Comedian Jason Stuart stops by to hang with pal Poppy Champlin and share humor at Art House in Provincetown
June 30, 2010
By Loren King, Provincetown Banner

Comic and actor Jason Stuart says he doesn't fit in anywhere, not even in Provincetown. "I'm not slim enough to be a circuit boy but I'm not heavy enough to be a bear," he says, "Maybe I'd be more successful if I did drag, but that would be hard because I'd look like an ugly Russian peasant woman.

Stuart's status as a single, Jewish gay man living in Hollywood has long provided him with comic fodder. His 2007 show "Making It to the Middle" — as in middle age, mid-career and performing in middle America — premiered on Here! TV and is now available on DVD.

He's happy to return to the Provincetown stage for the first time since 2001 when he performed "Gay Comedy Without a Dress" at Tropical Joe's ("I still remember that coconut shrimp."). This time, he'll share billing with his pal Poppy Champlin for two shows, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 2 and 3, at the Art House in a show called "Boy on Girl: No Touching, Just Laughing."

Stuart, like Champlin, lives in L.A., so the pair have worked together several times including on Logo's new comedy series "One Night Stand-Up" (it will air Sept. 1) and in a benefit that Stuart produced as chairman of the comedy shows for Lifeworks Mentoring Program for gay youth. The upcoming Provincetown show, he says, will feature stand-up and singing, including the comic's version of "The Lady Is a Tramp," called "Comedy Is Champ."

Besides his stand-up work, Stuart is a busy character actor. His resumé boasts recurring roles on many TV shows ranging from "Everybody Hates Chris" to "The Closer," with Kyra Sedgwick. In addition to several indie films, Stuart's stints on the small screen include "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "House, M.D.," "George Lopez," "Charmed" and his role as "Dr. Thomas," the gay family therapist on "My Wife and Kids."

Beginning Aug. 16, audiences can check out his appearance as "Ira, the skinhead who's really a Jewish accountant" on MTV's "Warren, the Ape," a new show about a sock puppet that Stuart describes as "Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Alf." This month, he's in the indie romantic comedy "Finding Mr. Wright" as one half of the gay couple "who are neighbors of the good-looking younger leads," he says.

Despite his productivity, Stuart says his career took off only after he came out in 1993 — 17 years ago is centuries in terms of gay visibility in Hollywood. He was a guest on the Geraldo Rivera talk show for a segment about "unconventional comedians." Even though Stuart describes himself at the time as "so gay I could redecorate a room just by looking at it," he wasn't out professionally — until that show.

"It was very scary. It was a very different time," he says. "I wasn't sure if I was ever going to work again, but it was more important for me to be who I am than to be in show business."

Not only did the acting jobs continue to come his way, but Stuart found his voice as a stand-up comic. He also became the chairman for the first ever Screen Actors Guild LGBT Committee, formed to provide support to LGBT actors and to educate the membership, the industry and the public on LGBT actor's issues. Stuart writes frequently on the topic of LGBT actors in the workplace on his website (www.jasonstuart.com) and recently addressed the controversial Newsweek article by a gay writer that asserted that openly gay actors such as Sean Hayes aren't believable in straight roles.

"No one got on board with that. It was very 1983; it's not what's happening today," says Stuart, who has played plenty of straight characters. ("I love straight people. They are gay-makers. They pop us out like Pop Tarts — look, this one has frosting!")

He's looking forward to spending a few days with Champlin in Provincetown where he hopes to "meet great men and hang with lesbian pals" before dashing off to Boston where he'll audition for a feature film. He says he'd love to be married, but until the right guy comes along, marriage will continue to be a source of humor. A popular item on his website is a T-shirt that reads, "Come on, straight people … If you let us marry each other, we'll stop marrying you!"

Back in the 1990s Jason Stuart made his mark with his Coming Out Comedy Tour, which made him the first out comic to appear in a major comedy clubs. In the ensuing years he made the successful leap to acting, having appeared in more than 100 films and television shows in both gay and straight roles. Most recently Stuart was seen on The Closer as the owner of a storage facility that discovers a dead body. It's a performance that is being considered for an Emmy Award nomination.

He also may be a familiar face from his appearances on Will & Grace, George Lopez, Everybody Hates Chris, House, M.D., It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Charmed, to name a few. He is best known playing "Dr. Thomas", the gay family therapist on My Wife and Kids. Some of his more recent film roles include Coffee Date (for which he was nominated for a Gay International Film Award for best supporting actor), the recent remake of The Pit and the Pendulum (the gay version in which he plays the villain) and his own totally improvised independent film 10 Attitudes.

In his role as the chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee, Stuart made headlines recently when asked to respond to Newsweek's Ramin Setoodeh's contention that gay actors couldn't convincingly play straight roles. "It's damaging words like his that continue to be used to pressure actors to stay in the closet, and place doubt in those in positions of power about their casting choices," Stuart wrote in LA Frontiers Magazine. "At the end of the day, though, if Setoodeh can't accept a gay actor in a straight role, then that's really his problem, isn't it? And he needs to keep that in the closet."

But it is stand-up that brings Stuart to Provincetown this week when he appears with Poppy Champlin at the Art House on Friday and Saturday, July 2 and 3, for a show entitled Boy on Girl Comedy... No Touching EDGE caught with Stuart recently where he answered questions about acting vs. stand-up, playing straight roles, and that Setoodeh snafu.

A sister act?

EDGE: You're in Provincetown at the Art House for two nights with Poppy Champlin. Is this a sister act?

Jason Stuart: Well Poppy would call it a brother act! But I love Poppy and her talent and am thrilled to be performing with her.

EDGE: Have you performed at the Art House before?

Jason Stuart: No. But have met Michelle Crone the owner and excited to work with there! I Love Ptown. No big companies are in the Ptown, but main street is call Commercial Street.

EDGE: Do you consider yourself an actor who does stand-up or a stand-up comic who is a character actor?

Jason Stuart: An actor who does stand-up. Like Barbra Streisand is an actress who sings.

Negative impact?

EDGE: You were one of the first -- if not the first -- out comics. I take it being out has never been an issue for you, but do you think it has had any negative impact on your career?

Jason Stuart: I was not the first, (I was) sort of in the second wave. Robin Tyler, Michael Greer and Kate Clinton come out way before me. It created a whole different career for me, one that I thought I would never have. I have got to do so many wonderful things. The late night talk shows still are a boys club, but the comedy clubs were great to me.

EDGE: You do a lecture -- Coming Out in Hollywood -- to largely corporate audiences. Could you describe it?

Jason Stuart: I talk about what is like to be openly gay in the workplace. I am funny or serious whatever the client wants. I also show clips and answer a lot of questions? Like when did you know you gay, I say Thursday! They had a meeting at Elton Johns' house... and they choose me!

EDGE: What do you find funny?

Jason Stuart: My parents, my mother all the time. I was on the phone with her last week told I was dating this guy Raoul. She says is he gay? I said no, he's a leprechaun! Of course he's gay. That's the most important part!

EDGE: Ptown audiences are notoriously rowdy. How do you handle a disruptive audience?

Jason Stuart: Bring it on, I love a rowdy crowd. I am gay and Jewish, so loud is my kind of comedy!

EDGE: What has been a career high point?

Jason Stuart: This last year guest-starring on The Closer with Kyra Sedgwick and having the show put my in consideration for and Emmy nomination. I know I will never get it but it was so nice. And I loved playing the role... A straight guy was a manager of a storage unit who finds a dead body.

EDGE: And, conversely, a low point?

Jason Stuart: Not really having a place in the comedy community. That's why my stand up special was called Jason Stuart: Making It To The Middle. There is a glass ceiling in the stand up world for out gay male comedians. Where do we fit in? It seems gay men like women comedians best, lesbians like women best, straight guys like straight guy comedians best, so we have some work to support our own. Don't get me wrong we have come a long way. But sometime the one who makes the path does not get to drive in the same way. But In the long run, I feel really lucky I get to make a living doing what I love and I am very grateful.

EDGE: You say in your web bio that you achieve "brutal honesty with humor in a world that's not always kind." Could you elaborate on that quote?

Jason Stuart: Well growing up gay was not easy in the 70s. I was that kid who was beat up and slammed in the lockers. It shaped my life. I could have been Matthew Shepherd. I am very lucky, that's why I mentor a kid and produce a pushed comedy benefit for Lifeworks in Los Angeles. Visit the event's website.

Playing straight roles

EDGE: Do you have any idols in comedy?

Jason Stuart: Lily Tomlin is doing it at the highest level. Loved Joan Rivers from day one, Alec Mapa is so good, Mario Cantone is so fast on his feet, Louis Anderson could get a laugh for just turning his head, and so many more.

EDGE: In the current documentary about Joan Rivers, it is apparent that she gets much of her humor from being angry. Not to generalize to broadly, but is anger a crucial element in any comic's personality?

Jason Stuart: I think feeling left out is it for me. If I felt loved growing up I would have a good job rather that trying to make 1000s of people make me laugh all the time! And pretending to be somebody else! in TV & film of course.

EDGE: As the chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee, have you seen first-hand any change in Hollywood's attitude towards LGBT characters in films and television?

Jason Stuart: Yes, for me this was the year of playing straight guys, The Closer, Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, the indi film Walk A Mile In Pradas And The Truth About Layla... and on Wareen, The Ape on August 16th on MTV... all playing straight guys. So the showbiz world is a changin'.

EDGE: What is the committee's mission?

Jason Stuart: Educating the Screen Actors Guild membership, entertainment industry and general public about LGBT actors' issues; ending discrimination against LGBT actors in the Educating the Screen Actors Guild membership, entertainment industry and general public about LGBT actors' issues; ending discrimination against LGBT actors in the workplace; and expanding work opportunities for LGBT actors.

EDGE: A few years ago Brokeback Mountain was seen as a film that was going to help initiate more gay-themed commercial films. Yet since then only Milk has come close. Why do you think Hollywood still is reluctant to embrace films with LGBT themes and major gay characters?

Jason Stuart: Both those films had straight leads. My committee is about supporting out actors whatever their role is. I think the industry has a long way to go in treating all races equal. (As for LGBT actors) it is much better now and we are all working on it.

EDGE: You were outspoken about Newsweek's Ramin Setoodeh's contention that gay actors couldn't convincingly play straight roles. Have you had the chance to address him directly?

Jason Stuart: No, he seems to have gone into the witness protection program. lol

EDGE: If you had the opportunity to speak to him directly, what would you say to him?

Jason Stuart: Why? And why does the press only want to do stories about negative things rather than a follow up story on who's doing well.

EDGE: You have been doing a lot of television lately -- do you ever feel typecast as the gay character?

Jason Stuart: I have been lucky and get to play both straight and gay. I played a few gays guys of late. In a pilot for NBC, The Pink House and a few in films Gay Baby and currently working on Finding Mr. Wright.

EDGE: What do you think of Rupert Everett's advice that an aspiring actor in Hollywood should stay in the closet?

Jason Stuart: I would kill you and two other people to have his career. I think he needs to be more grateful, but I love him just the same.

EDGE: Is it hard to balance your busy career with a personal life?

Jason Stuart: What personal life! I have great friends and both my parents are still alive and I live nicely. A good man would make it perfect!

Much has been said and written about the recent Newsweek article "Straight Jacket: Heterosexual actors play gay all the time. Why doesn't it ever work in reverse?" Contributor Ramin Setoodeh contends that audiences do not accept openly gay actors playing straight roles, such as Sean Hayes in Promises, Promises and Glee's Jonathan Groff, while offering no proof to support this claim other than his own discomfort.

You may agree or disagree with Setoodeh's assessment of a performance (clearly Tony voters disagreed), but he moves beyond that assessment to blame the sexual orientation of the actor in making the roles unbelievable. The writer postulates that out actors make unconvincing heterosexuals, an empirically unsupportable idea due to the subjective nature of audience responses. But Setoodeh, an out gay man himself, makes it very clear where he falls on the matter.

To bolster his case, he dismisses straight roles played by Neil Patrick Harris and Portia de Rossi as "broad" (so he won't count them), and conveniently overlooks Sean Hayes' perfectly believable turn as Jerry Lewis, Emmy-winner Cherry Jones, Academy Award-nominee Ian McKellen, Lily Tomlin on Damages, T.R. Knight on Grey's Anatomy, Dan Butler on Frasier and Jane Lynch as Meryl Streep's straight sister in Julie & Julia, among others.

As an out professional actor and chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee, I reject the notion that openly gay actors are restricted in the roles they can play, and I am proud that so many people, gay and straight, have spoken out about Setoodeh and Newsweek to say the same.

I am a fan of Glee, and feel that Jonathan Groff is perfect for the role he was cast. The fact that Setoodeh can't accept him may say more about his own discomfort with being gay than it does about Groff, but the author's mean-spirited jab could potentially be damaging to the actor's livelihood in the future.

Since the furor erupted over Setoodeh's article, both he and Newsweek have attempted (with little success) to re-frame the wrongheaded argument as a "dialogue starter" that will help move the needle. And maybe that is proving to be true on some level.

What Setoodeh has unwittingly done is pull the curtain back to reveal those who are gay and self-hating. We are now used to revelations of self-loathing politicians who pass anti-gay laws by day while leading a secret gay life. But Setoodeh's article has launched a dialogue about certain gays who inhabit the entertainment industry—agents, managers, casting directors, publicists and the like—who make it difficult for out actors and may be actively engaging in their oppression.

Glee creator Ryan Murphy, a gay man, has emerged from this debate as a role model for the industry. He wrote that when casting his show, actors "are encouraged to read for all roles, no matter what their sexual orientation, color or gender. Who cares who you are or who you sleep with … frankly, it's none of our business or concern. The actor with the best audition should get the part."

Murphy gets that it takes talent for any actor to make a character believable, and that actors play roles quite different from themselves, otherwise it wouldn't be acting.

Our SAG LGBT Actors Committee was formed to provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender actors who work in this business. Our committee will continue to fight to end fear that being open about who you are means the end of your career, but it's an uphill battle when some of our biggest detractors, like Setoodeh, are members of our own community.

It's damaging words like his that continue to be used to pressure actors to stay in the closet, and place doubt in those in positions of power about their casting choices. At the end of the day, though, if Setoodeh can't accept a gay actor in a straight role, then that's really his problem, isn't it? And he needs to keep that in the closet.

Actor/Comedian Jason Stuart is chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee. He was most recently seen on The Closer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, House and his own stand-up special Jason Stuart: Making it to the Middle.

MONDAY MORNING HOLLYWOOD

I know that face. Jason Stuart has graced us with his talents in "The Closer," the "George Lopez" show, "House," "It Always Sunny In Philadelphia," "My Wife & Kids," an endless number of independent films and his own one-hour stand up special "Jason Stuart: Making It To The Middle". Jason is everywhere, but getting there has taken a great deal of passion, hard work commitment and chance.

What was the first job you ever had?
My first job was babysitting. The parents were artists and every room in the house was a different color. Being there was like being in heaven and the family was great to work for. When I talked they listened. In my house we were always told that children were to be "seen, but not heard." Their outlook had a great influence on me. It still does.

What made you pursue a career in Hollywood?
I wanted to be noticed. Growing up I felt like Jan on "The Brady Bunch." It was always, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha."

What was your first job in the movie/TV business and how did you get it?
I was a guest star on a nighttime comedy soap opera with Bill Barty. I got the job after a chance meeting between my brother and the producers at Hamburger Hamlet. He was out for dinner and chatted them up while he was waiting for a table… even better, I was out delivering head shots to agents trying to get someone to represent me at the time. Who knew?

What is your dream job?
A supporting role in a Jason Reitman's film or acting opposite Meryl Streep in anything! Are you reading this Meryl?

What do you do on a typical day off?
I spend my days off watching TV shows , laying in bed crying and wondering why I don't have a boyfriend for a little while, then I go for a hike or spend time with friends - talking about why I don't have a boy friend... just kidding, sort of.

What inspires you?
Risk. Honesty. Loyalty. Art. Kindness. Generosity.

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Make films well, not quick. Cast actors who bring art and vision to the table. Make sure everyone in the film is also willing to promote the film. Listen to everyone and make decisions on your own.

What are you doing now?
I was recently cast as a guest on Michael Lembeck's NBC pilot, The Pink House.

What do you hope to be doing ten years from now?
I hope to be married to a guy who is smart, sexy and looks like he was in prison, but in reality is just good at role playing. Always the actor! I also hope to be doing a series that is quality and lets me take time off to do an Oscar worthy film with Lee Daniels.

To learn more about Jason visit www.jasonstuart.com.

Much has been said and written about the recent Newsweek article "Straight Jacket: Heterosexual actors play gay all the time. Why doesn't it ever work in reverse?" Contributor Ramin Setoodeh contends that audiences do not accept openly gay actors playing straight roles, such as Sean Hayes in Promises, Promises and Glee's Jonathan Groff, while offering no proof to support this claim other than his own discomfort.

You may agree or disagree with Setoodeh's assessment of a performance (clearly Tony voters disagreed), but he moves beyond that assessment to blame the sexual orientation of the actor in making the roles unbelievable. The writer postulates that out actors make unconvincing heterosexuals, an empirically unsupportable idea due to the subjective nature of audience responses. But Setoodeh, an out gay man himself, makes it very clear where he falls on the matter.

To bolster his case, he dismisses straight roles played by Neil Patrick Harris and Portia de Rossi as "broad" (so he won't count them), and conveniently overlooks Sean Hayes' perfectly believable turn as Jerry Lewis, Emmy-winner Cherry Jones, Academy Award-nominee Ian McKellen, Lily Tomlin on Damages, T.R. Knight on Grey's Anatomy, Dan Butler on Frasier, and Jane Lynch as Meryl Streep's straight sister in Julie and Julia, among others

As an out professional actor and chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee, I reject the notion that openly gay actors are restricted in the roles they can play, and I am proud that so many people, gay and straight, have spoken out about Setoodeh and Newsweek to say the same.

I am a fan of Glee, and feel that Jonathan Groff is perfect for the role he was cast. The fact that Setoodeh can't accept him may say more about his own discomfort with being gay than it does about Groff, but the author's mean-spirited jab could potentially be damaging to the actor's livelihood in the future.

Since the furor erupted over Setoodeh's article, both he and Newsweek have attempted (with little success) to re-frame the wrongheaded argument as a "dialogue starter" that will help move the needle. And maybe that is proving to be true on some level.

What Setoodeh has unwittingly done is pull the curtain back to reveal those who are gay and self-hating. We are now used to revelations of self-loathing politicians who pass anti-gay laws by day while leading a secret gay life. But Setoodeh's article has launched a dialogue about certain gays who inhabit the entertainment industry -- agents, managers, casting directors, publicists and the like -- who make it difficult for out actors and may be actively engaging in their oppression.

Glee creator Ryan Murphy, a gay man, has emerged from this debate as a role model for the industry. He wrote that when casting his show, actors "are encouraged to read for all roles, no matter what their sexual orientation, color or gender. Who cares who you are or who you sleep with...frankly, it's none of our business or concern. The actor with the best audition should get the part."

Murphy gets that it takes talent for any actor to make a character believable, and that actors play roles quite different from themselves, otherwise it wouldn't be acting.

Our SAG LGBT Actors Committee was formed to provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender actors who work in this business. Our committee will continue to fight to end fear that being open about who you are means the end of your career, but it's an uphill battle when some of our biggest detractors, like Setoodeh, are members of our own community.

It's damaging words like his that continue to be used to pressure actors to stay in the closet, and place doubt in those in positions of power about their casting choices. At the end of the day, though, if Setoodeh can't accept a gay actor in a straight role, then that's really his problem, isn't it? And he needs to keep that in the closet.

Actor/Comedian Jason Stuart is chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee. He was most recently seen on The Closer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, House, and his own stand up special Jason Stuart: Making it to the Middle.

Many of you have likely heard about the recent Newsweek article "Straight Jacket: Heterosexual actors play gay all the time. Why doesn't it ever work in reverse?" Contributor Ramin Setoodeh contends that audiences do not accept openly gay actors playing straight roles, such as Sean Hayes in "Promises, Promises" and Jonathan Groff of "Glee," while offering no proof to support this claim other than his own discomfort.

As an out professional actor and chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee, I am offended by Setoodeh's attack and proud that our union rejects the notion that openly gay actors are restricted in the roles they can play. I am equally proud that so many people, gay and straight, have spoken out about Setoodeh and Newsweek to say the same.

It has been important for SAG to have a voice in this discussion on behalf of all my fellow brothers and sisters. Our union works tirelessly to advocate diverse hiring of underrepresented groups—including minorities, women, and performers with disabilities—in the entertainment industry. And our union demands that all performers have equal employment opportunities, insisting that qualified individuals are hired regardless of how they may identify. I am an actor; it's not who I am but what I can play that counts.

The SAG LGBT Actors Committee was created to provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender actors so that they don't need to feel as if they must hide who they are in order to work in this business. But it is harmful attitudes like those of Setoodeh, an out gay man himself—given a national platform by Newsweek—that are used to pressure actors to stay in the closet, and perhaps worse, place doubt in those in positions of power about their casting choices.

Since the furor over the article erupted, a dialogue has evolved about gays who inhabit the entertainment industry—agents, managers, casting directors, publicists, and the like—who make it difficult for out actors and, some believe, actively engage in holding them back.

To help break this cycle, our SAG committee and the SAG Affirmative Action & Diversity Department regularly meet with entertainment executives to quell fears of the "big pink elephant in the room," as Setoodeh so gracefully wrote. The committee annually hosts an Out in Hollywood event—last year partnering with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation—which brings together out casting directors, producers, and actors to discuss the state of the industry for LGBT actors. We also host a variety of screenings, roundtable discussions and film festival panels in Hollywood and New York to not only celebrate the out actor but also challenge those in hiring positions who may have preconceived notions about casting an LGBT actor.

"Glee" creator Ryan Murphy, a gay man, has emerged from this Newsweek debate as a role model for those in the industry to follow. He wrote that when casting his show, actors "are encouraged to read for all roles, no matter what their sexual orientation, color, or gender. Who cares who you are or who you sleep with…frankly, it's none of our business or concern. The actor with the best audition should get the part."

Unfortunately, not every showrunner is as committed to diversity. Murphy gets that it takes talent for any actor to make a character believable and that actors play roles quite different from themselves, otherwise it wouldn't be acting—and he has a hit show to prove it.

Our work is clearly not done, and our union will continue to fight to end fear within the acting community that being open about who you are means the end of your career. But it's an uphill battle when some of our biggest detractors, like Setoodeh, are members of our own community.

Actor-comedian Jason Stuart is chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee. He was most recently seen on "The Closer," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "House," and his own standup special "Jason Stuart: Making It to the Middle."

The Screen Actors Guild has blasted Newsweek's controversial "Straight Jacket" article in which contributor Ramin Setoodeh contends that auds do not accept openly gay actors playing straight roles.

"Screen Actors Guild rejects the notion that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) actors are restricted in the roles they can play," SAG said in a statement Thursday.

In the article, Newsweek associate editor Setoodeh discussed Sean Hayes' performance on Broadway in a revival of "Promises, Promises" and Glee" cast member Jonathan Groff. "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy has called for a boycott of the magazine; the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has urged Newsweek to issue an apology, and Kristin Chenoweth, Hayes' co-star, has called the article "homophobic."

GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios said, "Whether he intended it to or not, Ramin Setoodeh's article in Newsweek sends a false and damaging message about gay actors by endorsing the idea that there are limits to the roles they are able to play."

Newsweek responded by saying that Setoodeh wrote "a thoughtful, honest essay on a controversial topic. It's unfortunate that his argument has been misunderstood and he has been unfairly accused of bigotry."

Jason Stuart, chair of the SAG National LGBT Actors Committee, said in a statement that Setoodeh's "wrongheaded argument sends a damaging and false message that we are limited in the roles we are able to play."

Stuart said the SAG committee was formed to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender actors so they no longer need to feel as if they must hide who they are in order to work.

"Unfortunately, harmful attitudes like those of Setoodeh are used to pressure actors to stay in the closet," Stuart added. "Our work is clearly not done, and we will continue to fight to end fear within the acting community that being open about who you are means the end of your career. I'm an actor; it's not who I am but what I can play that counts."

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG deputy national exec director and general counsel, said the guild's committed to supporting all members in their pursuit of work in order to attain full inclusion within the industry. " SAG will continue to demand that all performers have equal employment opportunities and insist that qualified individuals are hired regardless of how they may identify," Crabtree-Ireland added.
 

Yesterday, SAG National LGBT Actors Committee chair Jason Stuart condemned a recent Newsweek column that questioned gay actors' abilities to convincingly play straight roles.

The piece was written by journalist Ramin Setoodeh, who is gay.

"Intentional or not," Stuart wrote in a prepared statement, "Ramin Setoodeh's wrongheaded argument sends a damaging and false message that we are limited in the roles we are able to play."

Stuart continued, "This committee was formed to provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender actors so that they no longer need to feel as if they must hide who they are in order to work in this business.

"Unfortunately, harmful attitudes like those of Setoodeh are used to pressure actors to stay in the closet. Our work is clearly not done and we will continue to fight to end fear within the acting community that being open about who you are means the end of your career. I'm an actor; it's not who I am but what I can play that counts."

In case Newsweek editors haven't noticed, this controversy most definitely has legs.

Which isn't surprising.

Since the passage of Proposition 8 in 2008, which banned same sex marriage in California, the gay community and its allies have never been more consistently vocal in standing up for themselves since the height of the AIDS epidemic.

President Barack Obama, for example, has been feeling the heat over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and other policies, the Mormon church continues to take hits for its role in the passage of Proposition 8, and gays and lesbians become outraged whenever someone like Setoodeh or gay director Todd Holland suggest that gay actors should stay in the closet.
 

Stuart returns to St. Louis this weekend to the Gaslight Theatre (358 North Boyle Avenue) in the Central West End. The comic-turned character actor (He's had roles on The Closer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, House, Will and Grace, George Lopez and Charmed.) He's doing two shows this weekend.

While he won't even come close to telling his age ("You're going to ask a gay guy his age? That's so not going to happen"), Stuart did talk openly about what he's been up to the decade-plus or so since he's been on a stage in St. Louis, and on calling "bullshit" on the unwritten rule that gay actors can't play straight characters on-screen.

The press release for your appearances in St. Louis begin immediately with your successes at Wesport Plaza in the early 90s. What about it?

It was my whole Coming Out Tour. I came out in '93 on the Geraldo Show. All through the '90s, I started doing Funnybone chain of comedy clubs across the country and St. Louis was one of the first places. What was unique about doing it in St. Louis -- it sold-out, and had extra shows added. It was just amazing. You know you're from that town and for us in LA, or where I was born in New York, there's a weird mentality that the Midwest is a strange place. But it's not. The only difference is you guys smoke.

You've done a lot of television work as a character actor. You sometimes play a straight character. Is it tougher for gay actors to get straight roles, when in contrast, straight actors often get gay leading roles, like Sean Penn and James Franco in Milk?

That Newsweek article ("Straight Jacket") claims that out actors cannot play straight parts. So I wrote a rebuttal to it. Because in LA, I'm the chairman of the Screen Actor's Guild LGBT committee. I'm the chair for two reasons: To be supportive of my fellow actors, and 2. [that claim is] bullshit.

I can play a completely different character. You know how I did that? I'm an actor!

Where do you see this issue down the line?

I think ten years from now, I think we're going to go, 'oh god, can you believe we did stuff like that?'"

As a character actor, you often play the gay guy, or the Jewish guy, or the gay Jewish guy, do you ever tire of playing familiar roles, or do you see it as a way to further hone your skills?

It's never tiring to have a job. You know?
 

At long last the wait is over as openly gay actor and comedian, Jason Stuart returns to The Lou for two-shows-only, May 21-22 at The Gaslight Theatre (358 N. Boyle).

Many will remember Stuart's wildly popular 1990s Coming Out Comedy Tour where he became the first openly gay comic to headline mainstream comedy clubs both here and around the county. In fact the funny man sold out so many St. Louis shows that the West Port Plaza club had to add additional dates.

"You guys in St. Louis gave me so much love and so much confidence in being able to be who I was," said Stuart. "You guys put me out into the country in a really good way and I got a lot of work because of it with the Funny Bone comedy chain."

Stuart is excited to return to St. Louis with his new tour, Jason Stuart: Making It To The Middle and promises an OUTrageously fun evening.

A prolific actor with over 100 film and television credits; the chair of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Actors Committee has appeared in myriad roles, including House, Will & Grace, George Lopez, and Charmed, to name a few .

Vital VOICE recently caught up with Stuart via telephone where he talked about his coming out, his comedy, and the controversial Newsweek story attacking openly gay actors:

Colin Murphy: Many people will remember you from your Coming Out Tour at West Port's Funny Bone in the 1990s. When you were first starting that tour as an openly gay comic, were you concerned how you would be received in the Midwest?

Jason Stuart: It wasn't the Midwest that I was worried about. I think what I was worried about is how it [coming out] would impact on my career—whether I would have lost all of my entire inner dreams and what I wanted to do. I mean people have this stereotype of the Midwest; but you have to realize, I toured in the Midwest ten years before that as a closeted act. So this idea of separating audiences because of where they live was not my experience.

CM: What compelled you to come out—what was the catalyst?

JS: It was exhausting. It's hard to live in the closet—there's hat boxes and shit in the way—you're standing on boxes of shoes and you're behind the leather jacket. Then somebody opens up the closet and light goes on for a second and then immediately goes right back off and you don't really get to see things clearly. I mean I've lived totally in the closet—I've lived sort of half-and-half and then I've lived totally out—and I would never go back.

All I really ever wanted to do was be an actor; and being a comedian was sort of a stepping stone to that, but I had gotten very successful doing it and not really realizing that I had a talent for that. So my hope was that being who I was would be accepting to people. It's so interesting that we're talking today about this because I don't know if you read the Newsweek article...

CM: Yes—let's talk about that. I don't know what was more frustrating—the fact that the writer said gay men can't play believable straight roles or that it was a gay man who wrote it?

JS: Well both—did you read the piece in Daily Variety? When I read this [Newsweek] article by this gay man, who's a journalist, basically disparaging Sean Hayes' performance because he knew that he was gay—if John Ritter had played that role or Jerry Lewis in the 1960s had played that role; both of them very feminine in their work as actors, both of them heterosexual men—I don't think that he would have said that. Just because someone is effete in some sort of way is not always equated with homosexuality. Secondly—he even says in his article that the audience was really digging his performance. It's a fun, saucy musical and he was also nominated for a Tony award for the role—let's get that into the equation—which he didn't even say in the article…

And I was so frustrated because so much has gone on in the last ten years, and I can only speak from my own experience. Last year I guest starred on The Closer and I played a very big role as a heterosexual; I've had a role in a show called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and played a heterosexual; I played a cop in a movie for the first time in a film called The Truth About Layla with Catherine Hicks from 7th Heaven. I've been able to have opportunities in addition to gay roles and other more effete roles—and I never want to stop playing gay parts. But if I waited around for just the gay roles I wouldn't be able to make a living.

So many of the things he said so mortified me—like the idea that Neil Patrick Harris and Portia de Rossi on their sitcom were caricatures because they were working in comedy. So almost disparaging the idea that comedy is not as real as drama and not to be viewed in the same way. There's so many he things that he attacked on so many levels and what he is basically saying is that it's OK for heterosexual, white, Christian men to play anything and nobody cares—but if a gay person plays something or someone who is of a different origin in their life, then their work isn't as valid … What he is saying is just not true and what he's also doing by putting that out there—he's affecting my living as an actor by telling people I can't do stuff. I invite anyone to go to my website; look at the work that I've done, and tell me I can't play different types of characters...

This idea—it's blatant homophobia, I believe, and when people say it's just the media because we know so much about everybody—we've always known things about people. I'm sort of glad that he did it because he did it so badly. His arguments were so bad and his self loathing was so apparent and I've never talked to anybody who agrees with him.

CM: Back to Making it to the Middle—what can people expect from your show?

JS: My favorite thing that happened the other night: I was doing a show in Los Angeles for the Lifeworks mentoring program, which is a place to mentor gay youth. And I'm doing the show and I'm gelling and having a great time with everybody; and there's a group of gay guys and I told some joke and they all go—Ooooh. And I said, "Look—if I were Margaret Cho or Kathy Griffin you'd be masturbating in your circle—shut the hell up!" And of course my favorite joke that I love for the gay community is, "Come on straight people—it's 2010—if you let us marry each other, we'll stop marrying you!"

CM: Do you have any projects coming up you'd like to talk about?

JS: I am actually up for consideration for an Emmy nomination for my work on The Closer. I will be in a new series in June on MTV called Warren The Ape—which is sort of like House meets Curb Your Enthusiasm—and I did my first sock puppet-to-human acting. [Laughs].
 

I love comics. I mean real old-school comics. I worked for Bob Hope. I loved and learned from my buddy Paul Lynde. I have a new guy I insist you check out. His name is Jason Stuart and he is just simply brilliant. He is truly recognized in the biz as a gifted, prolific actor as well. He has been in a ton of things: Will & Grace, Charmed, Everybody Hates Chris, My Wife and Kids. He has a television special running on HereTV titled, Jason Stuart: Making It to the Middle. I spoke with him last week and just simply fell in love with his wit. True wit. This guy is a total star. Check him out at www.jasonstuart.com.
 

Television and film actor Jason Stuart takes a role he's been waiting a long time to be cast in — on the stage.

You've probably seen Jason Stuart's face all over television, films, and comedy clubs. As a working actor, Stuart has done just about everything, including starring in small indie films, working the background, and playing the comic relief.

In his latest project, a play titled Above the Line, the inner workings of a film are revealed in true comedic fashion. Stuart plays Jeremy, a Hollywood producer working on a film about the Boston Tea Party. He ends up falling for Christian (Stewart W. Calhoun), a young guy just trying to break out in the business. The comedy also includes a fiery fling between Lucy and John (Heather Marie Marsden and Nick Mennell, respectively), the machinations of a powerful studio exec (Denise Dowse), and surprise visits from "Mother" — she could probably be described as an omnipresent Elizabeth Taylor-like character, who appears only in voice and video.

Stuart, 51, says that if he had his choice of a famous diva mother in real life, it wouldn't be Liz. He'd pick Babs.

"When I was growing up, her being Jewish, being funny, talented was something so incredible," he says. "When I was a kid growing up there were no Jewish women who were like this ... I remember as a kid seeing the movie Funny Girl and going, 'Oh, my God, that's me!"

Stuart also gives major props to the crew behind the scenes, including Ovation Award-winning playwright Susan Rubin, whom he calls "one of the funniest people I've ever met in my entire life."

Along with a cast he admires deeply, Stuart said his role has been rewarding to play.

"As a gay man over a certain age, you don't really get a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things that are as creative as this," he says. "Typically, the role would be a supporting character, and he would come in and maybe have a quick line. I would never get to personalize it — fall in love, have a mother, or father, or friends. I'm usually playing characters that are just there to help attract more people and help them with their lives."

The play runs Thursdays through Saturdays through April 24 at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles.
 

a•bove-the-line: (ə-bŭv'-THə-līn') adj. the part of a film's budget that covers the costs associated with major creative talent: the stars, the director, the producer(s) and the writer(s)

Ever wonder what happens in the high-rise Hollywood offices and private Beverly Hills bedrooms where movie deals are made? Well, wonder no more because playwright Susan Rubin takes you there in her hilariously biting new satire Above The Line, now getting a spiffy world premiere production at the Bootleg Theatre.

Meet the "above (and below)-the-line" cast of characters:

Angela King (Denise Dowse)—high-powered Vice President of Development at Supreme Studios

Jeremy Fisher (Jason Stuart)—movie producer, whose mother is the greatest female movie star alive today

Lucy Adams (Heather Marie Marsden)—beautiful young blonde descendent of the Adams family of America's Founding Fathers fame

John Randazzo (Nick Mennell)—hot young screenwriter, who achieved fame with his indie hit Complexities ("My finest film, before I sold my soul.")

Christian Tobias (Stewart W. Calhoun)—aspiring young movie songwriter with a taste for older men

As the lights go up, Lucy has approached Jeremy with a property, the journal of her great-great-great-great-great-great-great uncle, one of the Boston Adamses (and kinfolk of John and Samuel Adams). Jeremy: "Samuel Adams?? Oh, like the beer!!" Isaac's journal turns out to be an honest-to-goodness first-hand account of the Boston Tea Party. Jeremy: "Indians? I had no idea that Indians did this!" When Lucy explains that it was in fact the white colonists who dressed up like Indians, Jeremy sees a hit. Three A-list actors stripped down to their loincloths! What could be better? "I can't believe all this shit went down and no one knows about it! You gotta tell me this whole crazy story about the Tea Party!"

Meanwhile, over at Supreme Studios, where Angela and Christian are awaiting Jeremy and Lucy's arrival, the exec warns the songwriter not to mention the word "musical" right away. After all, it doesn't really matter what Lucy thinks she wants. What she'll end up getting will be what they want. Like Jeremy, Angela knew nothing about the Boston Tea Party until Googling it last night. "I'm not a history person. I'm a now person." As for reading the journal, she has no plans to do so in the foreseeable future. "I'm an intuitive." Once screenwriter John has arrived, Lucy goes into her rundown of the film's plot, using illustrated flash cards and a first-grader's vocabulary to astound them all with her Tea Party tale.

Heads pop up when Lucy reveals a pair of American History tidbits: Isaac Adams died of syphilis and John Hancock had a slave woman as a lover. John: "A white-black thing!!" Angela: "But I'm not seeing a story yet." Fortunately, Lucy's brought along copies for everyone. Angela: "It's very long."

In no time at all, plans for Tea (that's what they're calling the movie) are underway and so are a pair of romances. Hot young thing Christian makes a coffee date with Jeremy. Jeremy: "Buzz me when you get there." Christian: "All right, I'll buzz you." Meanwhile, at John's Silverlake apartment over on the bad side of La Brea, Lucy apologizes to John for her great-great-great-great-great-great-great uncle—with a kiss, and before you can say "American Revolution," clothes are being ripped off. Jeremy and Christian move at a somewhat slower but no less deliberate pace. Christian: "I feel like a boy. You feel like a man. You're not just any powerful man. You're special. You have some pizza on your face." Soon enough, Hungry Boy starts kissing pizza off of Powerful Man's face.

By the time the first act of Above The Line comes to a close, everybody is after control of the movie, back-room deals are being made left and right, and the future of Tea The Movie Musical is anyone's guess.

Rubin's tasty script has an insider's feel and a devilish sense of humor. When songwriter Christian debuts his rewrite of "White Man Red," Angela blows a gasket. She wanted Adam Lambert and Christian is giving her Susan Boyle! "The song is for gummers! They eat their food slowly. And they don't go to movies!" When Jeremy learns that an African American character in the story dies, he's ecstatic. "A black ghost! We could get a rapper!" Lucy's disdain for John's first draft is intense. "This is a Mel Gibson movie!"

Mark Bringelson directs Above The Line with the same flair he showed in his crackerjack work on Rubin's previous comedy Bitch, as well as a pair of superb Road Theatre productions, Bunbury and The Friendly Hour. He keeps the action moving fast and furious, Victoria Profitt's snazzy multi-location set allowing lickety-split movie-like dissolves and jump cuts from scene to scene.

Performances are spot-on. Dowse is a delectably dry and deliciously imperious studio exec. Stuart does terrific work as a man attempting to balance a movie deal and a March-August romance all the while attempting to emerge from under his mother's shadow. Marsden is girl-next-door perfection as a naïve young thing who may not be quite as innocent as she appears. Calhoun radiates charisma and shows off first-rate physical comedy chops, whether finding new ways to slouch sideways on an office chair or rolling up in a ball on the floor (following the Susan Boyle comment). 6'5" Mannell once again proves himself a star in the making with his dynamic work as a screenwriter who's gone over to the Hollywood dark side.

Profitt's ingenious set fits all of Above The Line's many scene locales into the Bootleg's fortunately wide, deep stage area, all the while looking like a million bucks. Jeremy Pivnick's lighting is his usual brilliant best, translating those movie dissolves and jump-cuts into stage terms. Robert Prior's costumes could not be better chosen to fit each character's personality and style. John Zalewski's sound design, too, couldn't be better, with a particularly fine (and often dryly ironic) choice of background tunes. Michael J. Beahm serves as production stage manager.

A standout design/concept element is Adam Soch's cinematography. Yes, cinematography! The play opens with spy cams (projected on a large screen above the set) showing Lucy's arrival at Supreme Studios, moving from foyer to hallway to office before entering live on stage in the same outfit. Act Two opens with a scene between Jeremy and Christian (and Jeremy's mother's back) which takes place entirely on pre-shot high-def video, an inspired choice for a play about the movies.

A recent column by Steven Leigh Morris in the LA Weekly bemoaned the conspicuous lack of plays about Hollywood in Hollywood. Rubin's Above The Line certainly helps to fill this gap. I loved every fly-on-the-Hollywood-wall moment of it.
 

Her frenetic assistant, played by the wonderful young actor Stuart W. Calhoun, writes grunge rock and plans to write the music for the film. He teams up with the much older Jeremy in a December/June relationship. We are also introduced to the voice and the back of her head of Jeremy's famous mother, who bosses him around. In between we see videotape of offstage scenes that prove very little. The problem with the script is that it is not believable. The premise is ridiculous and not in a good way, though playwright Susan Rubin can write some amusing dialogue.

What saves this production is the smart direction, the set by Victoria Profit that solves the problem of multiple spaces yet still always suggests Los Angeles, and most of all the actors. All the actors are good and do what they can with the material. I mentioned Stuart W. Calhoun whom I first saw at the Boston Court in Dark Play or Stories for Boys. A real standout was the flaming performance by Jason Stuart as Jeremy. He doesn't miss a beat and is always believable.

There are many much better plays and movies that tell the story of Hollywood sleaze much better; Speed The Plow comes to mind. Nevertheless the sterling performances make the production worthwhile. Above The Line plays at the Bootleg Theatre until April 24th.
 

Chatted with the funny and talented Jason Stuart at Outfest Fusion last weekend and he is very excited about Above the Line, a play he co-stars in that opens tonight at the Bootleg Theatre.

Jason is a very prolific character actor whose film credits include Coffee Date, 10 Attitudes, Twisted Faith, The Chronicles of Holly-Weird and The Pit and the Pendulum. He's also made dozens of guest spots on television shows with the most recent being roles on episodes of The Closer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Everybody Loves Chris.

"I've never played a lead in a play in my life," Jason told me, adding: "I'm so tired. I don't even know why I'm here. I should be lying down!"

"We do a scene and I keep thinking, 'Oh, I was good in that. Let's tape it!"

"I play a producer named Jeremy Fisher and my mother is a very big star a la Elizabeth Taylor. I'm trying to get a movie going about the Boston Tea Party and yet I know nothing about history – all I know is about show business."

Here is a synopsis of the play from the Bootleg Theatre Website:

ABOVE THE LINE plays with sex, lies and videotape in this hilarious and sexy farce about the making of a Hollywood movie. This is not your mother's comedy! ABOVE THE LINE hits below the belt; a sexual fandango with a December/June relationship between Jeremy (JASON STUART) and Christian (STEWART W. CALHOUN), and a fiery fling between Lucy (HEATHER MARIE MARSDEN) and John (NICK MENNELL). The comedy gives us a peek at the lying, cheating and stealing that's goes on during the production of a Hollywood movie, about the Boston Tea Party with Studio executive Angela King (DENISE DOWSE). Never seen but always present via phone and video, "Mother" (an ELIZABETH TAYLOR clone), movie star from yesteryear, complicates the plot in the most intriguing way through the use of multi-media on stage. The play includes spy cams, betrayals and the creation of an accidentally brilliant, Oscar winning musical film! Get Tickets

Jason is busy with other projects as well. Namely an April 5 benefit at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. Proceeds benefit the LA Gay & Lesbian Center's LifeWorks mentoring program. I'll have more about this upcoming event next week!
 

Comic and actor Jason Stuart wanted to slow down a little — maybe find a boyfriend, settle down and have a "life." As one of the LGBT community's busiest comics, often touring for months or roving about from this movie set to that TV show, Stuart discovered that "settling down" just wasn't that easy.

He decided to hit the boards and concentrate on theater. The result was landing a lead in "Above the Line" by Susan Rubin and directed by Mark Bringelson. The play runs through April 24 at the Bootleg Theater.

"I get to perform with real ‘theatre' people, with a ‘re' at the end," he said. "I've done plays before, but often it's with people who act in between their waiter jobs. Not this time; this time [it's with] respected people from the word ‘go,' and that has really stepped up my game."

Stuart portrays a producer who wants to make a movie about the Boston Tea Party. The problem is he knows nothing about it. The character's love of show business comes from being the child of a mega-famous parent, something with which Stuart relates.

"I'm friends with many children of famous people, and I've heard about their lives for years. So going in to the role, I was able to relate a lot more than if I didn't know them."

"I go to work six days a week now, either a rehearsal, and then, of course, the play," he continued. "It's very structured: up in the mornings, at work, home after the play. It is a complete change for me. I'm working with five incredible actors in the play. I'm the only one without a huge theater pedigree in the play, and at times it's a little intimidating. But, comics understand an audience and that understanding is key to a successful performance including in a traditional play.

The producer was reassuring, offering a collaborative and constructive environment, Stuart added. That environment is what fosters provocative and imaginative entertainment, he said.

"In today's world, film, TV, Web, stage — you have to do it all if you want to actually make a living," he said. As proof, Stuart also can be seen on DVD in the here! TV network show "Jason Stuart: Making it to the Middle" and his one-man show "Comedy Without a Dress."

Stuart will appear on May 13 with Judy Tenuta at the Laugh Factory Long Beach for "Laugh Until You Tinkle," and on May 15 and 16 with Carlease Burke on the Long Beach Pride festival's main stage.

"You know, when I was younger, gay was seen, well, very effeminate, when it came to [male] LGBT performers," Stuart said. "Either you were in drag, or you were a queen basically; there's been others, but those were the mainstream. But with the advent of the bear community larger men can be more ‘male' in the limelight. With the mainstreaming of the entire LGBT community, our entertainers can now look and feel more organic to themselves instead of being a stereotype for performance purposes. Again, not that there's anything wrong with any of it, but now that I'm 40, it's nice to explore a different aspect of sexuality and maleness."

Making people laugh is something Stuart has mastered. Like many comics, he also has a large dramatic range on which to draw and is one openly LGBT entertainer who never forgets to give back to the community while he's entertaining it.

Although he'd wanted to slow down, he instead has shifted into overdrive, and it looks like he has no plans of slowing.
 

Jason Stuart one of the funniest LGBT comedians in America, he has torn up comedy clubs from New York to Los Angeles, and every place in between. Stuart's also appeared in independent films, major motion pictures, on television and even at corporate speaking events along the way.

Stuart works hard, harder than many of his contemporaries. Being out and proud means he has to work harder. So, what's he getting himself into now? Stage: legitimate, honest-to-goodness get-me-an-understudy, break-a-leg stage shows. While Stuart has been in a play before, he has never been one of the lead characters.

"There's a big difference between doing a show with actors who are also waiters and waitresses to doing a show with people who are real ‘theatre' people, with an ‘re' at the end," he said.

"Above the Line" opens March 19 is billed as a "below-the-belt, comic play about the making of a movie" and is being presented by the Indecent Exposure Theatre Company at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles.

"I get up and go to work every day now, it's like I've been drafted, but it's remarkable," Stuart said. "[Theater] is a full-time job on top of the full-time job of living."

In February, Stuart headlined the HRC Comedy Night in Phoenix — one of many benefits and charities he performs each year. He's also scheduled to appear at the annual Lifeworks Benefit for LGBT youth at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood.

"I feel strongly about doing these types of events," he said. "I know life is all about money these days and most of these places can't pay that much, but it really is about empowering each other."

With a play launching in March, a major benefit appearance in April, and TV and film priorities keeping him busy, Stuart has plenty of things to keep Blade readers' appetites whetted and ready for more.

*Be sure to pick up the Blade's April issue for an exclusive interview with Jason Stuart.

But this weekend, they're turning up the volume for the Human Rights Campaign fundraiser. SaturdayHRC will host its third annual Arizona Comedy Night featuring Danny Leary and Jason Stuart. Headliner Stuart talked about what to expect on Saturday night, and what projects he has on the horizon.

Question: What can we expect to hear in your act?

Answer: Well, certainly being single has been an issue in my life. It's very hard to find a good guy. I want a guy that has a car and doesn't live in it. My famous joke is, 'Come on straight people, it's the year 2010. If you let us marry each other we will stop marrying you!' I want to walk down the aisle, and I want Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams to sing 'I Finally Found Someone.' But I also talk a lot about my family and my mom. When my mother would get mad at me for fighting with my brother she said, "If you kids don't stop fighting, I'll send you to military school." I would say, "Fabulous!"

Q: You have been busy recently with your special, "Jason Stuart: Making it to the Middle," and appearances on "The Closer" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

A: Doing "The Closer" was really great. I put a clip on Facebook and everyone was beside themselves that I played a heterosexual. I didn't know much about "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," but if you are 20-something and a straight guy, you are obsessed with that show. I was so lucky to get on it.

Q: What would your dream role be?

A: It's not about the role as much as working with an incredible director and having a part that makes an impression. I want to have my "Precious," my "Capote," my part that changes my career, so for the next 10 years I can play the same role in other movies and make tons and tons on money with it.

Q: What other projects do you have on the horizon?

A: I am in rehearsals for a play, called "Above the Line." It's in Los Angeles and it's an original play about lying, cheating and stealing in Hollywood.

Q: You have been a part of this event before. Why is it so important to perform once again for this cause?

A: Look at all the trouble we are having. The writing is on the wall. We have to support each other first, and stop looking to straight people to do it for us.

EchoMag.com February 2010 EchoMag.com Article

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