Steve Way praises Liz Meriwether for groundbreaking disabled romance in Hulu's 'Furious'

Steve Way has never played a romantic lead onscreen before. In Hulu's thriller series Furious, he finally does — and he says the result is something television has not managed before.

Way, who was born with muscular dystrophy, plays Alden, a disabled young man whose late mother hired Catherine Grace to be his home-healthcare aide. Catherine, played by Lola Petticrew, is a survivor of sex trafficking who begins killing wealthy men. An FBI agent named Alice Black, played by Emmy Rossum, investigates the killings. The series was created by Liz Meriwether, the writer-producer behind New Girl and The Dropout, and streams on Hulu.

Alden and Catherine spark an unconventional romance over the course of the show. Way told Deadline that he does not think disabled romance "has been portrayed onscreen in such a beautiful, healthy way" before Furious Deadline.

Way credited Meriwether with capturing disability well before he added his own touches to the role. He described her as "very loving, caring, and nurturing" and said she let him improvise often on set Vulture. Meriwether and the Furious writers room, he said, were receptive to his notes and ideas.

The role let Way show a side of himself audiences had not seen. He said he was allowed "to play a different side of myself" in the series Deadline. He felt the weight of that responsibility. He said he felt pressure representing the disabled community and wants to show how beautiful and empowering disabled love is.

He also believes the moment is relatively new. Roles written specifically for disabled actors, he said, would not have happened ten years ago.

Meriwether met Way for the first time in 2025, according to Variety Variety. She is the executive producer and showrunner who guided all seven seasons of New Girl and directed two episodes of that series Hulu Press.

New episodes of Furious stream Mondays on Hulu. The season finale debuts 31 August.