Ask the Flying Monkey! (March 4, 2008)

Q: Who are some of the out second or third tier actors who are beginning to make names for themselves? Or do they not exist? -- Jason, Minneapolis, MN

A: Hey, we’re everywhere, so they definitely exist, though they may not appreciate the AfterElton Flying Monkey referring to them as “second or third tier actors.” Hopefully, they’ll know what we both mean, which is character actors or actors who are certain to be big, big stars one day, but who haven’t yet reached the stature of Ian McKellen or Nathan Lane.

Anyway, there are lots of wonderful out actors who have reached a certain level of success, but haven’t yet become household names (except around this household which includes Michael Jensen, the editor of AfterElton, who “knows all” when it comes to gay entertainment).

How about Avenue Q’s brilliant John Tartaglia? Or Rent’s Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz. There’s former Kid in the Hall Scott Thompson, Will & Grace’s Leslie Jordan (who played Beverly Leslie), and Frasier’s Edward Hibbert (who played Gil Chesterton). Queer as Folk had Peter Paige, Randy Harrison, and Robert Gant and Noah's Arc had Daryl Stephens.

Jeremy Piven’s assistant on Entourage is played by the openly gay Rex Lee. Rob Lowe’s campaign manager on Brothers & Sisters is played by the openly gay Denis O’Hare, and Suzuki St. Pierre on Ugly Betty is played by the out Alec Mapa (who is also the host of Logo’s [AfterElton.com's parent company] Transamerican Love Story). And don’t forget Ellen’s gay friend Patrick Bristow, or Drawn’ Together’s Jack Plotnick (who is freakin’ hilarious in Girls Will Be Girls).

Cheyenne Jackson, Gideon Glick, Adamo Ruggiero

But wait! There's more! There's Broadway's Cheyenne Jackson (already a full-fledged, first tier theater star thanks to Xanadu). Gideon Glick made a splash in the Tony Award winning Spring Awakening before coming out in an interview. And Degrassi: The Next Generation's Adamo Ruggiero came out recently.

Oh, yes, Jason, there are second and third tier out actors! And not in the worthless Yes-Virginia-Santa-Claus-lives-in-your-heart kind of way either.

Q: Have you ever seen a movie called Wilby Wonderful? It’s a quiet little movie that takes places all in 24 hours on a small island in Canada. There is an absolutely FANTASTIC gay plotline that really drives the entire film, so I thought it’d be of interest. It’s funny, touching, beautifully shot. It was also directed by Daniel Macivor, who is gay himself. I sound like I made the movie, don’t I? – Snoopypez, Torrance, CA

A: Yes, Daniel Macivor, you do sound like you made the film — er, I mean, Snoopypez.

The AfterElton Flying Monkey was unfamiliar with this movie, which is saying something since, as I said, I live with the editor of AfterElton (who has gay media pretty much coming out his ying-yang and forces me to watch it with him). But we were both intrigued, so we Netflixed it.

We agree with much of what you say about the film, especially that it’s quiet. A little too quiet. Alas, the gay subplot (a man trying different ways to kill himself) is pretty minor, and he isn’t revealed to be gay until the very end.

That said, the scene where uptight real estate agent Sandra Oh finds his hanging body and tries to hide it before the prospective buyers come to look at the house was truly hilarious. Likewise, the final scenes where the gay guy finally finds a reason to keep on living were touching. Made me wish the whole movie had had that kind of zip.

All in all, however, the AfterElton Flying Monkey rates this movie a B-.

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey!