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这也是那位ANN小姐写的报道：（就是将访谈总结性的登在杂志上的正式报告）我还没看，好长。
Randy Harrison: "Don't call him Justin"
By ANN FINSTAD
As Justin Taylor on "Queer as Folk," Randy Harrison has come a long way in three-plus seasons. Once a naive 17-year-old who, when asked if he liked the drug Special K replied "I like Cheerios better," Justin has become the King of Babylon, a survivor of a violent gay-bashing incident, a successful comic book artist, and, most recently, a member of a gay vigilante group – as well as winning over the "heartless" Brian Kinney to boot.
But don’t confuse Harrison with the character he plays on TV. During a recent conversation, he’s quick to point out that although he and Justin might look alike, that’s where the similarities end. "I think that when he was younger he was more similar to maybe what I was when I was that age. But, you know we sort of have grown up in really different directions … it’s harder for me to relate to him now than it ever has been. I mean it’s more of a stretch."
"I like that he’s more different from me now. I find it interesting. I find it kind of interesting to start playing someone that has sort of grown into someone that you probably wouldn’t hang out with in real life, or have that much interest in talking to … " he trails off with a laugh.
Those are strong words regarding a character that’s brought Harrison much notoriety and acclaim since "Queer as Folk" premiered. As an openly gay cast member of show that’s often heralded asthe groundbreaking forerunner to the current glut of mainstream programming featuring homosexuals, I ask Harrison what it’s like to have been a part of that for almost four years.
"I’m glad that one of the first major things I did, as far as job-wise, was something that does have some social relevance … and I felt like that when I started doing 'Queer as Folk.' I was aware of it, that we were pushing boundaries, and we were the first of a lot of things. And it felt good to know that."
"But we’ve done that," Harrison says. "And we did it four years ago. It all kind of seems like a fad a little bit. And as much as people believe it’s progress, it doesn’t seem like it is really."
"I mean, I think the most important thing is it at least created a sort of a dialogue for people to talk about gay rights and talk about homosexuality," Harrison says. "And I think it probably is at this point a little bit easier for teenagers to come out and for people who are in positions where they’re tortured by their identity to [cope] a little better."
"But as far as what it’s done for the gay community, you know, that’s already out, and active," Harrison says. "I don’t know that there’s necessarily been progress. I feel like there’s a backlash already, a little bit. I feel like it’s as limiting in what people expect of you as a homosexual, or what they think you are like. We sort of define ourselves in a way, by these representations of a really small aspect of what we are in the community."
But despite the faddish nature of themedia explosion, Harrison concedes that it has resulted in an overall positive outcome, even if it falls short in some ways.
"It’s just hard because I’m more interested in laws actually changing, and the true perception, the American perception of what we are actually changing, and I don’t really see that happening. I mean, we’re still pushing. But I feel like the whole aspect of civil rights, it’s totally independent of a television set."
When it comes to talking about infamous sex scenes and nudity that "Queer as Folk" features on a weekly basis, Harrison sounds weary, like he’s tired of answering the question. I can’t blame him if he is – but we are a culture obsessed with sex, as he’s quick to point out, so there’s no skirting the issue.
"It’s funny because everyone wants to talk about [the scenes]. People like to latch onto sex for some reason still, and get sort of obsessive about the naked body. It’s funny because when you watch it, just the fact that it’s two people who appear to be naked – even though we’re not – in proximity to each other, an amount of intimacy comes across that oftentimes just really isn’t there. It’s totally technical. But people see two things and they create that in their minds. You know, you can’t see two naked people together that close and not assume a sort of intimacy."
And what does he think of the infatuation that people, especially straight women, have with the Brian and Justin relationship?
"I find it sort of mildly amusing. It just seems kind of strange, I’m not really a television person, so whenever people get sort of obsessive relationships about television characters I find it sort of bizarre."
As one of those people (with the memory of my latest "TV boyfriend" fresh on my mind), I laugh nervously as he continues. "It’s really sweet and it’s nice that for whatever reason the story line and our work [are] so compelling."
During the six months of the year while he’s not filming "Queer as Folk," Harrison spends time auditioning, doing theater, and catching up with friends and family, as well as taking classes part time at Columbia University. When I ask what he studies, he says his interests lie in English Literature and other artistic classes – but "not acting [classes]."
As our conversation continues, I get the impression that Harrison is ready to move on to the next phase in his life, where the issue isn’t how many times his butt has been on television or whether or not Justin and Brian will ever fully commit to each other.
Harrison’s true enthusiasm seems to lie with the work he’s producing outside of "Queer as Folk."
He makes no secret that he’s tired of dressing up and making the promotional rounds for the show and prefers working in theater over television. He talks more willingly about his own interests than the events that occur when he’s Justin Taylor, at one point even saying "It feels strange to be talking about [Justin] because he’s not a real person."
As evidence of his emphatic non-Justin-ism, Harrison shares that unlike his character, he has no talent as an artist, but his creativity does express itself in other ways. "I write. But I’ve never been happy enough to let other people read what I write. I’ve never had the focus and the attention span to write a novel. I think I wrote like a 120 page mini-novel when I was like, 15, and that was the longest thing I’ve ever written and it was terrible. I write short plays and short movies that I shoot with my digital camera with my friends."
And when he thinks of the future, when Justin is just a tiny speck in his rearview mirror?
"I’ll keep acting, you know. I’ll definitely keep doing theater. I’d love to break into film. I’m making small films with my friends now, and after five years of doing that, it could become bigger films. I’d love to start a theater company [with a group of friends] … I’ll just keep acting. I don’t know exactly what the opportunities that will present themselves to me are, I know I’m creating a lot of my own work and that’ll definitely get bigger and more exciting and maybe one day even scrounge me up some money."
He laughs, possibly aware that this sounds strange, and amends himself to say that he’d like to make money on work he’s created on his own, not just by playing someone else’s character.
With the fifth season of "Queer as Folk" just announced, Justin Taylor isn’t quite out of the picture for Randy Harrison yet. But at least Harrison is excited about his many prospects for the future. |
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