in the moment and do it right. It’s super awesome.

Sean Patton Reacts To Markie’s Crush on ‘English Teacher’

What’s your take on finding out that Markie was going to have that as-of-now unrequited crush on Gwen?

PATTON: I’ve definitely been Markie in real life, I’ll say that. I’ve definitely had those crushes that the other person never knew about and by the time they did, it was too late. I think it’s great because also it’s gonna complicate their relationship. I know people are already telling me they want to see Markie and Gwen. I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe never, though, because realistically, Gwen would never go for a guy like Markie, and if she does, it’s because he’s gone through some extreme growth and change as a human being. Either version is exciting. Markie becomes this Adonis and I have to start thinking CrossFit like Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I gotta get ripped because Markie’s gotta get ripped, and that would be nice. That would be great if they wrote some healthy choices for me into the script. But also, if she never falls for Markie, it’s because he’s Markie, but still gross.

But I kind of love the idea of her never finding out, to be honest, and him constantly trying to clue her in. But then again, like I said, with the writers, whenever I’m like, “Man, what about this?” They’re always five steps ahead. So, I’m sure they’ve got big plans for Markie and Gwen, but I think it’s cool. I love it because it’s fun, because Stephanie’s so awesome to act with, and so insanely wonderful to work with. She keeps you sharp, keeps you on your toes. The more I get to do with her where there are levels going on, that’s exciting.

The finale is a hysterical episode all on its own. It’s the last place that you would expect to see anybody, but then Markie is holding court. Later, though, in Gwen’s backyard, there’s the added layer of Evan being the only one who knows that Markie has a crush, and so there’s that moment where [Brian] puts a hand on your shoulder. It says so much that isn’t even written. What has the biggest shift been for Markie in terms of how his relationships have really grown and evolved over this season?

PATTON: I don’t think it’s any secret that when you shoot something, you don’t always, if ever, shoot it in order. It all depends on light and location. But that being the last scene of the season was also legitimately the last scene we shot. It was very somewhat emotional, but in a good way. No one was sad. People were more like, “We did something awesome! Let’s do it again!” But that was the very last scene of the shoot, and we’re sitting out there scarfing down cheeseburgers, it was freezing cold, and we’re all just sitting there like it’s not cold, and then we got to get wet.

I love that moment because that also shows the dynamic between Evan and Markie, which I think is awesome. I love it so much. I also like that Evan knows. I like that Evan’s not gonna say anything. He’s neither going to encourage it or get in the way of it. I think he’s obviously gonna let it be. That moment shows this beautiful connection that those two guys have. Also, that connection is gonna be the reason there’s probably gonna be more turmoil between the two of them, which makes for great TV. Evan’s like, “Hey man, that sucks,” but then also the simultaneous, “But you gotta let that one go, dude. Come on.” That’s Stephanie’s real-life husband, by the way. He’s awesome, Chris. That moment, I agree with you, feels very seismic in an emotional way. Evan and Markie just connected deeper than they previously had, and that’s gonna get messy in its own right.

Also, acting with Brian, especially in the gun episode where we’re yelling at each other, he’s so good at that. I’d love to see some more conflict between Evan and Markie because that’s naturally who they are. They’re different people. I think that would only make it all the more interesting. Maybe even make Gwen decide between the two — which, of course, she’d choose Evan, but it’d still be a fun attempt on Markie’s behalf to take her away. But it would never happen.

English Teacher is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

English Teacher is a comedy series that follows Evan Marquez, a gay high school English teacher in Austin, Texas. The series focuses on Evan and his colleagues as they navigate the challenges of modern education, dealing with both students and parents in an ever-changing social landscape.Release Date September 2, 2024 Cast Brian Jordan Alvarez , Savanna Gann , Sarah Kopkin , Ben Bondurant , Treylan Newton , Matthew Smitley , Mason Douglas , Ralphael Lester Main Genre Comedy Seasons 1

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