Ryan O'Connell on the Strange Sensation of Finally Being Seen

Ryan O’Connell had an uncommon path to fame. After starting as a blogger in New York, he wrote a TV script about his life as a young, gay man with Cerebral Palsy. When the show was picked up by Netflix, the network insisted he star in it as well. Now that Special is in the rearview mirror, Ryan has gone back to his roots as a writer. He has a new book of essays out, called Inspiration Porn, which describes his life in Hollywood and the ways he has processed sudden and unexpected celebrity. Oh, and there’s a lot of sex in the book too. In this episode, we talk about intimacy, disability, addiction and the ways that Ryan and I have both felt ambivalent about the promise of “being seen.” Plus, we discuss Ryan’s sobriety, his impressive career confidence and the finer points of Herbie: Fully Loaded. 00:00:00 Ryan O’ Connell and a healthy dollop of delusion 00:04:09 Transitioning from writer to actor 00:08:18 Physical challenges of acting with disability 00:12:27 Getting sober without a traditional program 00:16:36 Professional confidence versus personal anxiety 00:20:45 Memories of the New York blog era 00:24:54 Comparing different forms of addiction 00:29:03 Working through intimacy in therapy 00:33:12 Tying self worth to productivity 00:37:21 Being strategic in the early blog career 00:41:30 Defining the voice of Thought Catalog 00:45:39 The struggle of promoting a personal memoir #RyanOConnell #InspirationPorn #Sobriety #DisabilityRepresentation #NetflixSpecial #AddictionRecovery #HollywoodIndustry #GayMecca #MentalHealth Topics: Writing the book Inspiration Porn Starring in the Netflix show Special Acting with cerebral palsy Visiting Provincetown as a gay mecca Overcoming Percocet and alcohol Sobriety outside of recovery programs Working in the NYC blog era Becoming a Hollywood showrunner Learning about intimacy in sobriety Tying self-worth to productivity New episodes release every Wednesday. ➡️ Subscribe to The Small Bow Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmallBow?sub_confirmation=1 ➡️ Join The Small Bow Community: https://www.thesmallbow.com/ ➡️ Get the latest on The Small Bow: https://linktr.ee/THESMALLBOW ➡️ Download The Small Bow Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-small-bow-podcast/id1576208098