Justin time: Randy Harrison discusses the ins and outs of his ‘QAF’ rolePosted by Loann Halden on twnonline.org; April 2004.
read moreLet’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."
read moreDon’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."
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04.05.2011 в 00:27