Actor Tom Lenk, who has worked with Joss Whedon on both Buffy and Much Ado About Nothing, sits down with the mastermind writer for a can’t-miss interview!

The Advocate has an awesome treat for fans of Joss Whedon and his “Whedonverse” of overlapping projects and actors.

Fans familiar with Whedon’s work will know Tom Lenk best as the awkward would-be supervillain Andrew on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the actor also appeared in Whedon’s most recent venture, his adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Here, he plays journalist and gives us a great in-depth interview with Whedon about the movie (and we definitely suggest you read the whole thing!).

Discussing homosexuality in Much Ado About Nothing, Whedon reveals an interesting interpretation of one of the main characters.

“There was a moment where I considered playing [Don Pedro, played by Reed Diamond] as openly gay,” he says, “because he really doesn’t woo for himself; he just sort of likes to play the game.”

Whedon also names a number of other Shakespearean works which could have a gay adaptation, including Hamlet and Twelfth Night.

He adds, “Part of why Shakespeare works now is that he’s so open to interpretation. It all comes from a time when men could talk about their feelings and love each other, which has sort of fallen out of the vernacular.”

Fans might also be interested in Whedon’s story of first setting up his Twitter account. “I’d just delivered a draft of The Avengers 2,” he recalls, “and to celebrate that same night, I go on Twitter and get my own account … and then the moment I went on — a wave of incredible panic. Oh my God. People are going to read not only what I say, but the first draft of what I say?”

Finally, Lenk brings up how nervous fans get coming up to Whedon at Q&As, and Whedon says that he completely understands and empathizes with that feeling.

“My entire career has been a 20-year cry for help,” he reveals. “The only person I was trying to help through a dark time and empower was me, and that person who’s shaking and crying at me is basically me.”

Whedon’s answer blew Lenk away, and it definitely had an impact on all of us, too. Check out the rest of the interview at The Advocate.

(Note: This interview also marks Tom Lenk’s journalist debut! What a way to make a smash debut. Welcome to the biz, Tom.)