Tell me a little about Minor Gods. What can we expect?
It's a smart play, actually, quick and smart and yes, I'm in my underpants a lot.

What was it that first attracted you to the play?
My character, Felix, is a really sexy smart guy who has a good heart and knows who he is. He can go from fluff to real stuff in five seconds flat and he knows how to own a room - which is fun.

So, how similar are you to your character?
I guess I am a little. Having fun and being goofy and being capable of holding thoughtful conversations shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Guys who dumb themselves down are boring.

Is there anyone you currently worship in a god like fashion?
There are people whose careers I admire, or whose body I want to have, but worship? That would be a little over the top I think.

If you could erase the source of all of the alienation in your life, would you do it?
No. Obstacles build character. It's like shopping on a budget or travelling in a place where you don't know the language - you learn about yourself from difficulties.

"Half-way through [a photo shoot] your body starts to realize that it's a real person you're pressed up against, not a prop, and then you have to take a coffee break."

The entire American cast has come over for the London run. Do you think audiences are going to react differently to the play over here?
Yeah, I think they will. The play hinges a lot on the two characters’ hang-ups with religion and sex - you know Americans can be such children about those topics. It will be interesting to see if the London audiences see it as a specifically American play, or if they too like to see a ‘straight’ guy get seduced and fall apart a little.

So are you planning on hitting the gay bars of Compton Street while you’re in London?
Already have! Great fun and I plan to continue - anybody good as a tour guide?

Finish the sentence: A good night our starts with….?
Friends

And it ends with…?
Strangers. Wa ha a ha ah ah ahaahhhaaaaa! Seriously.

Do you find sexy photo shoots easy or embarrassing?
Photo shoots are almost always embarrassing, but this was my first nude photo session and it was indeed awkward. Half-way through your body starts to realize that it's a real person you're pressed up against, not a prop, and then you have to take a coffee break.

What’s been the most ridiculous thing you’ve been asked to do for a promotion?
Sing in a shopping centre a capella.

The play carries the teasing tag line “contains male nudity and is suitable for mature audiences only.” Does it bother you that sex is used to sell tickets?
Sex is used to sell everything. Thank God. And humour. Can you imagine if we had to look at advertisements plastered all over every freaking surface of our lives and they had neither?

"I don't have the best body, but It's nice and It's a real challenge not to let a costume hide you, it's very, um, stripped down and elemental."

So how do you feel about getting your clothes off on stage?
I like it. I don't have the best body, but It's nice and It's a real challenge not to let a costume hide you, it's very, um, stripped down and elemental.

Do you mind that a lot of the men who watch the play are going to be lusting after you?
I'd prefer it, if that's how they feel.

If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be?
I'd make it collapsible so I could sleep on planes.

What comes first for you: sex or love?
Chemistry.

What do you think is the secret of a good relationship?
The desire of both parties to be in one in the first place.

Do you have a favourite line or scene in the play?
Yeah, actually there's this beautiful line I say to describe the skin of a former love: “Like his soul had just hit the air, and dried." I love that.

"I really like to play gay characters... [because] they're becoming increasingly complex, interesting and real."

What has been your greatest discovery online?
TED talks. Google it.

What cliché most applies to you or your life?
Actor, broke, sexy, flighty, fun. Pick one…

And finally, what’s next for you? Can we expect to see you play gay in the future?
Undoubtedly. I really like to play gay characters when I get a chance because - as they're written more and more - they're becoming increasingly complex, interesting and real.

Read Our Review Of Minor Gods »
Click for the full GaydarNation review including image gallery and queer ratings.

Read Our Interview With Brian Patacca »
Click to read the sexy, humorous actor talk about tight jeans and being sexy!

Minor Gods, by Charles Forbes
Above The Stag Theatre
15 Bressenden Place
London, SW1E 5DD
0844 478 0030 / www.abovethestag.com

13 May-31 May 2009

Want more? Then buy the DVD of Were the World Mine, a film musical that raises itself above the slew of other teen movies with the sheer force of its charm.