Which directors would you most like to work with?
I've done a lot of "conventional" film and theatre, so I'd love to break from convention and work with directors who really "push the envelope." Among my wish list: Julie Taymor, John Waters, Tim Burton, Baz Luhrmann, J.J. Abrams, and Nimrod Antal.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you?
The three that I hear most:
(1) That I'm a health-food freak. Is it because I'm thin? While I do try to eat well, I'm not a hardliner about it. Give me a big, juicy cheeseburger with the works and a Pepsi, and I'll prove it! But I'll make up for it the next day with a big salad and Vitamin Water.
(2) That I'm European. I get asked alot if I'm British. Alas, I'm from Indiana originally, but I see why people would think that.
(3) That I have tremendous confidence. Sometimes, yes. Most times, no. But I've gotten pretty good at hiding my insecurity. I don't think potential employers find nervousness attractive or reassuring!
Are you a "Method" actor?
I studied the "Method" for years, and I still use lots of the tools and exercises in rehearsals. But, no, I don't consider myself Method. When I was preparing my solo show, and working on the wheelchair-bound character Michael, a Method acting coach told me I should wear an adult diaper, sit in the wheelchair all day long, and use the diaper as intended (to put it delicately), then "sit in it" all day.
I'm sorry, but I have an imagination. I wouldn't kill someone to prepare for playing a murderer.
Plus, I think WASPs make lousy Method actors. They've spent a lifetime repressing emotions.
How do you memorize all those lines?
If a script is well written, its actually very easy! Well-written dialogue is like music, it has a rhythm and a melody that makes it easy to memorize, like a song. When a script is less than great, it gets a little tougher. Once I'm in rehearsal, I try to memorize my blocking as connected to the dialogue (on this line, I go there), and somehow the mind-body connection makes it work.
What's the biggest difference between being an actor in San Francisco, and being an actor in LA?
The biggest difference -- and there are lots of them -- is the size of the talent pool down here. In SF, if you were known to be a talented actor, you frequently got to stretch your range by being cast against type. In LA, if they want an actor who looks like a surfer, has green hair and is missing a thumb, rest assured they will find an actor who is a surfer with green hair who has only one thumb.
Its humbling! You realize, living in LA, there are actors BETTER than you. But there are also a hell of a lot of actors less talented, too. You eventually realize that you aren't competing against all of them, but against yourself.
The hardest part of being an actor in LA, though, is keeping your head screwed on tight. You're surrounded by so many images and messages of "success," it can be hard not to be swept into it.
What's up with the tour of Carved in Stone?
We're working on it! I hope to have some big news later in 2008!
When approaching a new role, what do you do first?
The first thing I do is play detective -- I sit down with the script and read it, and re-read it, and re-read it, searching for clues about what makes this character tick. I look for similarities between myself and the character, and for clues as to why he acts differently than I would.
What characters/types are you dying to play?
I hate it that sitcoms are a dying breed. I'd kill for one.
Like everyone else, I have always wanted to play an unrepentant, omnipotent James Bond-type of villian. I also fantasize about playing the comic-relief character in a soap opera.
Which is easier, a character closer to yourself, or further?
When I played Quentin Crisp in Carved in Stone, I realized the further a character is from you, the more tools you have to become someone else. When I would find myself slipping out, I had a number of externals -- his voice, his carriage, his unique point of view -- to focus on to pull me back. So while it may still be easier to play close to myself, I find a character further from myself much more interesting -- it gives your brain more to chew on.
Which do you prefer, film or theatre?
I love both, for different reasons. I think of acting on stage like eating a good, healthy salad -- while film acting is like eating a big juicy steak.
What's been your best experience as a Bay Area actor?
I've had lots of great experiences -- the most recent being the short film Foucault Who? It was such a well-run shoot, with such a strong crew, that I was free to just focus on my character -- and as a result, gave one of my best screen performances eer. Within five months of being cast, the film was shot, cut, and was screening at film festivals. That doesn't happen very often.
I also really loved doing Carved in Stone, sheparding the project from the beginning stages, casting it with my favorite actors.
What's been your worst?
The worst was leaving a stage production two days before opening. The director and I were clearly on different planets from the start. Thankfully, he made it clear that he was happy to take over -- otherwise I would have gone through with it. What I learned it, no actor can play every part, and if you're in a project that is a totally bad fit, get out sooner rather than later. Also, sometimes you have to say "no" when offered a part.
When do you know when you've reached something true, and to stop?
I don't think I ever get there. I think part of my job is to keep coming up with stuff -- and I think it's the director's job to decide what's use-able and what isn't.
What's kept you from going to L.A.?
I always felt it was important to be "union" before going. You can go right away, and compete with five million other actors who aren't union -- or you can wait, then only compete with the million or so in the union. Now that I'm SAG, the time is here. I hope to eventually travel back and forth.
Do you have trouble watching yourself on screen?
I was one of those kids who grew up making films with his mother's home-movie camera, so I got over that long ago. Of course, if I did a lousy job, it's not easy to watch. But I think you have to learn how to watch yourself objectively, so you can see what works and what doesn't.
Did you have a realization, or was it over time, that this was the life for you?
While I always wanted to be an actor, I also wanted at times to be a journalist, a stand-up comic, a novelist, a comic book writer/artist, a television programmer. So it was always about telling stories, creating characters and the universes in which they lived.
My "a-ha!" moment was on stage in high school, playing "Mortimer" in Arsenic & Old Lace. A fellow actor accidentally doused me with a glass of wine on stage -- and as I waited out the laughter and applause, I realized that "this" was where I'm supposed to be.
What personal sacrifices have you made for your career?
I suppose I'd have more friendships if I had time to cultivate them. But the biggest sacrifices are by far the financial ones. There's no long-term security in this business. You can't devote yourself to a day job, because you have to stay flexible. You have to get used to the roller-coaster of this life. You just can't have any expectations, financially speaking.
Did you ever consider staying "in the closet"?
Never. I realized long ago that I could either "follow the rules" or be an exception to them -- so I decided on the trailblazer route. Conventional wisdom says that an audience will never accept an openly gay actor in a straight role. But I believe if I movie is good, it can make you believe anything -- life in outer space, that a man can fly, anything. You may go in thinking, "This gay actor is playing a straight role??" But if it's a good movie, you'll forget that five minutes after the credits.
Also, my attitude has changed a bit. Now I get annoyed when people ask, "Don't you get tired of playing gay roles?" As if all gay people were exactly the same. There are as many ways of "being" gay as being straight. I've played many gay roles and for the most part, they have all been very diverse.
When will you be able to say, "I'm a successful artist?"
Actually, I'm able to say that now. As a kid, I wanted to be in California and in show business, and that, I have achieved. Seriously, though I think you have to break the course down into mini-successes. When you get your first good reviews, your first agent, when you're asked to join the unions, when you get your first killer demo together. You have to focus on little victories, because the big picture can be depressing if you think of it for too long.
What advise would you give to actors just starting out?
First, persistence. Concert musicians practice every single day. Why should it be different for actors? Even if you aren't in a production, you should be doing something every day -- taking classes, seeing films, reading new scripts, working on accents -- that will further you in your goals.
Second, patience. After finally deciding to pursue this thing, it took me a couple of years to get enough footage for a good reel, another year to get an agent, another year or so to get into SAG. Don't focus on winning the Oscar -- keep your goals small and realistic. A good career should last a lifetime, so why be in a hurry to reach the end? To me, nothing is more depressing than someone who "made it" young, and spends the rest of his or her life trying to maintain that level of success.
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