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A Fox spokesperson rejected this contention, saying that Harold's online bio was provided by the actor, and referring questions to Gale Harold's publicist, Nancy Seltzer. Seltzer acknowledged that the bio was scant on details, but said that was Harold's preference: “If he could, he wouldn't even have a bio at all. He feels the work should be the focus. It's a very purist view about the work he's currently doing, whatever it is, and no reflection on any past work. When he was on Queer as Folk, he didn't talk about his films or other roles, either.”

A few days after Vanished debuted, rumors began circulating that Harold was being replaced on the show. Some, but not all, of the speculation was based on an alleged scene in the seventh episode, in which Agent Kelton's body is supposedly seen in a morgue. When asked whether or not Harold's character was being killed off, Seltzer laughed. “I've heard the rumors, but everything about Vanished and its plot, like that of Lost, is a big surprise,” she said. “Nothing is what it seems to be.”

Similarly, a Fox spokesperson said that Fox doesn't comment on Vanished story line rumors, but intoned mysteriously, “Stay tuned.”

Since Vanished, with its hints of the supernatural, belongs in the X-Files family of crime dramas, death may not be a permanent condition even if such a scene was filmed. Still, many fans suspect the rumors will turn out to be true, and it would undeniably be more encouraging for other actors considering playing gay if Harold's first big TV role after Brian Kinney were a success rather than a failure.

But the real fear isn't what happens to an actor's career after he gets a role, but how hard playing gay might make it for an actor to get future roles at all. Eric McCormack recently told The Observer that playing an openly gay man on the long-running NBC hit sitcom Will & Grace hurt his ability to get other roles.

“I have this big pink cross to bear,” McCormack said. “I absolutely loved playing Will. There was nothing hard about it. It was wonderful. But the only downside is the aftermath. I meet all these film executives who tell me how much they loved Will & Grace and say they never missed an episode. Then they say, ‘So what can we do for you?' What they could do for me is hire me to play someone else.”

Does Gale Harold think playing Brian Kinney hurt his career? He declined to comment for this article, but recently said to If Magazine, when asked about his years on Queer as Folk, “What was that you said? Something about some a**hole named Brian Kinney. But let's not talk about him. OK?”

Harold's publicist insisted he was talking about the character of Brian, not his feelings about playing the role, when using the term “a**hole,” and said, laughing, “You have to admit, he really was one.” She was adamant that Harold's joke had no bearing at all on how he felt about the role, and said, “He's extremely proud of the work he did on Queer as Folk.”

Seltzer said Harold never responds to inquiries about his sexual orientation, but when reminded of the 2002 Flaunt interview, said, “He finds it very offensive to even be asked if he's straight or gay. It has no bearing on the work he's doing.”

Asked if having played Brian Kinney made it harder for Harold to get other roles, she replied, “I don't think the role as Brian has hurt his career at all. I hope and think that day is long gone. It would deeply concern me if we were to return to those days. … There has been absolutely no resistance anywhere about his having played that role.” She said he is in discussion on future projects, but “nothing ready to be discussed.”

So can Harold break out? His work on Queer as Folk was powerful and nuanced, covering the range from drama to laugh-out-loud comedy. Reviews of his performance on Vanished have been mixed, and at least in the two episodes aired so far, his Kinney-esque onscreen magic has flared into view only once or twice.

Harold made something of a splash playing Wyatt Earp on two episodes of HBO's Deadwood this summer, and appeared on The Unit as a scruffy DJ who can only be described as the anti-Brian. A few of his film performances have gotten good reviews, but the films themselves are obscure. Vanished is his best chance yet to break out as a mainstream star. If he pulls it off, will it be in spite of, or because of, his years as cable's bad gay boy? Stay tuned to find out.

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