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