June 1, 2002

1. What do you do to calm yourself when you are nervous?

Imagine myself in your underwear.

2. Name one thing (funny, intellectual, profound) that people don't know about Ted. About Scott?

"Ted's" middle name is "Wolfgang", Scott's middle name is Agf734gf3fqvf. Damn! Sorry my keyboard is sticking a little and i 2rfbnifufh. Shoot. Sorry.

3. I just found out you have an iPod, too! What's the most unexpected song on yours? You know - the one no one would guess you'd have on it.

"Never Gonna Dance Again (Guilty Feet)" by Wham! Come on! It's got an awesome sax solo on it and ... okay I'm deleting it.

4. If you could pick any character for Ted to hook up with, who would it be?

Nicholas Nickelby

5. What's the one thing that no one has asked you but you are dying to tell?

I've been waiting for someone to ask me this one! The question I SOOOO want to be asked is: How big is 2efkbr lewirghv9p? Gosh darnit! Freakin' keyboard. Anyway, the answer is "bigger than you'd think."

6. What has been your funniest QAF experience?

The fact that people send me questions that I'm supposed to answer seriously once a month. Everyone knows I HATE HOMEWORK! Especially in the summer. And yet the questions keep coming. Ha! You guys!

7. When you watch another actor/actresses' performance, I imagine, as a professional, you have more sophisticated criteria for what constitutes a good performance. What qualities do you look for when you are watching a performance?

I don't want to see them acting. I want to be transported and see only the character not the actor. Honesty, clarity and interesting choices is what does that.

8. How do you feel about the opposition of the gay community to Queer As Folk? There is actually an organization in existence called Queers Against Queer As Folk (QAQAF). What do you have to say to the people who feel that QAF does not accurately present gay life at all, and that QAF is turning into a show for straight women, written by straight women?

Listen, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I've always been drawn to projects that people WILL have an opinion about. If people just didn't care one way or another we wouldn't be doing our jobs right. Our show, as has been repeatedly said, does not mean to portray every gay person's experience. THE SOPRANOS met with some of the same kinds of criticism from Italian-American groups saying that the show portrayed Italian-Americans in a negative light. THE SOPRANOS is about members of the Mafia who happen to BE Italian-Americans but it is NOT ABOUT Italian-Americans. Would you seriously want to see them always all cute and cuddly? BORING! QAF is about a group of guys that troll around clubs and bars looking for "love" who happen to BE gay but it is NOT ABOUT homosexuality. It's showing the "gay life" lived by these 6 gay guys (2 lesbians, 2 moms and an uncle) who live in a gay neighborhood and participate in an active nightlife at the various bars and clubs near them. From the little I've seen and/or overheard in the "Gay Ghetto" of Toronto that we often shoot in as well as the parts of West Hollywood that most closely resemble "Liberty Avenue", the world of QAF is quite accurate. It DOES exist. Those with contrary opinions about the show cannot deny that. I understand that, as QAF is the first drama to show multi-dimensional gay characters, there are those that wish it to portray a completely positive picture of these characters and the life they live. Unfortunately there is no way to please everyone in the community. If it tried to be all things to all people it would get far more "tedious" than some accuse it of already being. (Isn't it interesting that those who accuse the show of that never seem to miss an episode. Hmmm?) But this is a "drama" first and foremost, not a documentary. The primary element of drama is conflict. If these characters were living a happy life EVERY episode or were sweet and cuddly to each other every episode I don't believe for a second that people would be as addicted to it as they are. People are fascinating because they're flawed. Life (and television) would get mighty boring otherwise.

As to the show being written for straight women by straight women, well ... if you're telling me our writing staff is made up completely of women then, with the exception of Karen Walton they are the UGLIEST women I have EVER seen!

9. What was it about John Wilkes Booth that inspired you to write a play?

How little people really know about him - - rather than the crazy B-rate actor we are lead to believe, he was one of the most popular, highest paid matinee idols of his time and he genuinely believed he was doing the best thing for his country - - and how he seemed (to me at least) fated to do what he did. "Destiny" and "Fate" fascinate me. The theatricality of his story intrigued me as well. Living in the age of the "suicide bomber" as we do, it's interesting to realize that the same zealous love for country (or religion) and the willingness (albeit wrong-headed) to sacrifice all for it has been around throughout history. Booth's story is a purely American one yet it continues to echo throughout the world.

10. I was wondering if the cast gets a video copy of each episode from the show or if they want to see the episodes, do they have to tune in on Sunday or Monday nights?

We do get copies before they air usually (although at the time of this writing you all have seen episode 217 and I have not! Bastards!). I did sneak down to a bar called "Revolver" in West Hollywood in disguise last Spring to watch episode 115 ("Ted" in leather) with our producers and a huge crowd of people. That was amazing!

11. You mention in your end-of-Season 2 blog that you will miss Chalupa along with your Toronto family. Does Chalupa (the cat in the photo gallery?) reside with a friend of yours or did you leave that plush-lucious grey critter to fend for herself on the mean streets of Toronto? My own feline friend and I are just curious and concerned. And why do none of the characters on the show have pets? I guess it must be difficult enough just wrangling the humans on the set, let alone small beasties, but you'd think that the Ted character might be a happier guy with a cuddly friend underfoot to keep him from being so self-absorbed.

I do have a friend looking after Chalupa while I'm away from Toronto and I miss her terribly. Chalupa wouldn't last a second on the streets of Toronto. In the first place the other cats would make fun of the fact that she doesn't go "Meoo, eh?" Kidding, kidding! As far as characters on the show having a pet, I don't know what you're talking about. Two of the characters DO have a pet. His name is "Gus."

12. I was thrilled to find out that my favorite actor, you, played french horn. Why did you stop playing it?

Well I used to love playing in orchestras, quartets and quintets, etc. I also loved playing alone (especially a good Mozart Horn Concerto or a riff from "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago) but I was petrified of recitals. They made me more nervous than anything. Even thinking about me in your underwear couldn't relax me. The thing with the horn is that the least little tremble of your lip makes you sound like crap. So when I got to college and just didn't have time to keep up with it, my embouchure (which had given me a huge, sexy muscle in the middle of my lip ... no pun intended) disappeared and with it my ability to make my horn "sing". It would take quite a lot of work to get it back. I'm trying.

13. Guilty pleasures: Movie? Book? Music? Food? Hobby? Toy? Web site?

I'm a Jewish son. What isn't "guilty" with me?

14. Are you aware of QAF fanfiction? Have you read any of it? Would you ever read any, especially if it was Ted fanfiction? If you have read any, what did you think and what do you think of the concept in general?

I am aware of it. No, I have not read any of it. I'm afraid to read any of it, honestly. But I think it's great that the characters we've helped create are stirring the creative souls of people enough that they feel the desire to write their own "adventures" for them. I just need to stay focused solely on what our own writers are coming up with for the character -- it's what I need to do in order for me to do my job well on the show. But I would love it if you want to write that "Ted" has a 132bdfy8o1cbb DTUbbbeo1go167. Arrrgh! Damn keyboard!