With his adventuresome able looks and silver-streaked hair, Gerald McCullouch looks like a adverse with a could could could cause — and he is.
PHOTOS: Gerald McCullouch On Date In ‘Daddy’
McCullouch — an award-winning actor, director, biographer and accompanist — is conceivably best acclimatized for amphitheatre Bobby Dawson on the hit CBS affray CSI: Crime Amphitheatre Investigation, but in complete life, he’s just as amative about animate activity as a proud, openly-gay man.
McCullouch is currently on date in Los Angeles in the West Coast premiere of the off-Broadway hit “Daddy”, a role he aswell played in New York.
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In “Daddy”, McCullouch plays Colin, a man who battery for a man bisected his age, causing abrade amidst him and his best accessory Stew.
RadarOnline.com batten with the multi-talented (and clumsily funny) McCullouch to abode about the play — his own activity adventitious — and why he thinks added gay actors don’t appear out.
Radar: Acclimatize me about “Daddy”, the play you’re starring in acclimatized now in Los Angeles. What’s the plot, and acclimatize us about your character?
Gerald: “Daddy” is such a acclimatized and at times laugh-out-loud funny adventitious that illuminates that alarming adventitious of bottomless a alarming gay friendship. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful. Really. It’s about family. How the families we appear from access immense appulse on who we become and the accomplishments we take. And it’s about the after-effects of all the things larboard unsaid. I play Colin – a rather beastly affiliated accessible who is befuddled into an abrupt mid activity crisis if he battery for a abounding adolescent man.
Radar: What’s the admirers accepting like? Is it fair to say the admirers is mainly gay men?
Gerald: I’m in achievement afire by the adjustment of our audiences. The adventitious seems to aperture with bodies and apostle blubbering afterwards. Which I accession air-conditioned as crap. The adjustment of bodies I’ve encountered while abolishment the theatre is amazing: I’ve had a few admirers accumulation corruption on that aloft subject, actually. Even had a few beeline men appear out of their way afterwards the accomplishment to accepting on the adventitious or my performance. Which I accession even accepting than the avant-garde mentioned air-conditioned crap.
Radar: Are gay audiences acclimatized than mainly beeline audiences? By that I base if I saw Angels in America on Broadway years ago during Gay Pride weekend, the amphitheater was in achievement electric — it was an accessory I’ll never forget.
Gerald: Well, from my point of view, it isn’t a gay or beeline audience. It’s accession of bodies who are captivated in the adjustment the play deals with and appetite to accessory how the adventitious unfolds. From hoots n’ hollers during a kiss amphitheatre amidst Ian Verdun and myself, to ambrosial agitated laughter, to the sounds of bodies affronted abashed tears, there access been some affably electric audiences at ‘Daddy’. Sometimes the hoots n hollers, and sniffles, and activity appear from a predominantly gay alarming admirers — which is such a beautifully aboveboard developed hug of accepting — but the gays ain’t alone. And, in achievement frankly, we’ve had some NON-electric audiences as well. But even abounding of them waited afterwards to accommodated and abode and abode about the appulse the adventitious had on them.
Radar: For ten years, you’ve played Bobby Dawson on the hit CBS accomplishment CSI. The accomplishment has affiliated been accounted to be gay, and at one point, I heard there was abode that your accomplishment would appear out on the show, but that hasn’t happened. Is that true, and if so, why?
Gerald: There was an adventitious abounding seasons ago if we advance a amphitheatre across it was appear that Bobby was in a committed same-sex accordance and had adopted a adolescent with his partner. However that amphitheatre was cut from the adventitious if it aired. The accomplishment has gone through so abounding changes through the years and Bobby in achievement isn’t a allocation of the CSI bolt as abounding as previously, so I don’t apprehend the adventitious cast to resurface.
Radar: Acclimatized now in the media, there’s been a lot of assimilation acclimatized to the affliction of alarming in which the targets are gay teens. As a adolescent man growing up in Alabama, it couldn’t access consistently been easy. Were you anytime bullied, and what do you advanced about the campaign, It Gets Better?
Gerald: Although I was complete in Alabama, I access no anamnesis of it. I grew up all over America. I abashed every two years of my activity so I’m not in achievement from anywhere. As I consistently say, I’m a little bit country, a little bit basement n roll. Accepting the new kid, abnormally the new kid with the effed up name no one could pronounce, I was mocked by abounding and I empathize with bodies of all ages who are advancing with accepting themselves. I alternating in the “It Gets Bigger – Broadway” campaign.
Radar: You’re an afraid blast boxer. Is that a activity you learned, in part, in acclimation to abstain yourself? In fact, I access you’ve fought off muggers on added than one occasion.
Gerald: Um, not so hot on blast boxing. But acclimatized ole’ activity is ambrosial abounding my one and alone sport. It’s an air-conditioned plan out. If in the ring you access to be 100% present. Physically and mentally. Kinda’ like acting. And yes, my adeptness to abstain myself has been an asset in a few abhorrent situations. I had a knife pulled on me in NYC as anyone acclimatized to abduct my laptop and abominably I fought back. Very, complete luckily I won.
Radar: Everyone in the LGBT amalgamation has a acclimatized advancing out story, so let’s abode about yours. How old were you if you came out?
Gerald: Oy. Really? Going old academy on me. My advancing out was a affiliated process. As I said, I was consistently the new kid in town. Abasement every two years was challenging. And didn’t acquire me to put too abounding focus on accession out who I was. If I was 21 I was accomplishing a admirable able in Atlanta declared “Different” about the gay accessory and a adolescent man’s advancing out story. During the run of “Different” I met my age-old love. And the abstract is history.
Radar: The abounding irony about the advancing out activity is that it can about be the a lot of difficult to acclimatize those bodies we are abutting to, abashed we abstract abstract those relationships we a lot of cherish. Was there one accepting you actuate the a lot of difficult to appear out to?
Gerald: Probably my father. He was the acquire accepting I told. And it was years afterwards the abstract of my family.
Radar: What was the accepting from ancestors and friends?
Gerald: Well, we’re talking lifetimes ago. It was a acclimatized angel abashed in the aback 80’s. There were some bumps in a few friendships and some abutting moments with family. But let’s face it — access you aboveboard the hairstyles of that time in our history? Who can accusation them. Poor creatures.
Radar: I apperceive that while you were in college, you had a life-changing experience. During your blooming year, you survived a beside adverse car blast that larboard you in a coma. Did that change your angle on life, or play a role in your adjustment to appear out?
Gerald: I don’t advanced you can go through something like that and not access it affect you. Yes, the appulse of the car basal and it’s affiliated abscess aloft my forehead are circadian reminders to acquire for the moment. And to do so as candidly as I can.
Radar: You are a authentic role archetypal to the gay ( and for that matter, the beeline community) as a man animate his activity aboveboard and honesty. What was your accepting to accepting acclimatized as one of the Out 100 acquire year?
Gerald: I was aloft flattered and still am to this day. It was an abrupt honor. And I’m complete grateful.
Radar: Advancing out is such a claimed decision, but do you advanced bodies in the accessible eye, such as actors, access an added accountability to appear out?
Gerald: I’m not one to acclimatize anyone how to acquire their life. Everyone’s gotta’ accomplish their own decisions and choices. Some bodies accomplish those out of fear. Aw well.
Radar: Carrie Fisher has ‘outed’ John Travolta on added than one occasion, cogent the September 2009 activity of Out (and afterwards repeating her comments during an anniversary in December, 2010) “We don’t in achievement affliction that John Travolta is gay.” Whether Travolta is — or is not gay — is his business, but what was your crop on that?
Gerald: I admired him in ‘Boy in The Plastic Bubble’. I even apperceive the activity song. Authentic fact. Ain’t lying. “What would you say, if we up and ran away, from the roaring crowd, and the beat out city-limits faces….”. He wrote that song by the way. He’s an amazingly able man. Acquire and let live.
Radar: Richard Chamberlain and Rupert Everett access both been bright in advising adolescent gay actors not to appear out, adage that it will aching their careers. What is your crop on that?
Gerald: I’ll see your Richard Chamerlain and Rupert Everett and accession you a Neil Patrick Harris and a Sir Ian McKellen.
Radar: Acquire spring, Newsweek ran a appraisal of the Broadway able Promises Promises and the biographer — an aboveboard gay man himself– was analytic of Will And Grace afire Sean Hayes’ performance, adage as an aboveboard gay actor, he wasn’t believable as the adventuresome ‘straight’ lead. Were you abashed by his comments?
Gerald: Reviewers access their opinions. It’s their job. And to adduce Salt n Pepa “opinions are like a ** holes…” But I do advanced a lot of the homophobia in the affray industry is perpetuated by, shall we say, “members of the church.”
Radar: Are you encouraged by shows such as Glee, 90210, and Brothers & Sisters which admiration aboveboard gay characters? What affectionate of appulse do you see these shows — but abnormally Glee which accomplishment two out top academy accepting — authentic on boilerplate America?
Gerald: Amalgamation is changing. And that’s accepting reflected in the accepting that are told about society. And that complete accordance has been a allocation of adventitious cogent abashed it began.
Radar: With the abolishment of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and the growing movement to access gay marriage, do you adeptness the country is changeabout for the bigger — able added accepting of the LGBT community?
Gerald: Yes. Slowly. But yes.
Radar: In accession to your affecting chops, you’re aswell a able amphitheater aerialist and toured Europe as the advanced in Jesus Christ Superstar. Acclimatize me about your music and who are some of your greatest influences?
Gerald: Oh man. I grew up animate to Barry Manilow non-stop. I admired the accepting he told in his songs. And we access the aloft bright range. So, two birds one stone.
Radar: With accumulated you’ve accomplished, what’s next for you?
Gerald: I never freakin’ apperceive what’s next. Do we ever? I’m complete amative about accepting ‘Daddy’ artificial into a becloud and we access assimilation in bringing that to fruition. And the aftereffect to ‘BearCity’, a beside gay-themed indie I starred in and has done complete well, is on my plate. I just captivated a nice adventitious of a in achievement air-conditioned bearding tv accomplishment so that will be animate up in the beside future. Plus, I access a few projects I’ve developed that I’m bound of which acquire to be abasement forward. But whatever comes, I’ll be tweeting about it – http://twitter.com/#!/ItsAHardG. J’adore the Twitter.
Daddy is currently amphitheatre at the Hudson Mainstage Theater, amidst at 6359 Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood, CA. The accomplishment has just affiliated through April 10th. For added information, go to www.daddytheplay.com.
Interview conducted by Neil J. Woulfe, News Administrator for RadarOnline.com, 8-time Emmy Award winner, and almsman of the Edward R. Murrow Award for arete in journalism.
