Page 1 / 2 / 3 - Next

He adds that he feels the show appeals especially to gay audiences. “It's cool because there are so many gay people involved,” he says. “It's a show that's made by gay people, so there's a real gay sensibility, too.” Ratings for the second half of the season will determine whether Lovespring gets picked up for a second season, but Plotnick is optimistic, especially because the latter episodes feature guest stars like Camryn Manheim, Alanis Morissette, and Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows.

A July episode of Lovespring featured actor Patrick Bristow who, with Plotnick, played the gays on Ellen before Ellen herself came out. It's a feat few actors can boast: pre-gaying Ellen on her own show.

“It was such an incredible opportunity for somebody my age to get to be part of such a big moment in history,” Plotnick says. He admits that playing the straight man to Bristow, so to speak, didn't afford him a lot of opportunities to showcase his comedic talents, but he's nonetheless grateful for having been part of such a crucial moment for gay entertainment.

“I don't think they could have written a better episode of TV [than ‘The Puppy Episode'],” Plotnick says. “I've watched it so many times. … I was in the show, actually. I had one line and they cut it. That was kind of a bummer, but we knew this was a big deal. There was a bomb scare and we all had to leave a set, so clearly some people didn't want it to happen. But it did, and it happened so beautifully.”

He adds, “And I got to see Oprah Winfrey, too — you know, from afar, because you couldn't get near.”

Another of Plotnick's current projects is the animated series Drawn Together, for which he recently finished recording voice work for the third season, which airs in January. Plotnick says the show's fans can look forward to more off-color humor and even a musical number from his character, gay video-game hero Xandir Whifflebottom.

He admits that the show is one of his current favorites. “It's so amazing to be on a show that I'm obsessed with,” he says. “I was on Buffy, which I became obsessed with after I was on it, which is a shame because I so didn't appreciate it while I was walking around on the set. I love Drawn Together. These writers are amazing because it is so raw and funny and raunchy and everything I love.”

Plotnick worked with Drawn Together's writers on the cancelled series Action and was eager for the part of Xandir, despite the fact that he had not done voice work before. He says he was proud of finding an emotional core to the humor in the show, particularly the episode in which his character comes out.

“There's this scene in the episode where Xandir loses his girlfriend and he's devastated,” Plotnick says. “He's up all night killing himself, which is so funny but at the same time so sad. I thought they handled that topic beautifully. It's true — gay teens have a high suicide rate, but [the writers] confronted that in this honest but strangely funny way. Because Xandir has 50 lives, of course. He really can't kill himself.”

The show frequently pushes the limits of good taste, but Plotnick says that as a gay man, he hasn't yet heard a joke on the show that went over the line. “If I ever saw something that could be truly taken the wrong way, I would say something,” he insists. “There was only one joke ever that I said ‘I won't say that,' and they took it out. And that was fine.”

Page 1 / 2 / 3 - Next