Interview with "Brothers & Sisters" Matthew Rhys

AE: And I love the fact that the character is well past the typical coming-out issues that you normally see with gay television characters. But he's not without his problems, obviously — fear of commitment being one of them. I'm curious: What sorts of qualities do you have in common with Kevin and how are you different?
MR: With regards to the commitment issues, I think they were careful with that because they didn't want to give him specifically gay problems. And commitment-phobia, you know is a human and universal flaw. So I was happy about that character trait. There are elements of that aspect of Kevin that I can relate to [laughs]. Especially in your 20s. In your 30s, things do change.

AE: Your character's first relationship on the show, with Scotty, really seemed to strike a chord with gay viewers. Were you surprised by that?
MR: Yes. I was, actually. The reaction was very big, especially when Scotty and I broke up. We had a lot of reaction to that. I was surprised by how much of a chord it had struck, but I was very happy.

AE: That's great! I'd read that Scotty was going to reappear at least for the Feb. 11th episode. Do you think that the character is going to stick around for awhile?
MR: Hand on heart, I don't know myself. It's an age-old tradition that the actors are the last to know. It's totally week by week.

AE: I hear you. Well, Kevin's latest relationship with closeted soap opera actor Chad Barry [played by Jason Lewis] seems to be sort of a bad choice for him.
MR: Yeah.

AE: What do you think accounts for someone who is otherwise so smart and together making such a bad choice in a relationship?
MR: I like the fact that they've gone for another universal theme in that you don't necessarily fall for those people who are right for you, or you don't choose the people you fall for. And with that comes conflict, obviously, then drama, which makes it all the more entertaining to see. … It's like with Scotty. For Kevin, Scotty wasn't what he'd have picked ordinarily, and the same has happened with Chad, and I think that's a part of his makeup. He goes for people who are unavailable or not necessarily the right people for him.

AE: This isn't the first time you've played a gay character. Recently you were in the Brittany Murphy film Love and Other Disasters, which hasn't opened in the U.S. yet. Did your performance in that role factor into getting the Brothers & Sisters part?
MR: No, it didn't, because unfortunately the movie wasn't ready at the time I was auditioning, so they didn't see that one.

AE: As an actor, you have to deal with being in the public eye and people wanting to know about your personal life, and Kevin's relationship with a closeted soap opera actor ties directly into that issue of celebrity privacy. How do you as an actor deal with that? And does it seem to you that it's almost easier for a straight actor to play a gay part these days than it is for an actor who is not, say, closeted in his private life but also not publicly out? It makes it kind of difficult for them to play gay roles for fear of unwanted speculation about their sexuality.
MR: Yeah. I was a little shocked at the reaction of the press at the beginning. A lot of the questions were, you know, “Was it a problem for you to play gay roles?” Or “Were you concerned about getting typecast?” You know, I was a little confused as to why I was getting …

AE: Why you were getting questioned on that front?
MR: Well, yeah! [Laughs.] I thought we'd passed those times, really. So that was a little bit of a shock.

AE: Speaking of that, I caught an interview recently with Jason Lewis, and he mentioned that the prospect of kissing another man on-screen was kind of scary. Was that ever an issue for you?
MR: No. I don't think it's ever really problematic. I just think if you're fortunate enough to be confident and secure in yourself, and you know it's a role you play, I don't see where the problem lies, really. Actually, my first theater job was a gay part with a lot of kissing it in it. So, I wouldn't say it was a hurdle really, but I got over that really early on. You realize there's nothing to it.