British actor Ben Price plays bisexual football captain Conrad Gates in the third season of Footballers' Wives, currently showing on Sundays on BBC America. Born in Newcastle (in the north of England) in 1972, Price trained at the Central School Of Speech and Drama in London, and has appeared in popular British TV series such as Soldier, Soldier, Peak Practice, and The Bill, as well as onstage in plays including All's Well That Ends Well and Dancing at Lughnasa. AfterElton recently had a chance to talk to him about playing bi, dressing like David Beckham, and life before, during and after Footballers' Wives.

AfterElton: How did you get cast as Conrad?
Ben Price: I went for an audition on the Friday, met Zoe [Lucker, who plays main character Tanya Turner] on the Monday and started on the Wednesday. It all happened very quickly.

AE: Was this the first time that you had played a bisexual or gay character? Did you have any qualms about it?
BP: It wasn't the first time I have played a gay character. It didn't cross my mind [to worry about it] either way.

AE: Gay characters are slowly becoming more common on television - but it's still quite unusual to see a male character who swings both ways. A lot of people remain skeptical about the existence of bisexuality - particularly male bisexuality. Do you have any feelings about this yourself? Do you have any friends who are bisexual, and if so, did they affect the way you approached the role?
BP: I personally don't know anyone who is bisexual, [so] it didn't affect how I approached the role. I wanted Conrad to have the feeling for the viewers that nothing bothered or touched him. In that he lived above the normal constraints of society. Gay or straight.

AE: Bisexuals are often stereotyped on television as promiscuous or villainous or both. Conrad is promiscuous - he definitely seems to have a problem with monogamy - but at the same time, there's the sense that he isn't deliberately setting out to hurt anyone. What did you think of him as a person?
BP: I think Conrad wants to go with the flow, he's been used to getting his own way. But he is definitely not malicious. I think his morals could be a bit dubious at times though.

AE: Footballers' Wives is basically about entertainment - but the Noah and Conrad storylines touch on some quite serious issues: homophobia in sports, and the continuing need for players to stay closeted. Were you aware of it being a topical subject? Did you get any reaction from real-life footballers, or from the gay community?
BP: I got no reaction at all from footballers or the gay community. If someone was straight they talked about the girls, and if gay they would talk about the men in the show. It seemed quite a clear delineation for people; [Conrad] seemed to appeal to all.

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