Q&A from sho.com (July 2004)

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RANDY HARRISON Q&A from sho.com [July 12, 2004]

(перевод yurkuna.diary.ru/p182907883.htm)



1. The first record I ever bought was... The Muppet's Sing Metal Machine Music
2. My favorite place to be is... semi-consciousness
3. When I have some free time I like to... shoot squirrels
4. When I'm feeling sporty I... shower
5. When I turned 18 I... burnt an effigy of my former self
6. Record I've currently been listening to... Electralane: The Power Out
7. A movie that has moved me recently was... Winter Light
8. My biggest vice is... revealing too much of myself in online questionnaires
9. A song I know all the words to is... the entire album ( ) by Sigur Rós
10. The worst question I've ever been asked in an interview was... could you answer these questions as Justin?
11. The last concert I saw was... Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza
12. My favorite quote is... "We knew the world generally sucked and we didn't want to be a part of it. We wanted to do something else, which amounts to not wanting to get up in the morning and have a real job." - Wayne Kramer

@темы: 2004

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Обновления.

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добавлена ссылка на перевод от medveditsa - DNA, Playing Justin (Nov 2004) - pda.diary.ru/~RHintervews/p158783882.htm

предыдущие обновления

добавлена ссылка на перевод от medveditsa - Inside Queer as Folk By Dennis Hensley From The Advocate (Nov 2000) - pay.diary.ru/~RHintervews/p150597296.htm

запись создана: 20.04.2011 в 08:43

@темы: обновления

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DNA, Playing Justin (Nov 2004)

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DNA, Playing Justin (# 58, November 2004)



перевод queerasfolk-rus.livejournal.com/94341.html

Playing Justin
The star of Queer As Folk talks about those sex scenes and why he's not at all like his character, Justin.
http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/default.asp?section_id=307

Queer as Folk is back on SBS this month. Fans are calling it the best season yet, and critics praise the maturity of the writing and depth of character development. This season, Justin Taylor, played by 27-year-old Randy Harrison, picks up a gun and joins a gay vigilante squad. Matthew Myers spoke to Randy about Justin, those sex scenes and life after QaF.

DNA: There are some great character developments in the new season. How do you feel about Justin's?

RH: I think they are dramatic but justified. I mean, it makes sense that he hasn't entirely dealt with having been attacked. Then, when he watches a close friend of his not defending himself, he becomes extreme, goes in the other direction. It was definitely fun to do, just because the material was so different. After three years, I certainly didn't expect to be handling guns and doing combat scenes on Queer as Folk.

DNA: As a vigilante, Justin has a military style buzz cut. Was losing your blond locks a difficult decision?

RH: It wasn't a decision I had to make. If the producers write it, you kind of have to do it. But I was fine. I couldn't care less about my hair and it had been long for a while, so I was ready for a change.

DNA: One of the long-running characters dies this season. Did that storyline have much impact on the cast?

RH: I think it did. Especially because we were losing an actor who had been with us for three years. We shoot in Toronto and most of us don't live there. I live in New York and so does the actor who's left but he's no longer on set with us, so that's sad.

DNA: The new season features testicular cancer, street violence, loneliness, death and even ghosts. Is there a feeling among the cast that the characters are maturing?

RH: Absolutely. I definitely think it's the aim of the writer and producers to move the show forwards, certainly as far as the kind of issues that the characters are being confronted with. They're all growing up and getting older. Now they're starting to deal with aging – not me, particularly, yet!

DNA: Do you hang out with any of the cast outside of work?

RH: Not really. I mean, we all get along and are all friends, but we don't hang out.

DNA: The sex scenes are always pretty hot. How do you and Gale Harold prepare for them?

RH: We don't prepare for them really. Actually, a lot of it is the trick of the camera, the lighting and music that they put on it. Generally we do it as quickly as possible and it depends on how elaborate it needs to be. They sketch out what needs to be done physically like you would choreograph something ahead of time.

DNA: At DNA we get mail from people confusing Justin the fictional character with Randy the actor who plays him. Do you find this too?

RH: Yeah, I do. Fan mail is odd, though. I think it may be normal for TV actors. People have spent four years seeing me playing this one character and they may never see me do anything else. People often confuse me with the character and, yes, I get fan mail addressed to Justin.

DNA: How different is Randy Harrison to Justin Taylor?

RH: I'm very different. We have very little in common, actually.

DNA: We wouldn't find you hanging out at a club like Babylon, then?

RH: No, I don't go to dance clubs. I don't listen to that type of music or go to gay bars. Although, I'm an artist in a way, I'm not a visual artist. I'm an actor. You know, my hair's a different colour.

DNA: What? You're not blond?

RH: [Laughs] No. That's fake hair! They bleach it for the show. My real hair colour is a dark blond or light brown.

DNA: You did a photo shoot for Vanity Fair with the stars of Will and Grace, Queer Eye and Boy Meets Boy. What was that like?

RH: It was fun. It happened really fast. It was right before we started shooting last year. It was great to meet all those people and they were all really kind. We all got glammed up in a studio in Los Angeles.

DNA: Queer as Folk has pushed many television boundaries. Do you feel like you're part of an historic gay era?

RH: I definitely feel that since the show started the amount of gay subject matter on TV has just skyrocketed. I wonder if it will completely shift the paradigm, or if it's just sort of a fluke. But it seems to me as if television has changed with it. I don't know necessarily if Queer as Folk is responsible, but it's good to know that you're a part of it in some way.

DNA: In Australia, we have a lesbian storyline on a prime-time drama called Neighbours. It's a big thing because it's on at 6.30 pm and it's a very unadventurous show.

RH: Yeah. On All My Children, which is a big soap opera here, there has been a lesbian storyline happening for awhile, maybe even before Queer as Folk started. And the lesbian is one of the lead characters.

DNA: Had you every watched Sharon Gless in Cagney and Lacey?

RH: [Laughs] No, I haven't. I think I've seen half an episode recently. I knew who she was and I knew of Cagney and Lacey, but I haven't actually watched the show.

DNA: You were in a film about high school shootings called Bang, Bang, You're Dead. Can you tell us about your character?

RH: I played Sean. He was based on a combination of real life characters: Kip Kingle, who killed his parents and then himself after he had gone to school and killed a bunch of people, and also a mixture of the two Columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. I did a lot of research on those people and it was really difficult shooting that movie. It was painful and frustrating. I mean, I'm satisfied with it, but it was just really difficult having to live there for the duration of that movie. Having to think and feel that way and try to examine the world that those people lived in.

DNA: On a lighter note, you were once in a stage production of Grease.

RH: [Laughs] I was in the ensemble of Grease when I was 17. I actually got my Actor's Equity card in Grease. In St Louis there's an enormous outdoor theatre, which I think is one of the biggest in the country, and I was cast and became an official actor!

DNA: How long does it take to shoot one episode of QaF?

RH: We're shooting the fifth season now and we're shooting one episode in eight working days. But in past years we did it in seven.

DNA: Will this season be the last?

RH: We don't definitely know yet. We're waiting to hear.

DNA: How cool is it for a gay man like yourself to be living in New York?

RH: I love New York City! I might be biased, well, of course I'm biased! I love it. For the past five years I've been in Toronto all winter and then for the spring, summer and fall I live in New York. It's ridiculously expensive to live here though. I may have to leave Manhattan and go to Brooklyn!

DNA: It's reported that public appearances and autograph signing that the QaF cast do are like Beatle-mania! Is that true?

RH: It is! It's insane. It's actually the one time of the year when we can go out and connect with the audience and the people. I don't know about in Australia, but the fan base here is small but loyal. They love the show and know every episode and everything we have done in our careers. So it feels good to actually meet those people who have been with the show since the beginning. It is like Beatle-mania and it's very draining.

DNA: Australia Russell Mulcahy directed the very first episode of QaF. How did you find working with him?

RH: Oh yeah, Russell's incredible. He came back in the second season as well for a couple of episodes. He's an incredible man. He's got such energy and he's capable of shooting so much more film in a day than anybody else. He's just fanatically shooting all the time. And he's funny.

DNA: Have you seen the British version?

RH: Yeah, I saw the first episode of the British version but not until well into shooting our first season, after I had already shot that portion I also liked Bob and Rose, the series that Russell T Davies, who wrote QaF, did later on.

DNA: How do you see the future for openly gay actors being cast in straight roles?

RH: I honestly don't know, but I hope it's going to be great. I don't actually think I've had that much of a problem. I can't imagine what a gay actor will have to do in order to be cast as the straight male lead in a film. I mean, I'm sure it will happen eventually. But I think actors always have to fight to prove themselves – for any role. I think being gay is just something that people, who would be arguing against you in a role, could try to use against you.

DNA: After QaF what types of roles would you prefer to have?

RH: Immediately, I really want to do something classical or period, something very far away from Babylon. I'd love to do something classical on stage too.

DNA: Is there one QaF episode that's your favourite?

RH: Yes. My favourite is still the last episode of the first season.

DNA: The prom?

RH: Yeah. Getting my head bashed in! It was the most fun to do, but it is still kind of upsetting when I see those pictures of the bloody scarf and all that.

DNA: But before that scene, it was all about Justin and Brian dancing together. That was great. It was a very powerful image.

RH: Yeah, it was like a little musical number in the middle of this dramatic series. It was out of character for the show but at the same time it worked perfectly!

сканы http://gallery.kinnetiks.net/thumbnails.php?album=1375

@темы: 2004

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'Show has fans from queer and far' (October 2004)

[BloodVessel]

Show has fans from queer and far
Posted by Eleanor Sprawson; Sydney Daily Telegraph; October 27, 2004.

Randy Harrison will always have Paris, but it will never be particularly Parisien. The American star of SBS’s cult hit, Queer as Folk, went to the French capital recently seeking his fix of culture and cafes – and instead found Australians.

read more

Everywhere.

He says he’ll now always associate the city with the Australian viewers who gave him his very first ever taste of being mobbed.

“No Europeans came up to me but tonnes of Australians came up,” says the 26-year-old who plays Justin Taylor on the show, which returns for its fourth series on Monday.

“It was crazy. I mean, it is popular here in the States but it’s on one of the smaller cable networks so the audience is pretty small. But it seems to be huge in Australia. It’s Australians who come up to me even here in the State, more than Americans.”

While the series which follows the lives and loves of a group of gay friends living in Pittsbugh started off on SBS with a largely gay audience, viewership has broadened as more and more viewers find themselves addicted to an adult drama with a sense of humour.

“It’s huge with middle-aged women in Australia, which is the case here too. I think they relate to Debbie,” he says. Played by Sharon Gless, who is best known for her role as Cagney in Cagney and Lacey, Justin’s waitress mother, Debbie, has been getting more and more storylines as the show goes beyond its initial in-your-face celebration of gay culture.

Harrison says that all the actors have been relishing the show more and more now that it has moved beyond its flag-waving.

“The controversy surrounding the sexuality and all of that was definitely there at the beginning but that’s died down, which is comforting,” he says. “Having said that, the focus of so much of the fourth season are things that have very much to do with gay politics in the States, that’s definitely the spine of the show. In fact they’re having trouble writing it fast enough because as they’re writing things are happening and laws are changing.

“So, you know, no matter how fast we go it’s probably going to be a little outdated by the time it airs.”

@темы: 2004

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Queer as Folk confidential, the Advocate (July 2004)

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Queer as Folk confidential, from the Advocate, By Wenzel Jones [6 July 2004]



http://www.advocate.com/article.aspx?id=21583


Queer as Folk confidential.

In revealing answers to our questions about the first four seasons of Showtime's hit series, QAF cast members and the show’s creators talk about whether they like their characters, what they’d change about the show, and how QAF has changed television forever.

By Wenzel Jones

Randy Harrison

1. What has been the biggest evolution in your character’s personality or life situation since he first appeared?
Finishing puberty, losing his virginity, and leaving home.

2. If your character was a real person, would you be his friend? Why or why not?
It’s difficult for me to imagine Justin as a real person. He’s so thoroughly a character created for serial television that his behavior, though dramatically justified on Queer as Folk, would register as childish, self-obsessed and absurd if it were displaced into the reality I’m familiar with. How could I be friends with someone who has nervous breakdowns at spilled marinara sauce, assaults high school enemies with small firearms, and has been systematically and repeatedly betrayed, lied to, condescended to, and humiliated by his boyfriend for four years? Were I placed into the TV wonderland of Queer as Folk, on the other hand, Justin and I would fuck once, realize we were twins separated at birth, and try to get our parents back together using elaborately quirky schemes. I’d most like to tell Justin to calm down. Maybe get him into a yoga class.

read more

3. What’s the one challenge or blessing you hope your character faces in a future episode?
First off, I think Justin is old enough and financially stable enough at this point to have his own apartment. But, codependent as he is, I’m sure Justin would get a large dog right away, probably a pit bull named Harvey. Those would be two blessings. A challenge Justin might face would be dealing with the ramifications of having his cell phone stolen when he went out at 4 o’clock one morning to innocently walk Harvey and ended up giving a mugger a blow job in a public park lavatory.

4. What single scene or episode so far has been the most meaningful or memorable for you?
I’ll always remember having to fake jack-off at gunpoint, because it was so upsetting to me that I didn’t fake cum or even really fake ‘get it up,’ so we had to reshoot it.

5. What have you learned about yourself by playing Justin?
What I’ve learned most while working on Queer as Folk has come really indirectly, less from playing Justin Taylor than from dealing with press, corporations, advertisers, the gay community, and fans of the show. I’ve learned the necessity of constantly realigning your perspective and the importance of standing up for yourself and being constantly aware that people are going to skew and censor you in order to make the idea of you better represent whatever agenda they’ve decided you’ll promote. And it’s all done so matter-of-factly, its such the status quo, that it becomes very simple to accept even though it completely corrodes the soul.

6. What do you think is the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now, and how well do you think Queer as Folk has done in addressing that issue?
I think the biggest issues facing Americans period, both queer and not, are the environment, the economy, and the war in Iraq. While I think Queer as Folk has done a remarkable job addressing gay-specific politics, most notably gay marriage, it seems to ignore the fact that we are part of a global community of human beings even before we are part of a local community of homosexuals.

7. Drawing from your contact with gay and lesbian fans and the other gay people in your life, in what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the gay community?
The most significant feedback I get tends to be from queer teens, often closeted, who feel isolated in various ways and have found that watching Queer as Folk relieves some of that tension and loneliness. I view the gay community as something so large, fluid and diverse that it’s impossible to make a statement like “The show has affected this entire group in this one specific way,” but the letters I read from individuals are things that I know have happened, and they demonstrate to me the difference the show has made in at least a handful of gay lives

8. In what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the portrayals of gays and lesbians on other TV programs?
I really couldn’t say. I’m going to imagine not enough.

9. You’ve heard the complaints about the show from some viewers and critics. What one complaint bugs you the most and why?
I find it ridiculous when people talk about Queer as Folk like it’s supposed to carry some enormous humanitarian agenda. It’s a fucking TV show! No one expects The O.C. to change the world! It’s strange to me that because the show is predominately gay that characters and gay story lines are held to a completely different standard. The medium in itself is only capable of so much, and generally it only aspires to a specific level of artistry and entertainment.

10. What’s next for you? Where else can QAF fans see your work in the future?
I’m doing a Broadway show. I might be done with it by the time this comes out, I’m not sure.



Michelle Clunie

1. What has been the biggest evolution in your character’s personality or life situation since she first appeared?
The biggest evolution in my character’s life since the beginning would be the decision she made to carry her second child. Not only did this put her in a more vulnerable position, but it also forced her to rethink her priorities with regard to how hard she pushes herself. She was forced to slow down, and slow is not something Melanie understands.

2. If your character was a real person, would you be her friend? Why or why not? What’s the one thing you would most like to say to Melanie?
If Melanie were a real person, we would most likely be very good friends. I enjoy surrounding myself with people who tell it like it is. She also has a very true heart, which is rare to find. I have a very eclectic group of friends, but the one thing they all have in common is that they all have very big hearts. If she were my friend, I would tell her to be more gentle with herself.

3. What’s the one challenge or blessing you hope your character faces in a future episode?
I would love to see my character get a case that goes all the way to the Supreme Court.

4. What single scene or episode so far has been the most meaningful or memorable for you?
I still and always will love the scene from the first season when we are in the hospital, and they won’t let Melanie go back with Linz and the baby. It was raw and true and right.

5. What have you learned about yourself by playing Melanie?
I have learned through playing Melanie that people respond more to strength than weakness. We all are looking for heroes.

6. What do you think is the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now, and how well do you think Queer as Folk has done in addressing that issue?
I think equal rights is the biggest issue facing gays and lesbians. We address this issue in almost every episode.

7. Drawing from your contact with gay and lesbian fans and the other gay people in your life, in what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the gay community?
Queer as Folk has had a very big impact on the community. It has stirred up plenty of interesting conversations between various demographics, by which I mean people outside the community. Mothers and fathers have come together with their children and have begun to talk again and to understand them. It has forced people to think and has encouraged talking and opening up the channels of communication. It has made room for other less intimidating gay programming to be readily accepted. To create that sort of an impact one cannot be timid or meek, but bold and in-your-face. Change does not happen easily, it takes balls, and that’s what Queer as Folk has. Both literally and figuratively: balls.

8. In what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the portrayals of gays and lesbians on other TV programs?
Refer to number 7.

9. You’ve heard the complaints about the show from some viewers and critics. What one complaint bugs you the most and why?
Everyone is entitled to their opinions. It is still a free country. Well, sort of. I am not interested in doing bland, boring, conventional work or safe work. Safe is not something that interests me.

10. What’s next for you? Where else can QAF fans see your work in the future?
I am currently shooting a film this summer titled, “The Unseen.”

Thea Gill

1. What has been the biggest evolution in your character’s personality or life situation since she first appeared?
I think the biggest evolution in Lindsay’s life has been the fact that she’s been called upon to work more. Lindsay has had to learn to balance her family life with her work life. She has trouble with this at times. Lindsay has grown stronger and much more determined about fulfilling all her dreams in life as a gay woman, but this has caused conflicted feelings in her marriage with Melanie.

2. If your character was a real person, would you be her friend? Why or why not? What’s the one thing you would most like to say to that person?
Yes. I would like Lindsay to be my friend. I’d want to make sure I got to know her awhile before I started pouring my heart out to her, but I would eventually trust her as someone who, when push comes to shove, owns up to her true feelings and weaknesses. Right now, I’d want to say to her, “What the hell’s going on with you?!”

3. What’s the one challenge or blessing you hope your character faces in a future episode?
I would want Lindsay’s blessing to be the freedom to go back in time to the days when Melanie and Lindsay first fell in love and live those memories over and over again. A type of a “Run Lindsay Run Back” episode!

4. What single scene or episode so far has been the most meaningful or memorable for you?
I have to say the prom dance scene in the finale episode of season 1 is one that is extremely memorable to me. I was never a part of the filming of that scene, but whenever I think about it and how it played out so powerfully, I get goose bumps. Many people feel this way about that scene, so goose bumps probably aren’t all that impressive. But I suppose what makes that scene more meaningful to me is the fact that on our final day of shooting, the last scene that was being shot was the one in which Randy’s character, Justin, is being bashed in the head. Everyone in the cast and crew were there and while we all witnessed the scene being performed, there was such a silence that pervaded the room that I’ll never forget it. I remember that silence when I think of that prom dance scene.

5. What have you learned about yourself by playing Lindsay?
I’ve learned to be in my body more. I’ve learned to be more physically confident, to be proud of my body, to express myself more with it. I don’t know why Lindsay has done this more to me than any other character I’ve played. I suppose it’s because at times I have to show my body in a sexually intimate way, which can sometimes be a self-conscious thing, but also very liberating and empowering. I feel the most empowered I’ve ever felt, and I owe a lot of that to Lindsay, QAF, and all the go-go dancers!

6. What do you think is the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now, and how well do you think Queer as Folk has done in addressing that issue?
I think the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now is the absolute recognition of gays and lesbians to be equal members of contemporary society with equal rights. I believe QAF has done extremely well in addressing this issue by providing a group of gay and lesbian characters in real life situations. Based on the success of the show and the feedback I’ve received, I feel QAF has helped mainstream America develop a broader understanding of the gay community.

Peter Paige

1. What has been the biggest evolution in your character’s personality or life situation since he first appeared?
God, that’s hard to say. There was the whole going straight thing, and the whole porn star thing, and the whole Mrs. Millionaire thing, but I’m going to have to stick with the relationship and breakup with Teddy. Nothing has caused Emmett to risk more, nor impacted him so deeply.

2. If your character was a real person, would you be his friend? Why or why not? What’s the one thing you would most like to say to that person?
Are you kidding? I already feel like Emmett is my friend. I’ve spent more time with him over the last four years than all my previous boyfriends combined. Not that I’ve minded. He’s smart, funny, open, kind--what else exactly would you want in a friend?

3. What’s the one challenge or blessing you hope your character faces in a future episode?
I’d like to see Emmett address his family issues. And buy a car. Seriously, how is this guy getting around?

4. What single scene or episode so far has been the most meaningful or memorable for you?
Do I have to pick one? There are several that really stick with me. Emmett’s HIV scare. George’s high-flying farewell, which is truly a scene you will never see anywhere but on QAF, because it goes from funny and naughty to full-on terrifying in .02 seconds. Asking Brian to help Ted and the Lana Turner speech. And finally, confronting Ted about his addiction.

5. What have you learned about yourself by playing this character?
I’ve learned where I am open and where I hold my shame. I’ve learned that being partially awake is never good enough. I’ve learned that kindness and truth are worth more than a million bucks any day. I’ve learned that in order to love someone else you have to love yourself first. And I’ve learned that tangerine is not an easy color to pull off.

6. What do you think is the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now, and how well do you think Queer as Folk has done in addressing that issue?
We are alive at an incredible moment in the history of the world--complete civil rights lie just ahead; the tide has turned, and it is only a matter of time before we find ourselves first-class citizens of the world. Imagine how wonderful it will be for the next generation of gay youths, coming out and coming of age in a world that denies them nothing, that demands for them the same rights, same privileges, that everyone else receives. But, as with every swing of the pendulum, there will be backlash. We must remain calm, true to ourselves, committed to our own possibilities. No apologies, no regrets--only quiet, steady, loving forward progress, until there is no longer room to hate. And we have to get that bastard out of the White House.

7. Drawing from your contact with gay and lesbian fans and the other gay people in your life, in what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the gay community?
I honestly think QAF has had less of an influence on the gay community specifically than on the world at large. Gay people already know these people and these stories. And while I’m sure many of us feel validated and represented for the first time by the world’s most powerful medium--television--it’s straight people who seem to be most powerfully impacted by the show. I can’t tell you the number of straight men who casually slip into conversation how much they love the show. What started as a freak show for them has so normalized the idea of same-sex relationships, whether it be emotional, physical, or sexual, that the ‘issue’ has essentially disappeared.

8. In what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the portrayals of gays and lesbians on other TV programs?
I’d like to think that it has increased the media’s willingness to portray gay people as full, complicated, flawed, and sexualized people. But to be honest, I still think there are a lot of eunuchs and clowns out there.

9. You’ve heard the complaints about the show from some viewers and critics. What one complaint bugs you the most and why?
The whole ‘It’s only sex and drugs’ thing. It’s not. Watch the show. Most of the major characters are either in or recently came out of a major relationship. Stop responding to the hype.

10. What’s next for you? Where else can QAF fans see your work in the future?
I’m actually right now on the set of Donut Hole, my feature directorial debut--a little movie I wrote and star in opposite Kathy Najimy, Anthony Clark, Melanie Lynskey, and Gabrielle Union. Look for it next year.

Oh, and I also have a great role in the ensemble comedy “Childstar,” written and directed by Don McKellar, which should be out late this year. After that, you can find me in a mental institution, where I’ll be recovering from my nervous breakdown.

Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman

1. What has been the biggest evolution in the characters’ personalities or life situations since they first appeared?
Oddly enough, we feel the biggest evolution has been on the part of the audience. At first, they were startled by the boldness of the show and the sexualized characters. But eventually, many seem to have accepted and even embraced it, investing themselves in the characters as people--no matter what their sexual preference may be.

2. If these characters were real people, would you be their friends? Why or why not? What’s the one thing you would most like to say to them?
First off, all the characters are real--to us. They truly speak to us, tell us what words to put in their mouths, dictate their behavior--as any good character does. We love every one of them--warts and all. Just as one accepts their closest and dearest friends.

3. What’s the one challenge you hope the character faces in a future episode?
The characters are challenged every season. That’s the nature of drama. Although we haven’t begun to formulate season 5, we’re certain they’ll be challenged yet again. And since the theme of the series is ‘Boys Becoming Men’ or ‘Girls Becoming Women’ for the lesbian characters, we’ll also see who becomes a man and who stays a boy.

4. What single scene or episode so far has been the most meaningful or memorable for you?
We have our favorite moments: Brian showing up at Justin’s prom. That dance was so romantic--and such a heartbreaking prelude to Justin’s tragic bashing. Ted’s speech when Emmett joined ‘See the Light’ about God loving every one of his creations, including every faggot. What we call ‘The Covenant Creations’ scene, where Brian and Justin outline their very open relationship. Of course, the very seminal scene in the pilot when Brian first has sex with Justin, though Justin would call it lovemaking. The very tender scene between Lindsay and Brian in that same episode after Lindsay gives birth to their son. And the rooftop scene between Michael and Brian after learning of Brian’s fatherhood. Brian’s father’s funeral, with that unexpected, gorgeous snowfall that everyone thought was a planned special effect. Michael’s 30th birthday party where all the stories intertwined. If you want more, we’ll give you more.

5. What have you learned about yourselves from these characters?
These characters represent aspects of both of us. The reality. The fantasy. What we wish we could be. What we’re glad we’re not. They act out behaviors for us. And suffer the consequences for us. In fact, it’s impossible to even imagine writing characters, especially in a long-running series, that don’t reflect you personally.

6. What do you think is the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now, and how well do you think Queer as Folk has done in addressing that issue?
Gays and lesbians are now, more than at any other time in our history, assimilating into the cultural mainstream of maintaining gay culture. Like any minority group, the challenge is not to lose your identity, your individuality. We try to reflect this tug-of-war on QAF. Michael and Ben, Melanie and Lindsay are coupled. Raising children. On the outside appearing very much like their “straight” counterparts. Then there’s Brian, who doesn’t believe in any of that. He and Justin aren’t straight. They’re queer. And queers live a queer life--which means not playing according to the rules of heterosexual society. There will probably always be this dichotomy in the gay community.

7. Drawing from your contact with gay and lesbian fans and the other gay people in your lives, in what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the gay community?
We are constantly getting letters from younger gay viewers telling us they’ve come out to their family and friends due to the show. And we are constantly getting letters from older gay viewers telling us that they never thought they’d live long enough to see a show like QAF and how much they wish it existed in their youth. It would’ve made such a difference in their lives. People either love the show or hate it, but they can’t deny that for one moment at least, gay people have been put front and center. That spotlight can be warm and inviting--yet, also harsh at times. As one viewer wrote and told us: “My entire life I thought of myself as a sideshow. But now I’m the main attraction.”

8. In what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the portrayals of gays and lesbians on other TV programs?
QAF threw down the gauntlet and set a standard for all portrayals of gay characters in its wake. Sure, there were and will continue to be gay characters who have no discernable sex life and who are just there for laughs. But the fact that QAF exists makes that kind of two-dimensional portrayal feel exactly like what it is: incomplete. We hope that audiences in the future will demand that gay characters be rendered as realistically and completely as straight ones.

9. You’ve heard the complaints about the show from some viewers and critics. What one complaint bugs you the most and why?
People are very possessive of the show. That’s understandable. There aren’t many shows like QAF. Sure, there are shows with gay characters--but none that have mostly gay characters in a gay world. So, everyone wants to see themselves portrayed on the screen. Of course, that isn’t possible. QAF is universal. We made a decision early on never to judge our world. We try to cover every aspect of the gay community. Our job is to tell the truth. And the truth isn’t always politically correct. People want to see gay judges and gay brain surgeons and monogamous relationships. All well and good. We like that too. But that’s not all gay people either. We received an angry letter once that said, “There’s no room for sex, drugs, and pornography in a show about the gay community.” Really. Well, certainly that’s not what the gay community is all about--but if you live on this planet, you know those are certainly elements. Along with marriage and having children and moving to the suburbs. It’s a rich, varied world. And we try to incorporate it all. It still truly amazes us that the sex on the show is criticized--mostly by the gay community. But it’s too late, folks. That cat’s out of the bag. Gay people have sex too. And something tells us that it’s not going to stop.

Scott Lowell

1. What has been the biggest evolution in your character’s personality or life situation since he first appeared?
From nebbishy accountant to porn king to crystal meth addict to singing waiter to nebbishy accountant. Hmmm.

2. If your character was a real person, would you be his or her friend? Why or why not? What’s the one thing you would most like to say to that person?
I would absolutely be friends with Ted. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is a very caring friend. What Ted needs most to hear can’t come from his friends, though. It has to come from himself.

3. What’s the one challenge or blessing you hope your character faces in a future episode?
To learn to love himself. But not in the same way as when he was a chronic masturbator. And then to find someone to love. And to get a job running a bed and breakfast in Hawaii.

4. What single scene or episode so far has been the most meaningful or memorable for you?
The whole crystal meth story line was the most rewarding. But the single scene and speech that I will always remember is the ‘God speech’ that Ted gives to Emmett back in season 1.

5. What have you learned about yourself by playing Ted?
That I’ve got nowhere near the level of self-loathing that Ted does.

6. What do you think is the biggest issue facing American gays and lesbians right now, and how well do you think Queer as Folk has done in addressing that issue?
Hands down the issue of gay marriage is the biggest civil rights issue the country is facing. The fact that religious beliefs are blinding people to the civil issue at hand is infuriating to me. I think our show does a good job showing both sides of the issue from the gay perspective.

7. Drawing from your contact with gay and lesbian fans and the other gay people in your life, in what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the gay community?
I think QAF has helped the gay community feel represented in a more realistic way than it ever has.

8. In what ways do you think Queer as Folk has influenced the portrayals of gays and lesbians on other TV programs?
I think it’s raised the bar in terms of portraying gay characters, as Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman have already said, as only clowns or eunuchs. Hopefully the community won’t stand for just that anymore. QAF was the first to show gay characters as three-dimensional, flawed, sexualized people.

@темы: the Advocate, 2004

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'Queer As Folk star to visit Columbus June 12' (June 2004)

[BloodVessel]

'Queer As Folk’ star to visit Columbus June 12
Posted By Lisa K. Zellner on outlooknews.com; June 2004.

Randy Harrison likes the realness of his New York life in lower Manhattan. He hates the superficiality of Los Angeles. And he doesn’t personally know anyone in real life who is like his character on Showtime’s hit series Queer as Folk.

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“I personally don’t know any gay people like that either. It’s a fantasy,” he said about controversy over the show’s depiction of gay life. The hit show has been criticized for the amount of sex and drugs written into the lives of a group of friends in a mostly fictitious gay Pittsburgh. “They’re hyper-stylized, stock characters created to make really dramatic story lines that keep people interested in watching.”

Harrison, who graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, will return to Ohio June 12 as a guest speaker at the Human Rights Campaign Columbus Dinner Gala. For tickets – even seats at Harrison’s table – visit boxofficetickets.com or call 1-800-494-8497.

Harrison said the show, like HRC, has elevated the visibility of the gay community and exposed the injustice of discrimination that faces gay people.

“I am always surprised by the amount of teens and straight women who watch the show, people who aren’t actually involved in the gay community, some who don’t even know gay people but are at least moderately familiar with the issues we face through the show,” Harrison said.

And while critics point to the lack of reality in many of the characters’ lives, Harrison said the show is reaching the higher standard some viewers have set for it.

“People say ‘The show is a comfort in my life,’ or ‘I’m isolated and this is something I can watch with my family,’ which surprises me,” Harrison said. “I hear from kids who were suicidal that they felt comforted by the show. So it does do wonderful things. I don’t know that that’s what should be expected from a TV show, sadly.

“No one ever expected The OC or 90210 to drastically change the community of Beverly Hills.”

Harrison is pleased that while the characters are dramatized, the show seriously explores the political climate that faces the gay community. In addition to the difficulty of coming out and how that impacts a gay person’s family and friends, topics have involved the candidacy of an anti-gay politician, gay bashing, drug abuse and AIDS.

“I think it’s really great that the show has gotten us involved in a forum for people to discuss things,” he said. “It has brought things out in the public eye more.”

This season, QAF’s fourth, Harrison’s character Justin has turned from taking a stand against discrimination to a more vigilante approach with a group the show calls the Pink Posse.

“That was really hard for me to do,” Harrison said. “Justin is always such a very rational character, very empathetic and moral, for the lack of a better word. But I sort of related to it because I understand where the character was coming from.

“I’ve never had that kind of anger. I’ve never been bashed. But the writers are mostly older gay men in their 60s and what they faced is drastically different than what I have faced personally,” he said. ‘I think that kind of anger prevents some gay people from reaching out to people who could potentially be our supporters. There’s a sort of self-segregation that comes from that kind of anger that can turn into hating straight people, which is so counter productive.

“That was so hard to play because it’s not at all where I come from. I’ve been out of the closet since I was 15. It was not that much of a big thing to me.”

@темы: 2004

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'Randy Harrison discusses the ins and outs of his ‘QAF’ role' (April 2004)

[BloodVessel]

Justin time: Randy Harrison discusses the ins and outs of his ‘QAF’ role
Posted by Loann Halden on twnonline.org; April 2004.

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Let’s get this clear right off the bat: Randy Harrison is not Justin Taylor, the young man who has so memorably engaged in a romantic tango with "Queer As Folk" bad boy Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) for the past three seasons of the Showtime gay series. He only plays the part.

It might seem like a ridiculous thing to point out, but the blurring of lines between reality and TV land is one of those curious phenomena that occur when a previously unknown actor rockets to fame in a high-profile role. Viewers have watched Justin grow up on "Queer As Folk"; he’s come out, survived a gay bashing, and tapped into his sexually uninhibited side along with his creative talents.

Meanwhile Harrison, a theatrically trained performer, has had to learn how to deal with life in the public eye, where an ardent fan base has lead to the production of merchandise like "Justin Infatuation" T-shirts emblazoned with his image.

"Most of the growing [I’ve done] hasn’t come directly from playing the character but more from the way my life has changed and the kind of things I’ve learned from being in a position of being on a television show," says Harrison, at the Miami launch party for "QAF’s" fourth season, which begins April 18.

"Which has in a lot of ways strengthened my resolve – what it takes to assert your individuality all the time has always been important to me, learning to stand up for myself, learning to figure out as quickly as possible exactly what people want from you and how to give them what you’re capable of giving them without feeling like a total whore yourself."

The politicized nature of the show has added another dimension to that process for the openly gay actor, who is friendly but reserved in person.

"I think the hardest thing for me is – I’ve never had any problem being out and I love talking about gay issues and stuff – but because I came out at the same time that I became known as this character, people have such a hard time differentiating me from Justin and my story from Justin’s, which can become frustrating because sometimes people are asking me about things like: ‘How did it feel when Brian showed up at your prom?’ " Harrison says.

"You’re like, ‘You’re talking about Justin. How did I feel playing that part or how do I think Justin felt?’ You feel like you’re picking over someone’s semantics when you correct them, but it’s a really significant thing.

"It’s also strange to represent something that isn’t necessarily yourself, and people are always going to associate my opinion about a gay issue with whatever it seems the opinion of ‘Queer of Folk’ is on that issue," he adds. "But I’m actually really glad that I’m a part of something that does talk about issues. I feel like we were the first show that really showed gay sexuality on television. As trashy as it can potentially get, it is a significant thing to occur and to now exist. I’m really glad about that. I would have rather been doing this than practically any other TV series – except for a few."

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Don’t ask. No amount of prodding will get him to name those shows.

"If I do that, they’ll kill me," he laughs.

These days Harrison is sporting a funky buzz cut instead of the long blonde locks of seasons past. The change in hairstyle actually ties into a key plot in the fourth season, which just wrapped in Toronto.

"A friend of Justin’s gets bashed and chooses not to press charges, which brings up a bunch of feelings that Justin hasn’t dealt with about his own bashing," says Harrison, who was quite happy to alter his look. "That leads to a whole big storyline at the beginning of the season. Then his career really takes off, which is kind of interesting. Hopefully they’ll do more with it next year – or if we have another year – it takes him away potentially from Pittsburgh and the people there for some time. It’s something he’s trying to balance."

Part of that juggling act will, of course, involve Justin’s rekindled relationship with Brian. Their tumultuous love affair is a perfect example of the Harrison-Taylor divide. When asked if he would ever be attracted to the slutty ad man in real life, he can’t say "no" fast enough.

"He would sicken me actually – and bore me, really," says Harrison, who is in a longtime relationship.

But he has a great off-camera rapport with Gale Harold.

"We’re good friends. I have a lot of respect for him. I learn a lot from him. I love talking to him," Harrison says. "I think he more than anybody else understands my position in doing the show a lot of time."

Although most people know Harrison from his television debut in "Queer As Folk," the 26-year-old actor has two decades of experience under his belt already. He began acting as a child, and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. His diverse stage credits from theaters across the country include "A Letter from Ethel Kennedy," "Grease" and "West Side Story." In 2002, he appeared in a Showtime film about school bullying, "Bang Bang, You’re Dead."

Ten years from now, long after Justin has left the airwaves, Harrison says he sees himself doing theater and film roles that he enjoys.

"Live theater is totally different," he says. "I find that spending six months in front of a camera, your entire body and voice shut down. There’s a camera in your face, you’re aware of how much you have to play and it’s so little. Then suddenly you’re on stage and it could be a gigantic space and you feel the need to fill that space. It starts vocally and physically, but then your emotions also expand in a whole different way and you’re communicating with live people.

"Also, if you do a full-length play, you’re experiencing the entire arc of a character, and you’re the final teller of the story, whereas in this, the editors go through it, the producers go through it and pick it apart. If you’re an actor on stage you’re the final person to really convey the story of what the piece is."

@темы: 2004

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That’s so ‘Queer’, Express (Apr 2004)

[moveforever]

That’s so ‘Queer’ from Express, by Mary Damiano, expressgaynews.com [April 09, 2004]



That’s so ‘Queer’
Randy Harrison on being a role model; Thea Gill on being naked; and Scott Lowell on being melancholy

By MARY DAMIANO
Friday, April 09, 2004

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No one can deny that gay TV is hot. Today, there are gay reality series and gay sitcoms and gay talk show hosts.

But when “Queer as Folk” premiered four years ago, the landscape of gay TV consisted of the safe and comfortably asexual “Will & Grace” to the occasional gay character here and there.

The bold, sometimes shocking Showtime series gave gay TV an edge. And gave Showtime its biggest hit ever.

Almost instantly, it was both praised and vilified, becoming a show that people either loved or hated. Graphic sex scenes, and what some decried as a narrow look at gay life, meant the series initially had a hard time being taken seriously.

But it endured, and in the process “Queer as Folk” has come of age.

Most of the cast of “Queer as Folk” descended on South Beach March 26, the first stop on a national tour to promote the show’s fourth season. Actors Randy Harrison, Thea Gill and Scott Lowell took time to talk about their roles, the challenges facing the show, and how “Queer as Folk” has changed them.


Randy Harrison: No role model

Randy Harrison, who plays Justin Taylor on Showtime’s ‘Queer as Folk,’ often breaks into laughter when doing love scenes with co-star Gale Harold, who plays Brian Kinney. ‘It feels so stupid to be pounding against each other for no reason.’

The public’s lack of separation between actor and character has been hardest for Randy Harrison, the young gay actor who plays the coming-of-age character Justin Taylor on the show.

The public widely perceives him as the face of gay youth in America, but Harrison will have none of it.

“I’m not a role model,” says Harrison. “I know people confuse Randy with Justin, but sorry, it’s not my problem. Randy feels no obligation to be a role model, and is never going to be one.”

Although Harrison has been acting since he was 6 years old, his work on “Queer as Folk” still feels like an overnight success story.

The young actor was only 23 and fresh out of college when he landed the role of Justin, the 17-year-old newbie. who falls hard for sexual player Brian Kinney, played by Gale Harold.

The scenes between Justin and Brian have been the graphic centerpieces in a show full of explicit moments.

Harrison scoffs when people tell him that they’ve seen him naked.

“When people say that, I just think, ‘No you haven’t,’” he says. “You don’t know what it’s like to be naked in a room with me.”

Harrison says that the most difficult part of shooting the intimate scenes with Harold is that they have a hard time keeping a straight face.

“Now we start laughing in the middle of it because it feels so stupid to be pounding against each other for no reason,” he says.

His greater concern is exploitation, and how much nudity and sex is integral to the plot, the character and the show.

“It’s clearly what brings the show attention, so naturally they’re going to play it up,” Harrison says. “It gets frustrating because you’re always worried that you’re going to be taken advantage of. And you know that there’s a quota about how much sex they need. It’s stupid but you will accidentally overhear, ‘We need more of Justin’s ass in this episode.’”

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Thea Gill: Liberated by Lindsay

In the upcoming season, Thea Gill, who plays Lindsay Peterson on Showtime’s ‘Queer as Folk,’ goes to some extreme measures to woo an artist to her gallery.

Before “The L Word,” Thea Gill and Michelle Clunie were the L Couple. As the lesbians in love on “Queer as Folk,” Gill and Clunie portray one of the few lesbian relationships on regular, episodic television.

For Gill, that has been liberation. The Vancouver-born actress credits “Queer as Folk” for helping her overcome some of her personal and professional insecurities.

“The show has allowed me to open up in a way I’ve never opened up before,” Gill says. “It’s given me a lot of courage to speak my mind.”

“Queer as Folk” has also liberated the actress physically. Although Lindsay and Melanie represent a stable force in “Queer as Folk,” they still get their share of juicy love scenes.

For Gill, getting naked in front of the camera, crew, and a television audience that includes her family, isn’t easy.

“There’s still a great pressure for actors to feel comfortable in front of the camera,” she says. “To expose yourself physically and to show your skin in it’s entirety without any clothing, it’s a pretty intimidating factor. For me, that’s been a big hoop to jump through. It’s actually liberated me physically and I feel better about myself and my body than ever .”

Now that the character has helped liberate the actress, Thea Gill would like to return the favor.

“I would like her to overcome all her complicated insecurities, settle down, finally know what she wants to do with her life,” Gill says. “I want to see her do something she feels passionate about.”


Scott Lowell: Honest portrayal of addiction

Scott Lowell, who plays Ted Schmidt, treads carefully when telling fans that in real life, he’s straight. Not only is he not gay, he says, he is downright melancholy.
Lowell’s honest portrayal of Ted’s plunge into addiction got him nominated for a Prism award, given by the Entertainment Industries Council, which recognizes accurate depictions of drug, alcohol and tobacco use.

Perhaps more than any character on “Queer as Folk,” Ted Schmidt, played by Scott Lowell, has weathered the most ups and downs.
Ted has suffered an accidental drug overdose, a coma, the loss of his online porn empire, and the consequences of a downward spiral into drugs, booze and sex.

“If there’s a wringer to be wrung through, Ted’s been through it,” says Lowell. “I feel honored that the producers have entrusted me with such stuff, especially last season with the drug addiction.”


“It’s such a dangerous problem, especially in the gay community. It’s the people like Ted who fall into it easily: People with self-esteem problems who want to be liked and feel beautiful.”

Lowell understands Ted’s pain. When he lived in Chicago, he felt attractive and did well in the dating scene.

But when he moved to L.A. six years ago, everything changed. In a city of ultra-beautiful and powerful people, Lowell was viewed as a geek, was cast as a geek, and worst of all, began to feel like a geek.

“Los Angeles is like a big gay club,” he says. “It’s a world where youth and beauty and wealth are things that are prized, and if you don’t have those things, you don’t rate.”

Through that experience, he is able to empathize with Ted.

Lowell deals with the question of his orientation as a straight man with humor, by telling people that not only is he not gay, but that he’s downright melancholy.

In addition to giving him a chance to inhabit an interesting character, “Queer as Folk” has brought Lowell a kind of notoriety he says he never dreamed of, including a web site dedicated to him and an annual convention for his fans, called Sco-Lo Con.

Although Lowell is impressed and flattered by the way fans have embraced both him and the show, he is still incredulous over people’s reactions.

“I’m part of this juggernaut, but it’s hard when people are shaking and crying when you meet them,” Lowell says.

@темы: 2004

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'Harrison Gets Wicked in Broadway Debut' (June 2004)

[BloodVessel]

Harrison Gets Wicked in Broadway Debut
Posted by Andrew Gans on playbill.com; June 22, 2004.

Wicked welcomes "Queer as Folk" star Randy Harrison to the land of Oz

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**************

Randy Harrison has spent the past four years starring as young gay artist Justin Taylor on Showtime's hit series, "Queer as Folk." Now, the 27-year-old actor is appearing in another hit, the Stephen Schwartz-Winnie Holzman musical Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.

Through July 25, Harrison can be seen as munchkin Boq, the role created on Broadway by Christopher Fitzgerald, who will return to the part after a stint at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Though Wicked marks Harrison's Broadway debut, the openly gay actor is no stranger to the musical theatre.

A graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music, Harrison has appeared in productions of Grease, Anything Goes and West Side Story and received his Equity card after a production of 1776 at the St. Louis Muny Theatre. Harrison admits, however, that he has purposefully avoided musicals for the past few years. "I was doing so many musicals I got sort of frustrated with [them] and wanted to do something different," Harrison said a week before his Wicked debut. "By the time I graduated [from the Conservatory of Music], I was like, 'I gotta do something different for awhile' because I didn't want to be trapped in musical theatre. But now it's been five years since I've done a musical, and I'm really excited to go back."

Wicked marks Harrison's third New York stage outing. Having made his Off-Broadway debut in the MCC production of A Letter from Ethel Kennedy, he was also a part of Sophie Rand's dark comedy Deviant at the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival. Replacing an actor in a big Broadway musical, however, poses its own set of challenges. Unlike the four-to-six-week rehearsal period that actors enjoy before a show opens, replacement actors have comparatively little time to shape their performance. "I think I'll go in having had about six or seven rehearsals [plus] watching the show a lot," said Harrison. "It's plenty of time to learn it, though, at least for this part. I know where I stand and where I go and when I say what I say, but I'll never really have the opportunity to work with the people I'm going to be onstage with until I'm onstage with them."

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When asked whether his "Queer as Folk" co-stars would catch his Wicked run, Harrison said, "If they're in town, I'm sure they'd come see me, [but] they're all L.A.-based." The Showtime series, Harrison added, "has been such a great opportunity. I love all the people I work with." There has been talk that the ground-breaking series will end its run after its fifth season next year. Should that be the case, Harrison would like the ending to "be very melodramatic — maybe I could die in a traumatic accident or get hit by a truck. But I have ridiculous aspirations for the show."

As for his plans post-"Queer as Folk," the young actor said, "I'd like to come back to New York, continue doing theatre and film. I just like to work. I love acting, so I'm always happy when I have a job."

Wicked plays the Gershwin Theatre, 222 West 51st Street; call [phone] for tickets.

@темы: wicked, theatre, 2004

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Lumino (June 2004)

[moveforever]

Lumino [volume1, issue 5, June 2004]

P1. Randy Harrison: "Don't call him Justin"
By ANN FINSTAD

P2. Randy Harrison: one of the folks at home
By LUKAS SZYMANEK



www.luminomagazine.com/2004.06/spotlight/harris...

Photo courtesy of Norman Jean Roy/Showtime



Randy Harrison: "Don't call him Justin"

By ANN FINSTAD

As Justin Taylor on "Queer as Folk," Randy Harrison has come a long way in three-plus seasons. Once a naive 17-year-old who, when asked if he liked the drug Special K replied "I like Cheerios better," Justin has become the King of Babylon, a survivor of a violent gay-bashing incident, a successful comic book artist, and, most recently, a member of a gay vigilante group – as well as winning over the "heartless" Brian Kinney to boot.

But don’t confuse Harrison with the character he plays on TV. During a recent conversation, he’s quick to point out that although he and Justin might look alike, that’s where the similarities end. "I think that when he was younger he was more similar to maybe what I was when I was that age. But, you know we sort of have grown up in really different directions … it’s harder for me to relate to him now than it ever has been. I mean it’s more of a stretch."

"I like that he’s more different from me now. I find it interesting. I find it kind of interesting to start playing someone that has sort of grown into someone that you probably wouldn’t hang out with in real life, or have that much interest in talking to … " he trails off with a laugh.

Those are strong words regarding a character that’s brought Harrison much notoriety and acclaim since "Queer as Folk" premiered. As an openly gay cast member of show that’s often heralded as the groundbreaking forerunner to the current glut of mainstream programming featuring homosexuals, I ask Harrison what it’s like to have been a part of that for almost four years.

"I’m glad that one of the first major things I did, as far as job-wise, was something that does have some social relevance … and I felt like that when I started doing 'Queer as Folk.' I was aware of it, that we were pushing boundaries, and we were the first of a lot of things. And it felt good to know that."

"But we’ve done that," Harrison says. "And we did it four years ago. It all kind of seems like a fad a little bit. And as much as people believe it’s progress, it doesn’t seem like it is really."

"I mean, I think the most important thing is it at least created a sort of a dialogue for people to talk about gay rights and talk about homosexuality," Harrison says. "And I think it probably is at this point a little bit easier for teenagers to come out and for people who are in positions where they’re tortured by their identity to [cope] a little better."

"But as far as what it’s done for the gay community, you know, that’s already out, and active," Harrison says. "I don’t know that there’s necessarily been progress. I feel like there’s a backlash already, a little bit. I feel like it’s as limiting in what people expect of you as a homosexual, or what they think you are like. We sort of define ourselves in a way, by these representations of a really small aspect of what we are in the community."

But despite the faddish nature of the media explosion, Harrison concedes that it has resulted in an overall positive outcome, even if it falls short in some ways.

"It’s just hard because I’m more interested in laws actually changing, and the true perception, the American perception of what we are actually changing, and I don’t really see that happening. I mean, we’re still pushing. But I feel like the whole aspect of civil rights, it’s totally independent of a television set."

When it comes to talking about infamous sex scenes and nudity that "Queer as Folk" features on a weekly basis, Harrison sounds weary, like he’s tired of answering the question. I can’t blame him if he is – but we are a culture obsessed with sex, as he’s quick to point out, so there’s no skirting the issue.

"It’s funny because everyone wants to talk about [the scenes]. People like to latch onto sex for some reason still, and get sort of obsessive about the naked body. It’s funny because when you watch it, just the fact that it’s two people who appear to be naked – even though we’re not – in proximity to each other, an amount of intimacy comes across that oftentimes just really isn’t there. It’s totally technical. But people see two things and they create that in their minds. You know, you can’t see two naked people together that close and not assume a sort of intimacy."

And what does he think of the infatuation that people, especially straight women, have with the Brian and Justin relationship?

"I find it sort of mildly amusing. It just seems kind of strange, I’m not really a television person, so whenever people get sort of obsessive relationships about television characters I find it sort of bizarre."

As one of those people (with the memory of my latest "TV boyfriend" fresh on my mind), I laugh nervously as he continues. "It’s really sweet and it’s nice that for whatever reason the story line and our work [are] so compelling."

During the six months of the year while he’s not filming "Queer as Folk," Harrison spends time auditioning, doing theater, and catching up with friends and family, as well as taking classes part time at Columbia University. When I ask what he studies, he says his interests lie in English Literature and other artistic classes – but "not acting [classes]."

As our conversation continues, I get the impression that Harrison is ready to move on to the next phase in his life, where the issue isn’t how many times his butt has been on television or whether or not Justin and Brian will ever fully commit to each other.

Harrison’s true enthusiasm seems to lie with the work he’s producing outside of "Queer as Folk."

He makes no secret that he’s tired of dressing up and making the promotional rounds for the show and prefers working in theater over television. He talks more willingly about his own interests than the events that occur when he’s Justin Taylor, at one point even saying "It feels strange to be talking about [Justin] because he’s not a real person."

As evidence of his emphatic non-Justin-ism, Harrison shares that unlike his character, he has no talent as an artist, but his creativity does express itself in other ways. "I write. But I’ve never been happy enough to let other people read what I write. I’ve never had the focus and the attention span to write a novel. I think I wrote like a 120 page mini-novel when I was like, 15, and that was the longest thing I’ve ever written and it was terrible. I write short plays and short movies that I shoot with my digital camera with my friends."

And when he thinks of the future, when Justin is just a tiny speck in his rearview mirror?

"I’ll keep acting, you know. I’ll definitely keep doing theater. I’d love to break into film. I’m making small films with my friends now, and after five years of doing that, it could become bigger films. I’d love to start a theater company [with a group of friends] … I’ll just keep acting. I don’t know exactly what the opportunities that will present themselves to me are, I know I’m creating a lot of my own work and that’ll definitely get bigger and more exciting and maybe one day even scrounge me up some money."

He laughs, possibly aware that this sounds strange, and amends himself to say that he’d like to make money on work he’s created on his own, not just by playing someone else’s character.

With the fifth season of "Queer as Folk" just announced, Justin Taylor isn’t quite out of the picture for Randy Harrison yet. But at least Harrison is excited about his many prospects for the future.




Randy Harrison: one of the folks at home

By LUKAS SZYMANEK

"It was said that he was gay in real life." I am quoting from a certain Internet biography of "Queer as Folk" star Randy Harrison. This is the opening paragraph; one sentence. In the next one we learn the year of his birth and of his professional acting experience.

It is a relatively long second paragraph, the last one in fact. In the margin, there’s a photograph of Harrison in a tight see-through T-shirt, and sparkles around his head. An idol for the gay community is born, one who is gay in his private life as well. Just like his TV character Justin is on-screen. One goes so well with the other.

Though I wanted to, I did not ask Harrison to comment on his homosexuality. I think the closest I came was when I referred to Gale Harold’s Brian as a "hunk" while talking about his and Justin’s troubled relationship. I needed to take homosexuality out of any personal territory.

I can definitely see the appeal; sunny blonde highlights, eternally boyish facial features (those lips!, those cheekbones!), a slim, slightly-toned body, and not a hair on his delicate skin. But even the paltry Internet biography tells me there’s more to Harrison than his metrosexual features. And my gay friends are already willing to sell themselves into my slavery to get his phone number.

But I read further, refusing to be a gay man who stops at the first paragraph.

I much prefer the description "veteran of the stage." You must not have been wasting time cruising buff men in gay bars if you’re proclaimed that at age 27. The truth is Harrison has been acting since early in his life. He graduated with a BFA in Theater from the Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music. He’s been in various stage productions from Shakespeare’s "Midsummer Night Dream" to "Shopping and Fucking." TV might not seem like the proper progression of an actor’s career in terms of creative ambition, but it certainly is an offer one definitely finds hard to refuse.

"Theater actors know you don’t make money on stage," Harrison admits, "I was excited about coming to TV. I feel more financially secure now."

He tries to continue doing stage work, but finds his theater career "always on halt, when you have to go to Toronto [for the "Queer as Folk" shoot].

Not that he’s under-appreciative or resentful of his television work. "It is not nearly as satisfying, but the process is just as exhausting," Harrison says. "And I love the group of people I work with."

But still, television equals quality murder, right? Well, Justin Taylor is not your typical, fake ID-possessing, man-obsessed twink. He’s a fighter and a survivor. He’s an artist.

During the first season on "Queer As Folk" we watched him win over the heart of sex god Brian Kinney ,and display great amounts of courage and confidence. Harrison has given the character not only his irresistible innocent looks, but also great charisma and sensibility that transcend his actions.

In the course of three seasons, Justin was gay-bashed at his prom, clashed with his mother over sexuality, struggled to stay in school, upheld his drawing talent and creativity, and soldiered through a grueling relationship with the older and emotionally arrested Brian with great naivety and even greater persistence.

Dare I call Justin a gay teenage role model?

"There is a lot to be learned from Justin," Harrison says, "There’s something really powerful and significant about his coming out process."

Harrison, however, cannot help but judge Justin for getting sidetracked and lost as of late. "He is 22 and finds himself stuck in the club culture. He dropped out of college and doesn’t pursue a career."

Harrison tells me that this season there will be much more drama when it comes to Justin, especially involving a story line in which his friend gets bashed but doesn’t want to press charges. Harrison says Justin becomes a vigilante. "It is a wonderfully absurd but pretty radical and interesting story line that a lot of people can relate to."
As for his love affair with Brian, Harrison remains skeptical. It was always pretty evident that Brian, throughout the relationship, needed Justin more than Justin needed him. Even though Brian financially supported the young student for a short while, emotionally, the ball was always in Justin’s court.

"I think they’re not meant to be together. There is the age difference for starters," Harrison says. "Everything that Justin and Brian have created looks a bit juvenile now, and Justin realizes that."

That's a pretty tough hit to the fans, many of who look at Justin and Brian as the gay Ross and Rachel.

"They were a central couple in the beginning," Harrison says. "But now the focus shifted towards Michael and his relationship." The "Friends" simile may not be totally out of line though. This season the couple is back together yet again.

As for Harrison, he just completed a DVD promo tour in February, and new season parties in Miami and New York. He is now done with his share of promotional obligations, and is happy to relax in his New York City home.

"It is beautiful here now. I’m beginning to defragment," he says, "I am ready to jump into my new life."

Making out with Gale Harold on a regular basis is too exhausting? I bite my tongue not to ask the question.

@темы: 2004

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TV Guide (dec 2000)

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TV Guide [Dec 2-8, 2000]













сканы scans.qafscans.com/

@темы: TV Guide, 2000

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Vanity Fair, GAY-PER-VIEW TV (Dec 2003)

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GAY-PER-VIEW TV, Vanity Fair [Dec 3, 2003]
Photographed by Mark Seliger
September 18, 2003

read more

GAY-PER-VIEW TV
WITH WILL & GRACE, QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY, AND BOY MEETS BOY, PRIME TIME HAS COME OUT. NED ZEMAN SURFS GAY TV'S CLOSET HISTORY, POWER TALENT, AND TABOOS

In this year of Gay TV, with at least nine gay-centric shows in prime time, the real question is: Which show is the gayest? Is it the obvious choice, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? Or is it that old standard-bearer, Will & Grace? For our money, though, TV's gayest show is, and always has been, Friends. Since its premiere, in 1994, the hugely popular sitcom put a face on the love that dares not speak its name, starring those three lovably wisecracking girly-boys, Chandler, Ross, and Joey, who favor pastel neckties, sweater-vests, and hair products, and who spend their days lounging around a coffee bar, sharing muffins and lattes with the gals.
That only the Friends themselves seem unaware of their obvious gayness says a little about them and a lot about the state of prime-time television, which is so stepped in gayness even the straight guys could go either way. This year's schedule includes NBC's Will & Grace; Bravo's two "reality" hits, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (starring those fab-five fashionistas) and Boy Meets Boy (The Bachelor with better lighting concepts) and Showtime's Queer as Folk, whose raw look at the dating rituals of gay men has spawned a lesbian counterpart, The L Word, which premieres next month.
That's not including all the semi-gay shows, which range from HBO's Six Feet Under (gay mortician, gay cop, gay artists) and Sex and the City (straight guys = bad, gay guys = good) to MTV's The Real World, whose ever changing cast always includes at least one gay, lesbian, and/or bisexual, as well as one unreconstructed heterosexual who learns to love flat-front khakis. And then there's ABC's It's All Relative, a sitcom which, although it features a gay couple, is so not gay; it's just marketed as suck. Imagine that: a network consciously trying to "gay up" the product for the masses. Why else would NBC have hired the ebullient Steven Cojocaru as Today's style and all-around-fabulousness correspondent? Ten years ago, America woke up to Willard Scott's forecast; not it awakens to a pair of flaming-red leather pants.

Not that there's anything wrong with that; it's all just a bit overwhelming, considering the history of Gay TV, which until recently could be written on the head of a pin. By which we mean the "official" history, in which gay characters and themes were actually identified s gay characters and gay themes (as opposed to "paleontologists" and "a celebration of friendship set in a Greenwich Village coffee shop"). The first time the word "homosexuals" was heard on TV, which was during a 1954 Los Angeles talk show, it was followed by the words " and the problems they present," according to The Prime-Time Closet, a 2002 book by TV historian Stephen Tropiano. The h-word resurfaced, in 1973, when Marcus Welby, M.D., treated a man with the "illness," and when retirement-home residents were butchered by bloody lesbians on Police Woman.

But Gay TV's unofficial history-that's another story, one that pre-dates even The Andy Griffith Show, which gave us Don Knott's fey Barney Fife and Jack Dodson's Howard Sprague, that lovable "confirmed bachelor." That epithet could also have been bestowed upon The Beverly Hillbillies' supercilious banker, Mr. Drysdale (not to mention his tightly wound, butch, suit-wearing assistant, Jane Hathaway, played by Nancy Kulp), and should have described every male castaway on Gilligan's Island: Gilligan (girly-boy, platonic adoration for actresses, musicals), the Skipper (a "bear," in current gay argot), the Professor (fastidious, indifferent to horny babes), and Thurston Howell III (ascots, swishing). During this era a rel, live confirmed bachelor--Paul Lynde--was in plain, screaming sight as the center square of The Hollywood Squares.
See also: Felix Unger (The Odd Couple). See also: Jan Brady (The Brady Bunch). See also: Eddie Munster (The Munsters). Mostly though, see Batman. Replete with cape, tights that showcased interesting bulges, and the Caped Crusader's doe-eyed little buddy, Robin, Batman was a festival of unconsummated man-love. Although willfully ironic, the show's homoeroticism grew so fraught, and the Dynamic Duo was spending so much time together in the Bat Cave, that the producers decided to send in a new character, Batgirl, who promptly became the loneliest woman in Gotham City.
Only in the late 70s did gay characters stop barking at fire hydrants and bludgeoning the elderly. Here we recall Archie Bunker's gay drinking buddy, Steve, and Billy Crystal's gay quarterback on Soap, albeit with mixed emotions. Jodie Dallas--the Billy Crystal character--spent most of his screen time dreaming and scheming about a sex-change operation. The 80s and early 90s brought little relief from stereotypes, but much hand-wringing from the family-values crowd, usually because of gay kisses--on Thirtysomething and Melrose Place--that ultimately never aired. Even after Ellen finally came out, in 1997, we never saw her actually being a lesbian, literally speaking.
Although Will & Grace certainly validated and commercialized gay chic, the legwork was done by the less risk-averse, cable networks--specifically HBO, MTV, and Showtime, which have routinely produced gay characters (Sex and the City's fictive Stanford Blatch; The Real World's nonfictive Pedro Zamora and Danny Roberts, among others; many, many characters indulging in explicit gay canoodling on Undressed, all of which appealed to that most coveted demographic--the 18-to24s). Credit also goes to England's Channel 4, whose original Queer as Folk series, which premiered in 1996, spawned the American version. Still, few would have predicted that straight men across America would favor five take-no-prisoner stylists over JAG.

Former talent agent Michael Ovitz, it turns out, was wrong only in degree. There is a "gay mafia" in Hollywood; it doesn't exist to foil embittered, old heterosexuals, though. Anyone who disputes the existence of a gay mafia obviously wasn't invited to the annual guy-centric Valentine's Day party thrown by producers Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek) and Dan Jinks (American Beauty). In TV, especially, many or most of today's best producers happen to be gay: Williamson, Darren Star (Sex and the City), Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), and David Crane (Friends). That all of these producers have fostered gay material is as understandable as it is vital. Collectively, and despite their liberal bona fides, TB's Big Three straight guys--John Wells, Aaron Sorkin, and David E. Kelley--currently offer only one gay series regular, ER's Dr. Weaver, who "became" a lesbian only after six straight seasons, as it were.
For all its progress and self-congratulation, Gay TV remains a muddle of contradictions. While Grace has banged every stud in town, rarely do we see Will's boyfriends, who don't seem to be so keen on the whole touching thing. (Maybe they know that Eric McCormack, in the grand tradition of straight actors playing gay guys, is always giving interviews about his wife and kids.) Notwithstanding their incessant sex patter, neither Will nor his mincing sidekick, Jack, ever seems to get any. Of all the gay fashionistas in New York, why did Queer Eye for the Straight Guy select one (the ubiquitous Carson Kressley) whose "taste" suggests Barbara Mandrell at the Sands circa 1972? And given the multitude of Bachelors and Bachelorettes who get it on in the hot tub each week, why were the Boy Meets Boy contestants contractually forbidden to do the same? And why was James, the grand-prize hunk on that series, shown mostly embracing Andra, his female best friend? (And since we're asking, why was Dani Behr, the obviously Aussie female host, always referring to the contestants as "mates" and their dormitory as the "mates' house" if nobody was doing any mating?) Twenty years from now, will we look back on this period as we now look at, say, Good Times and The Jeffersons, with their Jive Talkers and Sassy Black Maids?

But maybe we're making too much of the whole Gay TV thing. Let's just sit back and enjoy America's favorite night of comedy, NBC's "Must-See-TV Thursday":
8:00 P.M., Friends: In the opening scene, a visibly excited Chandler allows Joey to caress his thigh. Later, Joey is unable to seal the deal with Rachel, who compounds his impotence via a kick in the testicles. Meanwhile, Ross visits a spray-tanning salon.
8:30, Scrubs: In the opening scene, our randy male doctors make six homoerotic jokes, then spend the rest of the episode wondering whether a night out together constitutes a "man-date"--that is, when they're not tending to their patient, a gay man plenty healthy enough to suggest a little "man-on-man action."
9:00, Will & Grace: In the opening scene, while ironing flat-front khakis, Will asks himself, "What is it about putting metal to cotton that makes me feel like a man?" Cue Jack, who flits in on tiptoe, ballerina-style. In his underpants.
9:30, Coupling: During a funeral, the three female leads taunt the three males--"Don't we make a lovely threesome?" After alluding to the "lesbian thing," one of the women says, "I would definitely sleep with her." Later, two of the men hold hands.
The evening ends with two commercials. The first features male models strutting to the altered lyrics of the Frank Loesser showstopper "Standing on the Corner, Watching all the Guys Go By." The product? Old Navy jeans. The second commercial promotes tomorrow night's "Fabulous Friday," which thanks to NBC's partnership with Bravo, features Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
Gay TV is here, and the revolution will be televised.


Photographed by Mark Seliger
September 18, 2003
















в большом размере gallery.kinnetiks.net/thumbnails.php?album=865

@темы: 2003

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The boys are back in town, TV Guide (March 2003)

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The boys are back in town, TV Guide [March 8-14, 2003]


















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@темы: 2003

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Randy Gets Real, The Advocate (Sept. 2002)

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Randy Gets Real by Eric Meers, The Advocate [September 17, 2002]



перевод! queerasfolk-rus.livejournal.com/91998.html

"Out actor Randy Harrison talks about freeing himself from Justin, playing a gun-toting straight teen in an upcoming Showtime movie, and preparing for life after Queer as Folk." By Erik Meers

You might never notice him on the street, and Randy Harrison likes it that way. Walking into a restaurant for an interview, Harrison is camouflaged with glasses and a baseball cap. Once seated safely at a discreet table, the specs and hat come off, and there it is: his signature mop of fair hair. It seems the 24-year-old actor is having a bit of an identity crisis these days and wants to talk about it.

The crux of his concern is Justin Taylor, his Queer as Folk alter ego. While he remains devoted to his costars and to the show, Harrison is also striving to build a professional profile separate from the series. At heart a stage actor, he spent May in an off-Broadway production of A Letter to Ethel Kennedy (as a straight waiter) and appeared onstage this summer in New York's Fringe Festival. This fall he'll make another important step away from QAF with a Showtime movie about high-school bullying and Columbine-like violence. In Bang Bang You're Dead, Harrison plays Sean, the outcast students' ringleader, whose response to harassment couldn't be more different from Justin's.

Not that Harrison fails to acknowledge what a boon Justin has been to his career. Just after earning his theater degree at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, the young actor catapulted to fame in late 2000 with Queer as Folk's much-heralded debut on Showtime. Playing the nubile Justin, the 17-year-old trick who wouldn't leave 29-year-old Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) alone, Harrison seemed to represent the idealistic youth in search of true love that so many gays, lesbians, and, yes, straights could identify with. But such innocence was bound to be spoiled by the bed-hopping, drug-snorting boys who surround QAF's core group of gay pals, and in the space of two seasons Justin has dabbled in casual sex, substance abuse, go-go dancing, and even sex for pay.

Like Justin, Randy has grown up considerably after spending two years as the youngest out actor on TV. While his cherubic face is as boyish as ever, it is an older and warier Harrison who spoke with The Advocate about life before and after Queer as Folk.


Q: It seems the role in Bang Bang You're Dead is a departure for you because you're playing a straight character.

R: I think it's great, [but] it's upsetting that it is such a big deal. I wish it weren't an issue all the time. It's funny that people say it's a departure, because I've been acting since I was a child. I've played three gay roles out of hundreds.


Q: Did you have any trepidation about playing such a heavy?

R: No, it's the type of thing I'm drawn to. I didn't even audition. The director [Guy Ferland] wanted me for the part, and I read the sсript and called them back [and said yes]. I was happy that they offered it to me. I thought it was different.


Q: Do you worry that since people identify you so much with Justin, it will be difficult to get other work?

R: I know that I'm capable as an actor. I'm tired of being solely being "Queer as Folk's Randy Harrison." Unfortunately, you can't be anything else until you get other work out there. [But] it has also opened up so many opportunities for me that, I can't really complain too much.


Q: What was your reaction when you first picked up the QAF sсript?

R: I had actually read about the British show and the character of [Nathan]. And I said, "They should do an American version. I'd be perfect for that." This was one of the scripts that I felt, I should do this part. It's so obvious.


Q: Did you ever hesitate to take the part and be openly gay as well? Did you ever think to yourself, Most actors are in the closet?

R: No, I never hesitated once. I still aspire to a theater career. The amount of celebrity that I have now seems like a fluke to me. So I never felt a need to manipulate my career from the outside--try to be someone I wasn't to get ahead.


Q: There's a big difference between stage actors and Hollywood actors. There are many famous out Broadway people, whereas most Hollywood actors feel the need to be closeted.

R: Absolutely. I don't know what it is. I just don't think that I could be the kind of actor I want to be and not be honest with myself. Honesty is very important to me as an actor and as a person. I didn't even think about it. I don't want to be Tom Cruise. I'm not after some movie blockbuster career. That's not the kind of work I'm interested in. And frankly, it's not the kind of work I'm ever going to get.


Q: Band Bang You're Dead was an interesting choice for you in part because bullying is such a huge issue for gay youth. Did you experience that when you were in high school?

R: Absolutely, yeah. Mostly when I was younger. The typical kind of thing.


Q: Anything specific you remember?

R: I can, but I don't like talking about it. By the time I came out, that kind of stopped it. The bullying stopped when I claimed myself and proved that I wasn't afraid. A lot of it was when I was hiding when I was younger.


Q: Did you witness any school violence?

R: A kid brought in a BB gun and shot another kid. He was expelled. And someone got expelled for blowing up mailboxes.


Q: So this story rang true to you?

R: It did. I could definitely empathize with the character, with the feelings of helplessness--if only the desperation and the feeling of isolation.


Q: You grew up in Georgia, right?

R: I was born in New Hampshire, and I moved to Georgia when I was 11.


Q: Was that a huge cultural shift?

R: Oh, yeah. I'm definitely a Yankee, a New Englander at heart. Both my parents are Southerners, so they always wanted to go back to the South. I was always the shame of the family--the one Yankee who was actually born in the North.


Q: Where did you live in Georgia?

R: Alpharetta. It's a northern suburb of Atlanta, a 45-minute trip outside the city. Very conservative.


Q: When did you start understanding that you might be gay?

R: I guess I had a suspicion of it my entire life without knowing exactly what it was--knowing that there was something different about me, which I attributed to being an artist. At 11 or 12 I started sort of clarifying for myself. It took a while.


Q: When did you tell your parents?

R: When I had to. I mean, I love my parents. Coming out to them was sort of coming out to myself. I educated them, and I wanted our relationship to keep growing. I wanted them to be a part of my life still. I wanted to be able to share with them what I was going through.


Q: Was this because of being bullied?

R: No, I wasn't being bullied at school at this point. I had a group of friends, and I was isolated because I wasn't communicating with my parents. I wasn't telling them what I was going through.


Q: What was your parents' reaction?

R: Positive. Dad said that he was prouder of me than he'd ever been when I came out.


Q: What was the reaction at school?

R: I just told my friends. At that point I was pretty much out anyway. It was not a big deal.


Q: Were you able to date?

R: No, I wasn't dating anyone. I was hyper-focused on acting. So I didn't bring a guy to the prom. I was the lone gay person as far as I knew.


Q: Did you date in college in Cincinnati?

R: Yeah, yeah. It was fine. It wasn't a big deal. I didn't freak out about it. I was beyond the novelty of homosexuality. I just dated the people I liked. Mostly I was concentrating on acting, fighting to do what I wanted to do careerwise.


Q: Tell me about how you got involved in performing.

R: I started performing when I was a kid. I don't remember myself not being an actor. When I was 4 my parents couldn't get a baby-sitter for me when they were going to see a performance of Peter Pan. I was fascinated by the whole thing. After I saw Peter Pan I started auditioning for community theater. I acted all through my childhood. I went to Stagedoor Manor, this big Broadway kids' camp, when I was 9 and 11. I've done two plays a year since I was 6 until I got [Queer as Folk]


Q: When you moved to New York in 2000, did you have an agent?

R: I had been doing summer stock every summer while I was in college. We did a showcase, like most good conservatories do--monologues and things that agents and casting directors come to see. From that I got an agent.


Q: But you were in New York for a very short time before Queer as Folk.

R: A month and a half. I already had a summer job in a play in St. Louis. Right before I left for St. Louis I got the audition for the show and then a callback. So I was late getting to St. Louis. I had a day of rehearsal, and I got another callback, and they flew me to L.A. After the second call-back and third audition, I knew I had gotten the part. I went back to St. Louis and then back to Atlanta to drop off my stuff before I flew to Toronto to start filming.


Q: Tell me about filming that first scene of the series--the one that everyone always talks about, when Justin is having sex for the first time.

R: I've done sexual stuff before--onstage, which is even more emotionally difficult. With a [TV] crew around, you are stopping and starting; it becomes really technical.


Q: It's not erotic at all.

R: No. When you watch it, you're like, Wow. I look like that. But it doesn't feel like that at all. It was about communicating with Gale [Harold] and getting across what I wanted to say about the character.


Q: Do you ever get a sсript and say, "That doesn't ring true to my experience?"

R: The whole character of Justin and the club life he lives--I have no experience with it. It's really foreign to me, which is annoying, but that's just how it is.


Q: How do you feel about your fans?

R: It makes me really happy. There are some crazy ones. I think the gay community is split: They either love [the show] or love to hate it. For me it's always the middle-aged women and teenage girls. It's nice to see that people in Middle America are really affected.


Q: I imagine you must get a lot of mail from at-risk gay teens.

R: I do. I usually just write back and say, "Thank you." The stuff I get is not that severe like, "I'm going to kill myself." I do get a sense that seeing Justin can be a great comfort to a lot of people. They feel that they can stand up for what they feel and who they love.


Q: Are there things that you can't do anymore because of your fame?

R: I can't walk down the street with my head up. I'm not a hat wearer, but now I'm a hat wearer. I don't want to be the center of attention. My posture has changed. I walk with my head down and shoulders slumped. Suddenly I carry myself as if I'm ashamed of something.


Q: Any unpleasant fan experiences?

R: Rarely, but it happens. It always weirds me out and makes me unhappy that some people think I'm Justin. I'm not. People can be talking to me and I know they think they are talking to Justin. It's hard to explain. It's a really subtle kind of thing. It makes me feel like Randy Harrison is not a human being to them.


Q: Yet to many people, you're the face of young gay America. And you're certainly one of youngest out actors to appear on The Advocate's cover.

R: It makes me proud, and it makes me scared. More than anything, I want to be an actor and I want to keep working, and I think there's a danger in being perceived as a poster boy for something. While it's great to be an out actor, I never really had any goals of activism. All my goals are as an actor--to do different kinds of work. It's ironic too. Besides the fact that I sleep with men, I have very little sense of being part of the community of homosexual people, for whatever reason. I have a group of six friends, two of whom are gay. I associate the gay community with a subset of the gay community that I'm not a part of.


Q: You mean the subset that's represented on Queer as Folk.

R: Yeah.


Q: And you don't identify with that set.

R: I'm just not one. It's a clique that I've never been a part of. It's not like I identify them in a negative way. A lot of my friends are club people [laughs]. It's not me. It's funny to represent that, because it's not me. I don't fit into a gay club setting. It's just ironic that I represent that somehow.


Q: So what do you feel when you see friends living out some of the issues your character is dealing with in the show--the drug use, casual sex?

R: I hope that they are finding satisfaction. I'm in no way making a judgment. I know it doesn't make me happy. [But] I wonder what kind of lives they will have built for themselves when they turn 45 and can't really have any connection with people because they are so used to fleeting sexual ... I don't know, I don't know.


Q: Do you think that the show is working toward an answer to that question?

R: I can't speak on behalf of the show. I'm not a creator; I'm just a pawn. I think the sense of community that exists with all the characters--that's the answer. The fact that they have found a family in their friends. It does give some depth and meaning to their lives. I don't know for Justin; he's always looking for meaning out of his relationships with people. I don't think he's as trapped into the drug thing as a lot of the others are.


Q: Knowing what you know now, what would you advise your closeted actor friends?

R: I actually have more respect for people who are in the closet. You end up exposing so much of yourself because you have to talk about your sexual life. You shouldn't have to talk about it. I don't like people who lie. But if you don't talk about it, it's like you're too pussy to talk about it, which I didn't want to be. I would say, "Do it quickly and quietly at the beginning of your career."


Q: I've read that you have been dating someone for three years.

R: I was. I'm not anymore. That ended a while ago.


Q: Are you dating someone now?

R: I'm not going to talk about it.


Q: You've got two more years left on your Queer as Folk contract. Would you sign on for more?

R: No. Not because I don't love the show; I want it to end and start building a career outside the show.


Q: What do you see yourself doing after Queer as Folk?

R: I'm confident in my ability to maintain a career. I don't know if it will be doing either independent films or plays in New England. I sort have this image of myself sort of disappearing for a while and reemerging five to 10 years down the road again. We'll see.

@темы: 2002

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Transcript from Showtime Livechat with Randy Harrison (Jan 2002)

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Transcript from Showtime Livechat with Randy Harrison [January 20, 2002]
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Moderator1 Welcome everyone! Thanks for signing on for our chat with Randy Harrison who plays "Justin" on Queer As Folk. Randy, a veteran of the stage, has been acting since the age of seven. He received his BFA in Theatre from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Randy has also appeared professionally in various theaters throughout the U.S. Some of his favorite performances have been in productions of "Violet," "1776" and "West Side Story." Randy made his television debut in Showtime's Queer As Folk. He will also be seen in the upcoming Showtime Original Picture "Bang Bang You're Dead." Welcome back to our QAF chats for a third time, Randy. Let's get started and talk about the third episode of season two!
Randy_Harrison :Thank you everyone for coming out to talk to me tonight. I hope you enjoy the episode.

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CalystaRose: How did it feel this season, when you began shooting, vs the first season? More comfortable, less stressful, etc?
Randy_Harrison: Second season has been completely different. More comfortable, slightly more laid back, but there's a bit more expectation on the show because of the success last year. Overall though, it's great to be back and working on new scripts and working again with people I really enjoyed working with last year.

Baltimore: Your performance the past few episodes has been compelling. How did you prepare yourself for playing someone traumatized like that?
Randy_Harrison: Fortunately, the writers and executive producers helped me out in obtaining research on post traumatic stress disorder. Also, I was able to work with a physiotherapist, figuring out exactly how Justin's brain injury would affect his movement.

sugarmaude: I'm curious to know if you and the other cast members spend time together outside of work? You all seem to have a great onscreen chemistry
Randy_Harrison: Yes we do spend time together outside of work. I think our relationships outside of work has greatly fueled the chemistry together onscreen.

ShawnTCC: Randy, Hello from Florida. My question is how do you think Justin has Grown and where would you like to see him go by the end of this season?
Randy_Harrison: I think Justin has grown tremendously over the last season and the trauma that he experienced at the end of last season ... definitely shaped him signficantly for this season. I look forward to watching Justin become more independent, more self-confident and continue to pursue his goals.

allison: Hey Randy, it's great to have the show back! Congratulations on your new movie, "Bang, Bang, You're Dead!" Just curious to know how the experience of filming the movie differed from shooting the show?
Randy_Harrison: Filming the movie was an amazing and completely different experience. The movie was shot in 20 days and I played a different character and a completely different style of film. So it was a great complement to the work I do on the show and equally satisfying.

BryanBenoit: Randy, are you guys filming now for next season? if not when do you start? and also are you planning on doing any other acting, films etc?
Randy_Harrison: No, we are still finishing up season 2. We are on episode 13. Yes, I really hope to continue doing different kinds of film work.

Bill10023: What was your reaction the first time you saw yourself on a billboard?
Randy_Harrison: I was embarrassed.

Scott6753: Randy, do you have any movie projects coming up?
Randy_Harrison: I'm working on it!

Y_von_E: Do you really know how to draw?
Randy_Harrison: No, I don't know how to draw. It's acting combined with someone from the art department's hand.

Fauna: Randy, the show is fabulous--I love the relationships/friendships that you all portray! Has the success of the show encouraged you to look at other projects i.e. movies?
Randy_Harrison: I'm always looking forward to another projects and a different role to play.

palmdalecutie22: How did your career get started?
Randy_Harrison: I've been acting since I was a child. It's all I've ever wanted to do and pretty much all I've ever done. I've been doing professional theatre for about 5 years and QAF was my first break into TV.

nora: Will you be at the DVD signing in Toronto?
Randy_Harrison: Yes I will.

AshleyS: Randy, What was your favorite episode to film so far?
Randy_Harrison: My favorite episode to film was for the 1st season ... the last episode. The second season was episode 5.

medicjoy: Hello from Alabama, what did you first think when you were approached about playing the part of Justin, was it hard to accept such a role, after all this is not a typical prime time show.....
Randy_Harrison: Absolutely not. I was thrilled at the opportunity of being a part of something different.

Christina_Marie: Can we expect to ever see you on stage performing in NYC?
Randy_Harrison: I hope so!

blueslady: what acting parts do you like the most? drama, comedy, etc?
Randy_Harrison: I definitely have a propensity for dramatic roles, although as an actor, I'm always looking to challenge and stretch myself. I would love to do classical theatre again. I would love to do comedy. I'm just looking forward to an eclectic career.

Jko108: Hey Randy...here is a question from Philly...If you could not be an actor, what other occupation would you find yourself doing?
Randy_Harrison: If I weren't an actor, I'd be dead!

KellyMike: Hey Randy! Do you think the success of the show will lead to type-casting you in gay roles in the future? How do you think you might overcome that as an actor?
Randy_Harrison: I'm sure I will have a lot of things to fight against. I think the only way I can overcome it is by always being the best actor I am capable of being.

SilverBullet19: Randy: What other actors do you look up to?
Randy_Harrison: There are so many actors that I admire and learn from watching. My favorites are Derek Jacobi, Sean Penn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lili Taylor ... the list goes on and on. I feel as a young actor I have a significant amount of gratitude for other actors and their work.

Lilly Hi from Texas:, Randy what is it like working with Gale Harold?
Randy_Harrison: It's great!

chillin: Hey Randy. What is your average work load / filming schedule like?
Randy_Harrison: It totally depends on the episode. The episodes I'm heavily feature in, I can work 16 hours, 5 days a week sometimes. But the episodes I'm not in as much, I can have 4 days off.

kbfan: I've found the work you've done so far in Season 2 to be very impressive, is it more challenging for you as an actor to play Justin this year?
Randy_Harrison: First of all, thank you. I definitely find it more challenging this year. Justin has more difficult story lines and series TV provides pitfalls in the monotony of the work ... keeping it fresh, keeping yourself motivated. It eventually becomes second nature.

SteveB_Ohio: Greetings, Randy... I wanted to say how impressed I am at the calibur of acting you bring to the show. How do you portray the character so naturally?
Randy_Harrison: Thank you so much! That's a difficult question to answer. I just try to rely on the text and the other actors in the scene and the things that I feel I have established about the character.

QAFQueen4E: Randy, are there any real comedians on the set? From the out-takes on the season one tapes, it looks like afun set to work on!
Randy_Harrison: It's a totally fun set to work on. Hal is a comedian. A real comedian.

carolina: what is one of the best aspects of the role you portray?
Randy_Harrison: I find playing Justin very empowering. And it's always thrilling to play a character who in some ways, has more balls than you do. It challenges me to be stronger and a more direct person.

Major_Catch Randy:, it seems, through the excellence of your interpretation of Justin, he has become more prominant than his Brittish counterpart. Have you seen the Brittish QAF?
Randy_Harrison: I can't answer that because I've only see the first episode of the British series. I enjoyed it a lot and I feel we have an enormous debt of gratitude to Russell Davies and the British series. But I was scared getting too involved thinking watching the British series would affect my role and my personal contribution negatively.

roberthed: do you have an"inspiration" that led you to becoming an actor?
Randy_Harrison: I can't pinpoint any specific event in my life. I just know from the moment I first saw a play and felt the communal and almost religious power and beauty of the theatrical experience ... I knew I wanted to be a part of that. Theatre and acting has always been home to me and a center for me.

firefly319 : How do you feel now that you have so many fans? Is it crazy all of a sudden having a "following"?
Randy_Harrison: Yes it is crazy! While I'm deeply appreciative of the people who love the show and love my work ... it feels very surreal. And at times, a bit superficial.

kbfan: Has the success of the show affected you much? And in what way?
Randy_Harrison: The success of the show has entirely changed my life. Professionally, artistically, personally, financially, in both positive and negative ways. I'm extremely grateful for the experience.

kcyardley: I am a big fan of Sharon Gless! What is she like to work with?
Randy_Harrison: Working with Sharon is a blessing for me. She is so kind, so giving and has so much to offer as far as her life experience and her acting experience. I feel she continues to challenge all of us to be better actors when we are working with her.

Trampyre: Do the actors get any chance to give the writers feeback as to the direction of their characters?
Randy_Harrison: Not as much as we'd like to.

Brett18: Is Peter Paige a funny character offset as he is on the set?
Randy_Harrison: Peter, although entirely different from his character Emmett, is every bit as funny, if not more.

Ed874: Your character comes across as a very compassionate person. You have the potential to have a very positive influence on young people. How do you feel about that?
Randy_Harrison: I love that Justin can be a role model, that he can help comfort gay teenagers. I try not to feel too much pressure about trying to set a sort of standard. I hope that people can see Justin as a flawed human and grow from his strengths as well as observing the mistakes that he makes.

FanInNH: What storyline on the show has been your favorite?
Randy_Harrison: I think obviously the most significant story line to Justin is in his relationship with Brian. Exploring that, the beauty of it, the darkness of it, has been definitely the most satisfying and interesting experience on the show.

Tammels: Randy, how did you personally feel about the bashing episode? I was very touched and cried for nearly an hour.
Randy_Harrison: I'm glad that you cried, I guess. At least I'm glad that you were affected. Interestingly, it was pretty easy for me to do. Because my character was unconcscious for it, so I really had to play was the scene beforehand ... all the joy and happiness at the prom scene.

MoMo: Randy, what has been the most challenging scene that you've been in to date? By the way I love your character so much and hope you keep up the great work!
Randy_Harrison: Thank you for the compliment. The most challenging scenes for me to do are the scenes were Justin does very litt.e Like, at Woody's or Babylon where he's just sort of background or making smart-ass comments.

gabriel: Is there anything you've been able to contribute to the character of Justin that wasn't written into the part?
Randy_Harrison: It's difficult for me to pinpoint exactly what my own contributions to the character are. I definitely think that being older, I find myself consistently pushing Justin to be less of a stereotypical teen character. And a more complex and sophisticated adult. I put everything that I have into Justin and I'm not exactly sure what comes through.

Briancg74: Did you draw from any personal experiences in preparing for the part?
Randy_Harrison: I draw from every personal experience I can when I am acting.

Dennis946: The selection of cast members seems so good. Did you tryout for the show or did they seek you out?
Randy_Harrison: I auditioned for the show.

Mark: Randy, was there any effort to try to speak with the distinctive Pittsburgh accent on the part of any of the actors in the show?
Randy_Harrison: No there wasn't.

Sandman: Randy, do you get to choose any of Justin's waredrobe??
Randy_Harrison: No I don't. I have vetoing power when something doesn't fit or looks like shit. But in general, Justin's wardrobe is really different from mine and I trust the wardrobe designer.

britmom621: Hi Randy from Atlanta. I love the show. Which actor on QAF would you say you learn the most from and why?
Randy_Harrison: Honestly, I learn from every other actor on the show. I find there is always something to be gained from your scene partner. I suppose that Gale has probably taught me the most because he is the person I have the most significant scenes with.

Raquel_in_CA: Where do you think you relationship will go with Daphne after graduation? Will Brian ultimately affect it?(Makyla)?
Randy_Harrison: It seems my relationship with Daphne dissipates after graduation, which I find disappointing. Because I think she was a very significant part of Justin and his character.

Sandy: At the conclusion of episode 2 this season, I felt Brian and Justin were really making love for the first time. Any comments?
Randy_Harrison: I felt we were too.

chazmagic: what where the requirements for your character when you where auditioning?
Randy_Harrison: I read three scenes from the pilot on video and then I had 2 callbacks in L.A.

froggie: What is the best part about being on a show like QAF?
Randy_Harrison: The best part about the show is a sense of community established between the cast and crew.

tiffany878: do you hang out with any of your castmates aside from the show
Randy_Harrison: I hang out with the cast and crew all the time. They are my best friends here in Toronto.

hotboy: "do you believe brian will be the only love in your life? or do you think they will bring in another character.
Randy_Harrison: Brian will absolutely not be the only love of Justin's life, though perhaps always the most significant.

chad: Randy, who do you think is more uncomfortable during your sex scenes, you or Gale?
Randy_Harrison: Neither of us is.

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NHgayboy2178: What do you think that you have learned so far from being on QAF?
Randy_Harrison I've learned a tremendous about. I have learned about working in front of a camera, working with different film and TV directors. I have learned about the work ethic required to do a TV series.

benc1169: You play the scenes with "Jennifer" amazingly - Any comments?
Randy_Harrison: Thank you for your compliment and I feel I personally have to thank Sherry Miller who plays my mother. I think she's phenomenal. It's always a joy when I know I have a scene with her, when she comes to the set. It's always a pleasure to work with her.

imoneru1: what our your thoughts of people living a very social active life throught the show? I know every episode I feel closer almost part of the gang how does that make you feel?
Randy_Harrison: I think it's great in a way. I do think it's important that people are able to segregate fiction from reality and to know that these characters aren't real. But I love that the show has been created in a way that people have been able to get so personally involved in the characters' lives.

zonk: which justin was harder to act. the young snobby/bratty justin, or the older more mature justin??
Randy_Harrison: The young snotty, bratty Justin.

Bridgy101; Do you feel chemistry between you and Gale when your working onscreen together?
Randy_Harrison: I hope it comes off that way.

dougandjon: The series is definitely a groundbreaking one. What do you think the social implications of the show might be?
Randy_Harrison: I'm hoping that the show will normalize gay sexuality on TV.

Londonmike: Randy...do you feel that QAF belittles gay people? My son, who is gay, won't watch it cause is supports the worst of gay life
Randy_Harrison: I think it's tragic if gay people are looking for too much in a mere TV show. I think QAF only belittles gay people as much as 99% of series TV belittles straight people.

kc : What was your best experience or part while studying at CCM?
Randy_Harrison: My best experience at CCM was doing a production of "Shopping and Fucking" with my friend senior year.

Anna: Randy, did the fancy footwork in the promscene come naturally to you and Gale, or did you have to work at it?
Randy_Harrison: We rehearsed. But it was really fun and I think that came off.

sweetphatty: Randy how do you feel that this show has impacted people, hetero and homo sexual?
Randy_Harrison: The thing I love most about the show is that I find our largest audience is teenage girls and middle aged women. I think it's great that it potentially opened up a kind of understanding for people who wouldn't have the opportunity ... to get emotionally involved in gay peoples' lives beforehand.

dcnfr0st: How does the work ethic required tor TV differ from that in theater?
Randy_Harrison: Theater is completely different because you're able to have an extensive rehearsal process ideally before the show is up and running. For TV you are your own rehearsal process. You have to come in prepared everyday and learn how to immediately get on a performance level ... and create a specific relationship with someone you just meet that morning. You also have to learn how to wait for long periods at a time without losing any concentration and energy.

PoloNJ: How difficult is it being passionate in front of a camera, with everyone watching?
Randy_Harrison: It's surprisingly simple if you're able to really connect with your scene partner and just go there with them.

gabbie: Is Justin's relationship with Michael going to change as a result of Brian's feelings toward Justin?
Randy_Harrison: Justin's relationship with Michael definitely changes this year, though gradually and not directly as a result of Brian.

malibu67: Do you have any siblings, and how do your folks feel about the role you play?
Randy_Harrison: I have an older brother. He and his wife and both my parents are 100% supportive of me. They watch the show every week and call me Monday afternoon to give me their opinions.

angelfire6t: How often do you get the "giggles " on the set during an intense moment on screen?
Randy_Harrison: Honestly, not that often. Someone else usually has to start it, and then I'm gone.

jeffnj: Randy will they bring Justin's dad back maybe?
Randy_Harrison: No they won't.

buzzguy: Randy, do you think your character will follow in the footsteps of Brian?
Randy_Harrison: I think Justin will definitely take what he's capable of learning from Brian. However, I definitely think Justin will fight putting up those kinds of emotional walls. He will stick to a slightly more romantic worldview.

Dennis946: How much of the season's scripts do you know of at the beginning of the year?

shane16: About how manu auditons did you go to before landing the role as Justin on QAF?
Randy_Harrison: We get the scripts about 3 or 4 days before we start shooting. I am constantly nagging the writers to try and figure out what's going to happen with Justin just 2 or 3 episodes ahead.

jen_bobbitt: do you think that justin is going to be interacting more with the other cast on the show, instead of primarily brian?
Randy_Harrison: Yes, I do.

Chris442 : Randy, congrats on your role and impressive performance on the show. Do you miss Cincinnati?
Randy_Harrison: Not at all!

bbyemp924: Do you find it difficult to memorize your lines?
Randy_Harrison: No I don't.

Sandman: Have there been any practical jokes played on set??
Randy_Harrison: No good ones!

geoff : will you ever do a bloopers show
Randy_Harrison: I doubt it. There is a blooper's real in the DVD and that's the best you'll be getting.

KurisutaruOujo: was there anyone who encouraged you to audition or did you just do it on your own?
Randy_Harrison: I just did it on my own.

shygirl_132: Do you find it overwhelming that people love Justin and Brian's relationship to the point that they want them to be together always?
Randy_Harrison: No, I think it's cute. I myself, have somewhat romanticized Justin and Brian's relationship in my head.

wannabebritgrl: Now Gus is older and you seem not to have many scenes with him this season, but what was it like working with a baby on the set in the first season?
Randy_Harrison: It was difficult working with a baby. They always seem to cry at the wrong time and stare at the boom.

Cathy: What's your favorite movie of all time? I know this seems like a foolish question, but it says alot about a person sometimes...
Randy_Harrison: I guess it says a lot about me that I find that question impossible to answer. Two of my current favorites are Boogie Nights and Happiness. I loved Mulholland Drive that just came out. And I'm a huge Hitchcock fan.

CaptainVideoJW: Randy, what is the atmosphere on the set like?
Randy_Harrison: Our set is famous for being the happiest and most laid back set that most people have ever been to. I thank God for the feeling on set everytime I show up there, and for the entire crew.

brlewismd: Justin is already more mature and more courageous than Brian. Will Brian grow emotionally this season?
Randy_Harrison: I think Brian is surprisingly mature and courageous, usually when you least expect it. Though I feel he definitely has more demons to exorcise which I hope Justin and the other people in his life will help him do ... as the show progresses.

keithnyc: How many "takes" does it normally take when Justin and Brian are becoming intimate?
Randy_Harrison; It sort of depends on the type of intimacy involved. The type of coverage that the director wants to get. And the significance of the scene.

kaos what do u see yourself doing in 5 years....movies or tv?
Randy_Harrison: Film and theatre.

ILOVRANDY: WAS IT HARD FOR JUSTIN TO GIVE DAPHNE A CHANCE 2 LOSE HER VIGINITY?
Randy_Harrison: No, I don't think it was. I think it was an experience Justin was curious about and an intimacy that he was looking forward to sharing with someone he did love.

krisZ: Which scene, so far, has been the most difficult to shoot?
Randy_Harrison: It's usually the scenes that Justin is just kind of standing around. I had a really hard time doing the King of Babylon episode, just because I feel really, really uncomfortable dancing around in my underpants.

alwaysluv: How much did you know about the show before you began working on it?
Randy_Harrison: I knew the first three scripts. I was aware of the sexual content. And I suspected that the show would be a cult hit.

bbyemp924: Do you feel the the show is too explicit or not explicit enough? Tonight's episode definitely was an eye-opener!
Randy_Harrison: Initially, I don't think the show was too explicit. I think the amount of sexual content has begun to get a tiny bit redundant.

Jen450: Randy, How are you enjoying being a new sex symbol to the entire gay community?
Randy_Harrison: I don't feel like a sex symbol for the gay community. I've always sort of been an outsider among the gay community and I feel that my exposure on QAF has just exacerbated that.

Jim835: Will there be a third season for GAF, and if so would you still like to paly Justin?
Randy_Harrison: I don't know yet. We'll probably find out after the season wraps. I would play Justin again for a third season.

leighketchum: The show is already so good. Is it possible for it to get any better? How?
Randy_Harrison: The show still has an endless amount of untapped possibility. I feel there are so many levels of depth in all the characters' relationships that have yet to be explored. There are so many aspects of the gay experience that the show doesn't touch on. I can only hope that it continues to grow in those directions. Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. Keep watching the show and I look forward to talking to you all again.

Moderator1: Thank you for chatting with Randy Harrison. We hope you've enjoyed the chat and the third episode of season two of QAF. Tune in to SHOWTIME next Sunday, January 27 at 10pm ET/PT for an all-new episode. Keep visiting the all-new queer.SHO.com for more insight into QAF, and come back next Sunday to chat with Hal Sparks who plays "Michael." The chat room will open at 10pm ET (7pm PT) so that you can chat with other QAF fans during the episode! See you next time! Copyright (c)2001, Showtime Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

@темы: Showtime Livechat, 2002

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'Queer As Folk' star Randy Harrison hits the stage (May 2002)

[BloodVessel]

'Queer As Folk' star Randy Harrison hits the stage
By Mark Kennedy for The Associated Press, May 2002.

Перевод в комментариях, за него огромное спасибо tunka-s!

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On his swift road to celebrity, Randy Harrison spent only the briefest time in the traditional employment of actors everywhere: waiting tables.

Fate apparently considered that insufficient.

These days, you can find Harrison, one of the stars of Showtime's hit series "Queer As Folk", again clad in an apron and tie ferrying dishes out from the kitchen - albeit this time on stage.

"It's a little ironic," the 24 year old acknowledges over cappuccino and croissant. "I'm trying to do my time as a struggling actor by playing a waiter."

Harrison makes his New York stage debut in "A Letter From Ethel Kennedy", a touching off-Broadway play about a dying playwright reconciling with his parents.

The play gives Harrison, who was raised and trained in the theater, a chance to return to the stage after the success and controversy of his TV show, a sort of gay "Sex in the City".

"It's not like riding a bike," Harrison says of the theater. "It's amazing how quickly it all goes away. It's a totally different kind of energy; it's a totally different process."

Set in a restaurant in the Theater District, the play stars Anita Gillette, Jay Goede and Bernie McInerney. Though Harrison hovers through all three acts -usually botching food orders - he is hardly the star.

"I must tell you this is not 'The Randy Harrison Show'. This is the smallest part,"says Tony Award-winning actress Joanna Gleason, who directs the play.

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"Here is an actor in service to the play. That's something unusual for a young man who is being catapulted into visibility and celebrity."

The role has also allowed Harrison to put a little professional distance between himself and Justin, the fresh-faced, club-hopping character he plays in "Queer As Folk."

Openly gay, Harrison rebels against the motion he might be doomed to the gay acting ghetto. In the play and an upcoming Showtime movie, "Bang, Bang, You're Dead," Harrison plays it straight.

"I want to challenge myself as an actor which means being able to be really versatile and play completely different characters who are not gay," he says.

It sort of irritates me when people say, 'Well here's the real test: He's got to play a straight character! Ooohh.' It's like, 'Get over it.' I've been acting my entire life. Eighty percent of the roles I've played were straight."

Born in Nashua, NH, Harrison is the youngest son of transplanted southern parents, a blond Yankee who was fond of saying things like, "Wicked awesome" and using R's in words like "wash."

By second grade he had fallen in love with the stage and his interest didn't waver after his family moved to Atlanta when he was 11. Harrison earned his bachelor's in theater from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of music.

And yes he waited tables - a T.G.I. Friday's in Georgia. "I was a terrible waiter. I broke things all the time," he recalls. That didn't last long. Within a few months he landed "Queer As Folk," his first high-profile role.

@темы: a letter from ethel kennedy, theatre, 2002

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QSAT: Randy Harrison, PlanetOut (May 2002)

[moveforever]

QSAT: Randy Harrison, PlanetOut [May 10, 2002]

Get to know your favorite queer and queer-friendly celebs by reading their responses to our queer aptitude test: the QSAT.
As the resident hot young thing on "Queer as Folk," openly gay Randy Harrison has more than his share of TV-watching admirers. Feeling his way through the confusing world of drugs and sex, struggling with less-than-understanding parents and desperately in love with the older Brian, Justin is a character young gay men everywhere can identify with.

Randy recently performed off-Broadway in "A Letter from Ethel Kennedy," about a gay man trying to reconcile with, and say goodbye to, his parents. (He played a straight waiter, which proves he really can act!) He also appeared in the Showtime original movie "Bang Bang, You're Dead," playing against type as a (straight) maladjusted high school student seeking revenge against his tormentors.

When did you first become aware of gay issues?
Conception

If you were to write /direct a same-sex love story, who would you visualize as the leads?
Emmanuel Lewis and Harvey Keitel

What's your current favorite CD, book, writer, movie?
Mick Harvey, "Pink Elephants"
Dennis Cooper, "Pastoralia"
"Baise-Moi"

How many degrees of separation are there between you and Kevin Bacon?
Zero. I saw him once on the Upper West Side.

Fill in the blank: I am the _____ of my generation.
BLANK

Fill in the blank: I always have ____ in my refrigerator.
Tonic water

Who inspires you the most?
My parents

Tell us something nobody knows about you.
No way!

Describe your ideal mate.
Embalmed

Who was your first celebrity crush?
The girl who played Oliver in the first play I was ever in ... hmmm. She had a cute bowl cut and looked dark and brooding with that ash smeared on her face.

Squelch or confirm (or start) a rumor about yourself.
OK, that is me in that video, but I was 7 and really drunk and wasn't sure what he was doing. I just wanted to touch the puppy.

The last movie I cried at/laughed out loud at was:
I cried during "The Crucible" on Broadway. I didn't cry during the movie version though, I think I fell asleep.

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?
Human companionship

Would you appear nude in a movie?
Never. I think that's really trashy.

Fill in the blank: In high school, I was ____.
Bored

What's your favorite getaway?
Xanax

@темы: 2002

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Starstruck: Randy Harrison, PlanetOut (Jan 2002)

[moveforever]

Starstruck: Randy Harrison, PlanetOut [January 2002]

Born: November 2, 1977
Status: Single
Quote: "I hope that seeing a gay teen portrayed on television will be comforting and empowering to other gay teenagers."

If you've been looking for an excuse to subscribe to premium cable, look no further than Randy Harrison. The 24-year-old actor has won over audiences and critics alike for his honest portrayal of Justin Taylor, the sensitive, artistic teen on Showtime's hit series "Queer As Folk."

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While "QAF" marks Randy's television debut, the Atlanta native is a veteran of the stage. With his parents' support, Harrison began acting at age 7. He went on to perform in theatres all across the country, getting cast in productions of "Violet," "1776" and "West Side Story," among others. In 1999, Randy obtained a degree in theatre from the University of Cincinnati and moved to New York to pursue his dreams. Within a short time, the actor had landed an agent, and a starring role on the biggest show to hit cable since "The Sopranos."

The openly gay Harrison insists he is very different from the character he portrays on "QAF," but feels they have a symbiotic connection. "Justin has taught me a lot about forgiveness, empathy, and even pride. I feel like I've given a lot of strength and maturity to him."

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Randy will be appearing in the Showtime original movie "Bang Bang, You're Dead," set for release later this year. He'll be playing against type as a (straight) maladjusted high school student seeking revenge against his tormentors.

@темы: 2002

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Out of Character, A&U Magazine (March 2002)

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Out of Character by Dann Dulin, A&U Magazine [Issue 89, March 2002]



THE WRITERS AND STARS OF SHOWTIME'S QUEER AS FOLK TALK TO A&U'S DANN DULIN ABOUT KEEPING HIV IN FOCUS ON-CAMERA AND OFF

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"Put your legs up, over your shoulders. That's it," Brian breathlessly instructs Justin, as they lay naked in bed. Justin stops him. "Wait. In school we had this lecture about safe sex." Brian replies confidently, "And now we're going to have a demonstration." Brian reaches for a condom, tears it open with his mouth, and gives it to Justin. "Put it on me. Go on. Slip it on...."

This titillating scene aired in the premiere episode of Showtime's controversial series, Queer As Folk, which debuted in December 2000. Though early indications-like the fleeting moment described above-had critics worried that QAF's story about a group of gay and lesbian friends and their families in Pittsburgh would only give lip service to HIV/AIDS, the show has consistently developed HIV storylines. This is no Sex and the City where HIV is talked about once by the sexually active adults and then never heard about again. Cable Positive-a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting AIDS awareness through the communications industry-recently handed Queer As Folk one of its Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) Awards for 2001, and named QAFs home, Showtime, POP Network of the Year. "Showtime's Queer As Folk was honored at Cable Positive's First Annual POP Awards for its storylines concerning AIDS and the gay community," said Steve Villano, Cable Positive's Executive Director. With the increasing number of HIV infections among young gay men, it is imperative that quality cable television programming such as Showtime's Queer As Folk is recognized.

But Queer As Folk's first season was not a fluke. This season-which began this past January-saw Michael and Ted going to a "BB" party, thinking they will find bodybuilders. Instead they find barebackers and promptly leave. In another episode, Emmett packs up his friend Godiva's hospice room after she dies from an AIDS-related illness. Later, during a pride celebration, Emmett notes, "Look at them. Partying. Don't they know Godiva's dead?" Vic asks, "Why should these pups give a shit about some old queen who died of AIDS?" Countering Emmett's shock, Vic adds, "I'm allowed to say that. I'm an old queen. Who has AIDS."

"This next season certainly expands the storyline on HIV and AIDS," says Jack Wetherall, who portrays the aforementioned Uncle Vic, "and I am delighted about that." This season, a new HIV-posi tive character, Ben Bruckner (played by Robert Gant), will be introduced as the love interest of Michael Novotny, played by Hal Sparks. "This whole dating issue is such a big thing," says Wetherall. "When I was a younger man I sowed my oats. I was wild. But, in the sixties and seventies, society was exploring sexual freedom and I felt supported. I really appreciate the fact that I had that available to me as a young man. Now, I worry about the younger generation coming along with the same desires and impulses. They have to be much more careful. As Unde Vic says in the first season, 'No sex is fully safe. If it is, you're doing it wrong.' There is always an element of risk, but one needs to make it as safe as one possibly can to be responsible, not only for one's own health but for one's partner, as well."

In the early episodes of the second season, after Ben Bruckner's introduction, Michael learns just how difficult it can be to deal with a partner's HIV status. "Michael can't do it," explains Sparks, a comic and former host of E!'s Talk Soup. "He's scared, and not because it's his natural reaction but because everyone around him keeps reinforcing his fears. Michael tends to be a follower. This is one of the moments in his life when he grows up and realizes that he loves this person-How safe can you truly be when you're alive on this planet? Are you going to deny that from yourself for your whole life? As George Carlin might say: 'What do you wanna do? Play with your dick and eat at Wendy's for the rest of your life?'-that's kind of Michael's motto."

Sparks, who teaches kung fu and speaks Mandarin, is spiritually grounded in Eastern philosophy. In the early nineties, Hal conducted lectures for spiritual guru, Marianne Williamson, and worked as a volunteer for Project Angel Food, which delivers hot meals to PWAs. "On a spiritual level I feel the AIDS epidemic comes from an accumulation of sexual guilt. The gay community has been forced to experience more guilt because their sexuality has been so suppressed by society and made to feel bad about it for so long. All STDs are kind of an indication of feelings of guilt about oneself. Of course, there are exceptions. And not to say that any person who gets AIDS is weak, or is to blame for getting it, but we are all susceptible to certain types of illnesses," says Sparks. "Being on QAF is one of the ways I can help because the more free that the gay community feels about themselves, the less susceptible they are to certain things. We need to take hold of our psyche before disease takes hold of our bodies. Ultimately, what will help is a true sense of pride for gay people. And I mean pride in the sense of 'I belong as much as anyone.' That will be a big step in healing."

Jack Wetherall has experienced healing in a different manner. "I've been on the frontlines as a caregiver. Living in New York and being part of the theater community, so many of my friends were stricken with HIV very early on. I really went to the wire with a close friend of mine and, remarkably, he has come back by taking the cocktail. I gained a lot of experience through that relationship. He is there for me now in terms of research and advice."

Randy Harrison, another member of the cast, has also been a caregiver. Randy, twenty-four, is an out actor, and portrays QAFs resident teen, Justin Taylor. Randy began volunteering for ASOs while still in high school. He worked with AID Atlanta and ASK US (Adolescents Seeking Knowledge to Greater Understanding of STDs and AIDS) where he helped to provide safer sex education for teens, as well as gay outreach. "Volunteering gave me a sense of self, confides Randy. He came out to his parents and dose friends when he was just fifteen. "I went to a very small conservative Southern high school and our sex education was very...," he stops briefly, then continues, "They just tried to scare us into a lifetime of celibacy. Abstinence is a viable option if people are capable and choose to do that. That's wonderful, though I think it's unrealistic for that to be the only option."

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Another cast member and out actor, Peter Paige, has a slightly different take on sexuality and AIDS. Paige plays the endearing nellie, Emmett Honeycutt, who he says is the "least self-loathing and the best adjusted" of the Pittsburgh pals. "You can't be sexually active and not have a panic. I came of age in the age of AIDS. I don't know anything else. When I was a freshman in college, I was fortunate to have a professor in the theater department who was a great gay activist and counselor. He described condoms and dicks; it saved many of our lives. I've done my time pacing in my living room for that two-week waiting period for my test results," Paige laments. Though he served as a volunteer for ASOs, Peter admits that he is more "political than charitable." He hopes to use his celebrity to bring about greater public awareness about HIV by hosting benefits and by participating on AIDS committees. "We are in a dangerous time. We've all became pretty complacent over the past decade and now we find ourselves on the couch with a really scary man in the White House." Peter takes a breath, looks off to the side, and sadly reminisces. "An older ex-boyfriend of mine showed me a photo of the softball team he'd played on in the seventies. Most of them were either sick, or dead...."

Though a cutting edge series on many levels, QAF was not the first one to exhibit a condom in prime time. Sharon Gless, who plays the motherly eccentric, Debbie Novotny, reveals that her popular eighties' award-winning TV show, Cagney & Lacey, was the first show to ever incorporate a condom scene. "Lacey's young son was going out on his first date and she went into her drawer, pulled out a condom, and gave it to him. And this was the early eighties!" she gasps. In a later episode, Sharon's character, Christine Cagney, who had been separated from her boyfriend for a time, reunites with him but warns that she will not have sex with him unless he uses a condom. Sharon herself is an advocate of condom distribution in high schools as part of safer sex education. When asked what she would say to an auditorium of young students, she shouts, "Are you crazy? You need to use condoms! Do you want to die?"

Gless may sound a bit aggressive, but her passion comes from a place of caring. "I've lost several friends to AIDS. It's hard to go on but you just do. What makes me feel better is knowing that I was there when they needed me. It makes the hurt less. Maybe I made the crossing easier?" she solemnly asks. During our conversation, Sharon expresses a burning desire to find time in her hectic schedule to work with an ASO. "It's something that I want to do. This is not just lip service. I want to get involved on a volunteer basis with people who don't know me. And this is not me just jerking off. I can't tell you how strong the pull is. I feel ashamed saying this to you because I haven't done it." Recently, she was approached by an AIDS organization in Miami, where she resides with her husband, producer Barry Rosenzweig, and is seriously considering accepting its offer. "I want to do this just like a regular person," she says modestly, quickly adding. "I sound like a jerk, don't I?"

To bring life to her character on QAF, Gless says she plays Debbie from the fifth chakra-the heart chakra. She visited traditional coffee shops and diners to watch the old-time waitresses in action. "I didn't write Debbie so I can't take the bow. Sometimes I think she is just too wonderful and maybe not real, but I can't tell you how many men come up to me and thank me, or ask for hugs. One man came up to me after an awards ceremony and asked if I would hug him. I said, Sure. I gave him a hug and he fell apart. He started sobbing and I just held on till he stopped. And as I was holding him, I just kept thinking, the damage, the damage. That's all I could think about. So, maybe Debbie does make a difference," she says with determination, "So by God I'll just keep playing her as long as it keeps making a difference."

And Jack Wetherall, who starred in The Elephant Man on Broadway and is an accomplished Shakespearean actor, feels a special closeness to his QAF character, as well. "There are a lot of guys who are following Uncle Vic because he represents their story. So I feel a huge responsibility to be accurate and also to move out of a stagnant place," he says. "Especially since there are a lot of new issues surrounding people with HIV."

Indeed, QAFs writers and co-producers, Daniel Lipman and Ron Cowen, believe that it is essential that the latest medical information be presented when dealing with the subject of AIDS. Cowen and Lipman, who've been a writing team since the late seventies and who have been romantically linked for over twenty-five years, wrote the eighties' TV teleplay, An Early Frost, for which they won an Emmy.

Starring Aidan Quinn, Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, and Sylvia Sidney, the movie focused on an American family confronting AIDS. "We started off in the Dark Ages," Lipman specifies. "We began working on An Early Frost in the spring of 1983, when HIV was called GRID [Gay-Related Immune Deficiency]. In fact, when we started doing An Early Frost, NBC sent us a book-and I still have it in the garage-where there was a chapter about AIDS being carried by mosquitoes from Long Island." He laughs, gibing that they should write a movie called The Mosquitoes That Ate Long Island. During this time, the AIDS epidemic was a chameleon-it took many faces, and was ever changing. New developments were being discovered almost daily. At that time, the researchers didn't even realize that HIV was found in saliva. On the set of An Early Frost, a medical advisor was employed. Near the climax of the movie there is a scene where a doctor explains to the family about their son's AIDS condition. "We kept the scene on standby till two days before we aired to see if there was any change in the research, so if need be, we could reshoot the scene," says Ron. "We had the actor, Terry O'Quinn, who played the doctor, on hold. This is what we were working under."

Despite their professional success, Cowen and Lipman experienced a profound heartbreak at this time. Five minutes before they were presented with an Emmy for An Early Frost, they learned that a dear friend of theirs had died of AIDS. "It was a very bittersweet evening because our friends were dying from AIDS, and here we were winning an award for writing about it," says Daniel. Adds Ron, "It was very uncomfortable celebrating some thing that is based in such tragedy." For Cowen and Lipman, An Early Frost was not their only venture into writing an AIDS storyline. Their nineties' hit TV show, Sisters, featured an episode where a straight character who is a former drug addict con tracts HIV, develops KS, and dies.

So what motivated Daniel and Ron to create another HIV-positive character on QAF? "We felt it was time to bring a relationship onto the show that reflected a very prevalent situation within the gay community," notes Ron. "What happens when a negative and positive person get together, and how do you deal with that issue? Some of our friends deal with that situation in their personal lives and we felt we should reflect that on the show. It's part of gay reality and that's what we're writing about on the show." Daniel points out: "Unde Vic is the first generation AIDS survivor, a man of his age. We're bringing on a character who's twenty years younger than Uncle Vic. The new character is a second-generation gay man who's dealing with HIV. That's a different set of circumstances. Ben Bruckner didn't live through all the same things that Vic has lived through: losing a large majority of friends, dealing with the political situation of the Reagan era, and dealing with a situation of no drugs, no treatments, and no help. Vic's situation is quite different than Ben's. Ben is living in a time when there is hope, and AIDS is not the automatic death sentence that it was for a lot of people in the seventies and eighties."

Wetherall sums up: "AIDS is what I would call a terrorist issue in this country. I believe that when we saw the Trade towers go down, people in the gay community had been experiencing towers collapsing for years, with a rather large segment of society turning their backs on the gay community and the people who were sick. People have spoken out and actually directed hatred not only toward gay people, but also specifically to people who were HIV-positive. And I believe that in confronting terrorism in the world, AIDS is one of the issues that we have to include in that struggle."

Whether on-screen or behind-the- scenes, the people involved in Queer As Folk are committed to bringing HIV/AIDS into public consciousness and looking toward that day when the season of AIDS ends once and for all.









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Folk Hero, Cincinnati CityBeat (Jan 2002)

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Folk Hero By Brandon Brady for Cincinnati CityBeat [issue 8; Jan. 3-Jan. 9, 2002 ]



Folk Hero

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CCM theater alum graduates -- literally-- into a starring role
By Brandon Brady


Randy Harrison landed his role as Queer as Folk's Justin when he was spotted during CCM's annual Senior Showcase in New York City.

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It's the quintessential John Hughes image ... if John Hughes focused on gay teen romance.

A 30-year-old tuxedo-wearing stud sweeps into the high school prom to dance with his barely legal paramour. But the evening isn't capped with a lingering kiss to the musical pinings of OMD's "If You Leave." Instead, just after the enamored twosome part company in the garage, a jocular student emerges to deliver crushing blows to the winsome teen hero's skull.

A blood-splattered white satin scarf signified the end to the kind of magical evening that only happens in Hollywood. It was the capper to a season full of jaw-dropping, controversial moments for Showtime's Queer as Folk. After all, a life-or-death cliffhanger is nothing new in the world of TV. However, a savage portrayal of a hate crime against a primary character definitely is.

But University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) theater grad Randy Harrison, whose character Justin Taylor was last seen being wheeled into the ER on a gurney, is keeping mum on the fate of his character.

It's curious that Harrison is even doing publicity to garner interest in season two of Queer as Folk, which premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. Doesn't this indicate that Justin survives the brutal attack? "Yeah," Harrison, speaking from the series' Toronto set, quietly concedes.

But Harrison quickly and politely nixes any further questions about what's in store for Justin. It's evident that the creators of Queer as Folk will explore the physical and emotional effects of the gay bashing. What's not so sure is the path that young Justin will take.

Come what may, Harrison is ready for it. Nothing should faze him after last year's plot lines. Justin was outed by his mother, disowned by his father, briefly ran away to New York and faced expulsion for heading a gay/straight alliance at his high school. That doesn't include the more gratuitous aspects of Queer as Folk -- such as when Justin had sex with a stranger in a bathroom stall while on a trip to the art museum with his own mother. Or when he had to be on his knees and elbows doing a scene doggy-style with his straight costar, Gale Harold, who plays Brian, the love of Justin's life.

These graphic scenes, which many would find unsettling to watch let alone perform, are par for the course on Queer as Folk. It was a fact Harrison knew before going into the show, yet once there he never hesitated. "There was none for me. I had already done that stuff onstage," he says matter-of-factly.

Training for Harrison included graduating with a BFA in theater from the UC's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). "It was the best school I got a full scholarship to," Harrison says, only half-joking. "(It was a) full academic scholarship, which is random since I didn't do any academics."

Instead, Harrison focused on acting. "It's all I've ever done since I was a kid," he explains.

His dedication to acting has paid off in Hollywood. Harrison didn't need to hunt for temp jobs or wait tables. He never slept on a friend's couch. He wasn't forced to go to cattle calls or spend time in the background as an extra. In short, Harrison avoided all the dues that most aspiring actors must pay.

Barely graduated from a leading and respected theater school, Harrison stepped right into the role of Justin. It would appear that the CCM grad is something of a golden boy. He laughs at the thought.

Things were vastly different during his college days. He wasn't the star student of the stage that some might expect. "Absolutely not. I was like the anti-star," he jokes.

"College was a difficult experience for me," Harrison says more seriously. "Honestly, one of the hardest things was I rarely got cast."

But Harrison isn't knocking his education or time spent at CCM. Being the "anti-star" was a blessing in disguise. "It was a very important experience," he says. The valuable lesson taught him not to expect other opportunities.

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Harrison sought possibilities elsewhere. He spent a lot of time doing summer stock. He landed a role in the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati's production of Violet, a musical about a disfigured young woman, in 1999. And he occasionally staged his own productions at CCM, such as Shopping & Smoking (aka Shopping & Fucking), using a black box theater on campus.

"Those are the things I'm most proud of having done while I was there," he comments.

Shortly before his UC graduation in the spring of 1999, Harrison was part of CCM's annual Senior Showcase in New York City. Agents and casting directors regularly attend the event to sample the talent pool. That's when Harrison was spotted. An audition for Queer as Folk soon followed.

"It was really lucky," he says.

Harrison is sincere when he speaks, but at times he seems to understate things. He's succinct. He's polite and friendly, yet almost shy, as if he's uneasy with being interviewed. He seems unsure about the fuss being made over him. He sounds like the quintessential John Hughes hero, if John Hughes focused on former CCM anti-stars.

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The second season of QUEER AS FOLK premieres on Sunday at 10 p.m. on Showtime.

E-mail Brandon Brady

@темы: 2002