John Cameron Mitchell has done it all--in his career at least. Through the 1980's and 90's, he was a successful young actor (appearing in episodes of MacGyver, Law & Order, and Our House). In a radical departure from those roles he then created Hedwig, the transsexual punk rock icon that took New York City stage by storm in the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. That in turn led to the 2001 critically acclaimed movie he directed of the same name.

A little more than month ago his new film Shortbus caused a stir at the Cannes Film Festival where viewers were shocked at the film's depiction of actual, non-simulated sex. Even Variety reported that it was “ unquestionably the most sexually graphic American narrative feature ever made outside the realm of the porn industry”.

Now added to the mix the new documentary Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig which uses Hedwig's music (performed by musicians like Yoko Ono and Cyndi Lauper) to chronicle the lives of four teenagers from The Harvey Milk School for at-risk youth in New York City.

What kind of a man makes such commotion? A gay one, of course.

AfterElton.com recently had the opportunity to speak to Mitchell about his movies, his sexuality, and what it means to be a gay entertainer today.

AfterElton.com: First off, what was the inspiration for Follow My Voice?
John Cameron Mitchell: Well, there are different elements to it. There's the film and then the project. The film I had nothing to do with. Documentary director Katherine Linton decided to film the struggles and aspirations of teens at the school [Harvey Milk]. Kathy, who's idea it was, suddenly appeared with cameras wherever we were. Meanwhile, I was aware of the record project [a musical benefit based on Hedwig for the school] that Chris Slusarenko was doing. I loved his ideas, and I wanted to help however I could.

AE: Are you excited to see it screen at the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival on June 19th?
JCM: Very. I came out there [to present] Hedwig. It was the best audience Hedwig has ever had. And I love Follow My Voice. I was there when it premiered at Tribeca. It's nice to see this ripple effect of something you started a long time ago still having these tributaries and emotional repercussions. My parents will be there in San Francisco. They looked at Hedwig a little bit askance. It wasn't really their type of music or in their realm of understanding. But they'll mostly respond to the fact that it's bringing about good things with good ramifications. They can wrap their mind around that.

AE: Will they be seeing Shortbus?
JCM: Oh, no.

AE: Who's idea is that? Yours or theirs?
JCM: Both.

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