Cable and nudity seem to go hand in hand. So it's a good thing Robert Gant, the newest cast member on Showtime's Queer as Folk, has learned to embrace his birthday suit.
"For whatever my upbringing was, I think I felt odd around nudity," says Gant, who premieres this week on the hotter-than-hot series. "But the universe gave me this show, and, very quickly, that changed."
Queer as Folk follows the lives of a group of gay men and lesbians in Pittsburgh. Gant comes aboard as Ben Bruckner, a college professor, who meets Michael (former E! Talk Soup host Hal Sparks) at his comic-book store. And in usual nighttime-drama fashion, it doesn't take long for the, um, sparks to fly.
It was a twist of soap-opera proportions that brought the Tampa native to acting in the first place. After receiving a law degree from Georgetown University, Gant took a job with a Los Angeles law firm, only to see the office shut its doors a mere few weeks after his arrival. Gant took it as a sign, got himself an agent and began working nonstop.
Regular tube viewers will remember the actor from his turns as the mischievous vice principal Calvin Krupps on the WB comedy Popular and, before that, as of Lea Thompson's boyfriends on a season on Caroline in the City.
Which got us to wondering...
Who's a better kisser, Lea Thompson or Hal Sparks?
"That's a stumper. They have very different styles. We're talking apples and oranges. Lea was sweet and tender. Hal is really fun. There's always a playful element to it, which has to do with the fact that he's a stand-up. Between the kisses are the Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions. I actually feel like I'm kissing Arnold."
Is he dating anyone in real life?
"I'm a single boy--seeing no one. I'm open to it when it occurs, but I'm in no rush."
Since Queer as Folk is a big hit in Toronto, where the show films, how do people react to the actors on the street?
"Hal and I were having coffee one night, and he was telling me one of the big demographics for the show is teen girls. I said, 'Really, that's sort of unbelievable.' Not five minutes later, this girl walks up--must have been 14, little pimply face with braces. And she goes, 'Are you the guy from the show with all the guys? I've only seen it a few times, but my best friend, she's totally in love with you.' I sat there with my jaw open."
Any embarrassing moments on set?
"They keep giving me things to do that I'm just not very good at. One of them is playing basketball. I played football and baseball and soccer, but I never had a clue on the basketball court. They had nine African-American guys, who really knew how to play--and me. I was doing my best not to look totally embarrassed."
He earned a law degree, excels in three sports, can obviously act and we hear he was the homecoming king in high school. Bit of an overachiever?
"A wee bit. It's toned down a bit in my later years--but not that much. I'm a perfectionist. On the set, sometimes I have to let go of wanting to do that third or fourth take, because I'm just sure I can make it a little bit better."
Which is more fun, law or acting?
"Acting. That's comparing apples and zucchini. I think my early rationale was that being a lawyer was like being an actor. But that's just rationalization. They're worlds apart."
Could he defend himself in court?
"No. I honestly want nothing to do with the law from that side of the bench. I have moved on--and happily so." --Jeffrey Epstein