"Queer as Folk" actor Robert Gant has made quite an impact at this year's Sundance Film Festival, where he is in attendance for the first time to promote the short film "Billy's Dad is a Fudge-Packer." Strolling casually through the star-studded lobby of the Park City Marriott, the TV star turns heads wherever he goes -- pretty impressive, considering Park City is currently filled to capacity with major celebrities.
You get the feeling this is a guy who could easily float by on looks alone for the rest of his life, but that's not his aim at all, as PlanetOut Entertainment Editor Jenny Stewart found out when she joined him poolside for an in-depth conversation about the film, the end of "Queer as Folk" and his surprising passion -- advocacy work for the gay elderly.
"Billy's Dad is a Fudge-Packer" is getting a lot of good buzz. That's one catchy title, by the way. What did you think when you saw the title on the script?
You're right -- it immediately got my attention. I thought it was hilarious. I loved the title, and I was interested right off the bat based on the title alone. Fortunately, the title is not the only effective thing -- the film is effective throughout.
The film was produced by PowerUp. How did you first hear about them?
I'd been hearing about PowerUp for a number of years, and from what I gathered they were a great organization doing really terrific things, and that they were very effective. So I'd heard about the script through a friend -- one of my producing partners, actually. PowerUp had worked on "Little Black Boot," which screened at Sundance last year.
"Little Black Boot" also took home the grand prize in our PlanetOut Short Movie Awards.
That's right -- exactly. So I'd heard about "Billy's Dad," heard it was hysterical, and they called me up, asked me to be Billy's dad. I read the script and I just said "Yeah! I want to do this."
The film screened yesterday for the first time, and the audience was laughing out loud. Was it your first screening?
I've done films before, but I think this was my first screening, per se. And I have to say, to hear that laughter ... let's just say it was a welcome relief! Because beforehand, I was almost ready to slit my wrists. You know, at Sundance, they tend to choose films that are very intense, very edgy -- so this was a departure, and it went over hugely well.
What is the status of the film "Save Me," the movie you were working on with Chad Allen? I've been hearing about it for a long time.
"Save Me" is the first of three features that [our production company has] optioned. We're hoping to begin the film in May. It's in rewrites now. It's on track. Judith Light is co-starring, and we're really excited about it.
God, Judith Light has her hand in every gay project in Hollywood. She should get an award. Actually, I think she has.
She's also co-producing. She plays the woman who runs the "ex-gay" ministry. With everything that's going on with Exodus right now, this story is just so timely. We want this to be a great-quality piece, because the subject matter deserves to be handled well.
Your production company focuses on developing gay-themed projects. But I'm curious: Do you ever seek out straight roles, or would you be interested in even playing straight? Some actors can pull it off. Rupert Everett can.
I think it's just a matter of time before I do a straight leading-man role.
Really?
Yeah, I really do. In fact, this week I was supposed to go in for a straight lead on a series, but I was a little under the weather and couldn't make it. But I think I'm ripe for it. I think the timing is ripe, and it's yet to happen. Now, with Rupert Everett, it's a bit of a different ballgame insofar as he's British, and American audiences make allowances for British actors [laughs]. There's just a different sociology or psychology of what it means to be a man in different cultures.
If your production company made a same-sex love story, and you had your choice of any actor to play your lover, who would you choose?
[Thinks awhile.] You know what? What I'd love to do is pick a gay actor. Because as terrific as Hal [Sparks, Gant's lover on "QAF"] is, I would love to experience as an actor what it would be like to take that acting journey with someone who had the experiential background -- maybe someone who had fewer boundaries, you know? Someone for whom it would be more natural to kiss someone of the same sex. Because it requires so much more work on the side of straight actors. But that said, there aren't a lot of actors to choose from.
I was really surprised to find out that you were deeply involved in the issue of aging in the gay community. It was surprising because, at 37, you're pretty young to be involved in something like that.
I knew that I wanted to be of service in some way. I am so grateful on a daily basis that I'm a working actor and that I have a steady paycheck. So I always want to give back, and therefore, I'm always thinking of ways I can do that. Quite frankly, it's the least "sexy" kind of thing to be involved in, and I knew that I had some internalized fears about doing it. But then I realized that this is an area in our community that is most important, because it affects everybody.
I had a discussion with Kevin Jennings from GLSEN [the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network], and he said he felt the aging issue in the gay community is about where the youth issue was about 10 years ago. We have a lot of work to do. The issues are so broad -- from the need for advocacy on behalf of elders to the issue of housing for the elderly, and that's where GLEH [Gay Lesbian Elderly Housing] comes in. We're getting involved with them. They actually approached me about doing a campaign.
Are you going to do it?
I think so. Part of what needs to be accomplished is some sort of integration, in which younger folks need to wake up to the issue. I also work on this Web site called Eldergay.com, and that's going great. See, it's the one issue that we all have in common. It's those childhood fears that we all had, where we feared we'd die alone, and it's one of those fears that's attached to what it is to be gay.
It really does affect all of us, and I know my friends and I make these pacts where if we're not in committed relationships by 60, we'll all live together in a house in Miami, and even though that sounds funny and "Golden Girls"-esque, we're actually not kidding. Every gay person I know is concerned about where they will be in their senior years.
Exactly. I've always thought "Longtime Companion" should be required viewing for high school students, just because the film has the power and ability to make anyone relate to it. I think if a movie were made about the gay elderly, and if it were done right, it could potentially have a powerful impact on society, you know? Because everyone cares about becoming elderly, gay or straight.
[Excited.] We're doing it! It's the second feature of our production company, and it's called "The Way Out." David Duchovny read an article in the New York Times about an older gay man whose lover died, and he went to live in a retirement home, and the nightmare that this man experienced. And so David commissioned a friend to write a script -- it was a mutual friend, and we just fell in love with it.
Wow -- if it's well made, it could actually have the potential of becoming a crossover success, even just for the first-of-its-kind subject matter, you know?
That's the point. We're really excited about it, and we really want to do it right, because we realize the importance of it.
OK, last question. It's the final season of "Queer as Folk." Just tell us what happens!
[Laughs.]
Well, are fans going to be happy or sad?
I think it's really going to be a mixed bag. I have to say, we're midway through filming right now, and I'm really pleased with what the writers are doing in that they aren't tying it up into a neat little bow, because that's not how our lives are. From a relationship standpoint, I think fans will be happy, and I think they'll be sad.
Oh, geez, thanks a lot! Well at least answer this: How do you feel about the show ending?
I have sadness and I have joy. It's definitely a bittersweet thing, because it's definitely been a beautiful experience, but I also look forward to what lies ahead for me.