Few people are better positioned to understand the heart of Netflix’s teen horror series The Body than Gabby Windey.
**Spoilers ahead for Season 1 of the series, now streaming exclusively on Netflix**
The former Bachelorette enters a world that feels surprisingly close to home as the coach of an elite dance team at a strict Catholic school where scripture governs nearly every part of life. Set during Halloween in 2004, The Body follows the dancers after the initiation of a new member takes a dangerous turn, throwing their carefully controlled lives into chaos.
The series also explores its characters’ queer identities with a level of openness that Windey, who came out publicly in 2023 and married comedian Robby Hoffman in 2025, says could have made a major difference during her own adolescence. For her, watching teenage girls question and understand their sexuality in a safe, thoughtful story offers a welcome alternative to the limited representation available to many women in the early 2000s.
“I came out later in life, and this is something I wish I had,” Windey told DECIDER while explaining why the scripts resonated with her. She says The Body captures the uncertainty many teenage girls felt at the time, when Ellen DeGeneres was one of the most visible lesbian figures in popular culture. “I didn’t want to look like Ellen DeGeneres. That was never going to be me,” she said.
Sara Boustany, who plays Elise, then revealed that creator Quinn Shephard had experienced a similar reaction. That feeling ultimately made its way into the series. “It’s wild that you said that, because Quinn — I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this — said, ‘When I realized I was gay, I thought, I don’t want to be Ellen,’” Boustany recalled.
Neither actress intended the comment as criticism of Ellen. Their point was that broader, more varied queer representation might have helped them feel less isolated while growing up.
“She was basically the only lesbian we knew from that era,” Windey, who won The Traitors, explained. “We knew her first as a comedian with a talk show, and she also happened to be a lesbian. That’s what these characters are showing, too. It isn’t only about being gay — it’s about being hot and gay.”
Windey summed up the appeal of the show even more directly: “It’s not just about being gay, it’s about being hot and gay.”
Read DECIDER’s complete conversation with the cast of The Body below.
DECIDER: When did you realize the series had something truly special?
SHIRLEY CHEN: I have an immediate answer. It happened during the table read. Some cast members were joining over Zoom because we had arrived early for dance rehearsals. I remember watching Geena and Jackson Kelly, who play siblings, read opposite each other, and I became emotional. I could already tell their performances were going to connect with people.
KRISTINA BOGIC: And they absolutely do.
GEENA MESZAROS: You’re going to make me cry, although I should mention that my period is due in about three days.
CHEN: I’m waiting for mine too. It’s late.
SOFIA WYLIE: Oh no. Oh my God.
SARA BOUSTANY: I felt it almost immediately, even though I couldn’t explain why. After auditioning for so many reboots, reruns and projects that felt like quick cash grabs, I think people forget that great film and television usually come from a director’s personal connection to the material. Audiences want something that feels new and genuine. When I read this, I wanted it for the same reason.
CHEN: Exactly.
The director’s passion is clear, but what drew each of you to your individual characters?
BOGIC: Anya is someone I would have benefited from seeing when I was younger. There are characters like Lisbeth where I might have thought, “I recognize myself in her.” With Elise, I might have looked at her and thought, “Maybe I want to be like her,” or found another part of myself in her. I think I needed characters like that growing up.
BOUSTANY: That’s a great answer. I’m probably too honest, much like Elise, and that can come back to haunt me. But I’m not as mean as she is, so we don’t share that particular trait. Still, I recognized pieces of myself in her in a lot of ways.
CHEN: Maddie goes through such a major transformation, and getting to play that kind of arc is a wonderful opportunity for a young actor. At the same time, she remains an incredibly loyal friend, and that quality matters a lot to me.
The series brought several films to mind, including Jennifer’s Body, which became a sexual awakening for many viewers. Some people may watch The Body and feel a similar reaction. How does that idea sit with you?
GABBY WINDEY: I hope people have that response. I’m excited by it. We see stories about gay men all the time, but this series offers so much more than its queer themes. It has strong performances, incredible costumes and compelling storylines, and there are so many talented people in the ensemble. It’s a great show on every level. As someone who came out later, I wish I’d had something like this. I didn’t want to see myself represented by Ellen DeGeneres because that was never going to be my experience.
BOUSTANY: It’s incredible that you brought that up. Quinn said the exact same thing — and again, I’m not sure I’m meant to share this. She said that when she realized she was gay, her first thought was, “I don’t want to be Ellen.”
WINDEY: Exactly. She was essentially the only lesbian figure we had from that period. We knew her because she was a comedian and hosted a talk show, and her sexuality was another part of who she was. That’s what these characters offer as well. They aren’t defined only by being gay. They’re hot and gay.
One of my favorite details is the computer search that brings up only Ellen when the girls search for “girls kissing.” The dance sequence at the end of Episode 1 is another standout. Do you each have a favorite moment?
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BOGIC: One of mine is Anya searching, “how to orgasm — I am female.” It’s the most Anya thing imaginable. When I saw it in the final edit, I thought, “You got me. I knew you were going to keep that.”
MESZAROS: I love the scenes when all the Lions are together because they’re so funny, and they were allowed to improvise quite a bit. They’re naturally hilarious. But I agree about the dance at the end of Episode 1. It gives me chills every time.
That sequence must have required a lot of trust. While filming, you can only hope the pieces will come together, then you finally see the finished scene. What was it like watching it for the first time?
CHEN: I still get chills whenever I watch it.
MESZAROS: I always want to watch it again.
BOGIC: Same here. The first version I saw was a very rough cut, and then I watched it again during ADR, so I saw several different iterations. I didn’t have one huge dramatic reaction, but once the score was added, the entire mood shifted. Seeing all the elements come together was incredibly exciting.
WYLIE: I felt like I was experiencing the series as a completely new viewer, even during scenes I was part of.
ALL: Your eyes were closed, girl.
WYLIE: I kept watching and thinking, “That’s where he was standing?” or “He was doing that around me?” It was unbelievable.
BOGIC & CHEN: Release her! Release her! Release her!
BOUSTANY: I can also tell every time you’re actually asleep.
WYLIE: I think everyone knows because sometimes I’m just relaxed, and other times I’m completely out.
BOUSTANY: It’s not even that. You make this very serious face.
MESZAROS: I used to clean under her fingernails while we filmed, and she would be snoring the entire time.
WYLIE: I might have a mild case of narcolepsy or something.
How would you divide the production between acting and sleeping — 50/50?
WYLIE: Probably closer to 80/20, with 80 percent going to sleep. The other 20 percent was me showing up and asking what I was supposed to do that day.
I want to jump to the finale, when you finally wake up and Grace is conscious. She says something that raises a lot of questions. What did you make of that moment, and what do you think Grace understands that the others don’t?
BOGIC: We’ve talked about this a lot, and none of us has a firm interpretation. It isn’t really our place to settle it. When faith is involved, how could anyone know for certain? We want viewers to decide what they believe happened, which is part of the fun. You can interpret it as Grace hearing everything while she was in a coma, or as something supernatural taking place. I thought it was a beautiful scene. Then I heard the song chosen for it, and that completely changed the feeling once again.
MESZAROS: People should watch it once from one perspective, then watch it again from the opposite perspective.
BOGIC: I actually did that. The first time, I watched it almost entirely through Lisbeth’s perspective, which helped me understand her and made me love her even more. Lisbeth is my favorite character.
So, if Netflix renews the series, are you all ready for Season 2?
ALL: Absolutely. Of course.
BOUSTANY: With Grace, it could mean several things. She may have been listening the entire time, or she could simply be waking naturally from the coma after hearing the people around her. Her relationship with God is so important that either interpretation feels possible.
WYLIE: There’s still so much uncertainty.
The Body is now streaming on Netflix.
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