Paris Barclay's track record speaks for itself. He has directed episodes of ER, The West Wing, The Shield, CSI, House and Lost. He has been co-executive producer on CBS' Cold Case. He won two Emmy awards for directing NYPD Blue. He is First Vice President of the Directors Guild of America, which recently honored him with the 2007 Robert B. Aldrich Award for his service to the DGA. He's a rarity in Hollywood: an out, multitalented man of color with a successful career.

AfterElton.com recently talked with Barclay about his career in television, being a gay man of color, being a father and the current political climate. His take on life is as complicated and layered as his body of work.

AfterElton.com: Your career has been a really interesting and incredible one, especially for a minority director. I looked at the [Directors Guild of America] numbers for minority directors, and in 2004–05, they say that only 5 percent of all directors on television were minorities. Shows like Desperate Housewives and CSI did not hire any. As a person of color in the industry, do you feel a special pressure about what you do?
Paris Barclay: When it comes to the industry … I just feel I need to be the best director I can be right out of the gate. But in terms of representing all the various interests, for instance like being the First Vice President of the DGA, I do feel a special pressure there. I do feel it oftentimes as I look around and I'm one of the few people [of color] at a board meeting or at a Directors Council meeting. I feel it's important for me to represent and speak up for the interests of not just African Americans, but the interest of all minorities.

AE: As a related question, what about your sexual orientation? Do you feel a special pressure related to that?
PB: I only feel special pressure for sexual orientation when that issue is coming up. Then I feel like I absolutely have to represent. If it's not the issue at hand, then it doesn't make any difference.

AE: What doesn't the average gay viewer understand about how television works when it comes to getting better gay characters on TV?
PB: I think most people are not fully conscious of or fully understand the purpose of television. They think it is an artistic endeavor like people writing novels in the 18th century. But television is not [like that]; it's a complete 100-percent commercial enterprise from the get-go designed to sell soap.

So whether there is a gay or straight or young character has everything to do with how much stuff they think they can sell using that person to attract viewers. Financing for television — Desperate Housewives, CSI, American Idol — all comes back to: Is Coca-Cola interested? Is General Motors interested? How are we going to be able to actually get people to give us money and sell time on this? That's the number one reason why every decision is made in television.

AE: You started your career back in 1992 on Angel Street. What's the biggest difference in the last 15 years that you've seen for gay and lesbian viewers?
PB: In 1992 there just weren't [that] many gay [characters] on regular television. Now it's almost a cliché when they are presented. A lot of shows aren't doing characters that are gay or bisexual or transgender, even, because they all feel it's been done so much. I look at it from the back end of it. I know when I go in to pitch shows or to talk about shows, they always seem so blasé about that. I think we are seeing a reduction in characters who are gay because people feel like it is overdone.

AE: You work behind the camera, but how much pressure do you think there is for an actor to not come out?
PB: There's a lot of pressure. When I used to write my column for The Advocate, one of my first interviews was with a non-out star whom I didn't identify, of course. To summarize what he said: It just does not seem possible to have the career he wants to have and to be openly gay. The roles that he wants to get and the place he wants to be in terms of earning power and … the kind of movies he wants to be in — and dreams of Oscar — would be very, very difficult if people knew he was gay. He would not be cast in a romantic part and would not be considered for a lot of roles he would want to play — maybe even an action hero — because of that. So there is a very real stigma, and unfortunately, until the entire world changes, it is going to persist.

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