Q. You were bullied as a kid, so I find it interesting that you take on all these villain roles. Do you draw upon those experiences when acting as the bad guy?
A. I’ve never drawn on those experiences creatively in that way. It’s a lot about imagination. When you’re in a world like this, which is stylized and heightened and has a sleekness to it, then it becomes about filling that world with the character that you’re playing and, for me, that’s all about rooting it in the imaginary circumstances – one definition of acting is truthful behavior in imaginary circumstances. So, for me, it’s a lot about connecting to that and connecting to the people that I’m playing and that’s a different process depending on what the style and the tone of the piece is. This one was so driven by physicality and by actual conflict and combat, and that kind of drove the character a little bit. I didn’t really have to dive back into my uncomfortable moments of childhood to connect with that necessarily.
Q. How strategic have you been with the projects you’ve chosen in order to avoid the typecasting some LGBT actors have said they’ve experienced?
A. I played gay characters, but I was never part of a gay-themed story until I did I Am Michael last year with James Franco. That was a specific decision; I felt really drawn to the story (of an ex-gay) and the nature of the story. My whole take on the potential perceived limitations is just to not engage them and not allow them to exist—to me that is a choice. I know what I am capable of and I know what my range is, and I know that’s not limited by or even affected by my sexual orientation. So, for me, it was just a matter of doing what I do and opening myself up to the roles that present themselves, whether they’re gay or straight, with a kind of creative integrity. That’s all I really feel is in my control and that’s the place I work from in terms of both pursuing work and engaging work.
Q. Do you think today—in 2015, post marriage equality—typecasting on the basis of an actor’s sexuality even exists?
A. I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think it has anything to do with marriage equality—that victory has been won and has been a really profound advancement to the LGBT community. I think our real fights for equality aren’t legal; it’s about humanity and compassion and inclusion.
Even in the wake of marriage equality you’re seeing all these county clerks who are refusing to issue marriage licenses, which is despicable and illegal. Just a few blocks from my house, these two guys—the first gay couple to be married out of West Point—were harassed in the bodega (in SoHo). It’s not behind us. The movement toward equality is bigger than just one legal issue, and that’s amazing that the highest law of the land has supported our struggle for civil rights, but civil rights is only one aspect of being a minority of any kind. It’s much more about human connection and respect in the long run and in a very broader sense, and I think that’s the fight that continues.
Q. Seeing as though I Am Michael is your first gay-themed film, would you have taken on that movie earlier in your career before you became such an established actor?
It was a different time. I don’t know if that movie would’ve been made. It’s hard to say. I mean, it came to me at the right time and it was the right thing for me to choose in that moment, but I don’t know the answer to that question.
Q. What was the process of developing your onscreen chemistry with James Franco for I Am Michael?
A. For me it was just about relating to the guy. Franco has so much attention and he’s sort of this ubiquitous figure. A lot of people have opinions of him and a perspective on who he might be. For me it was just about cutting through all of that and getting to know him. I really enjoyed our time together and I respect what he was doing by putting that movie together and wanting to tell that story, so I was happy to be a part of it. I’m sure that kind of set the connection that we had in our work together.