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Re: 兄弟姐妹—家庭剧就要象这样
还有两个星期才有新一集…郁闷
不过刚找到一篇Matthew Rhys
与一个gay网站的interview
颇长的, 跟大家分享下
Interview With Brothers & Sisters' Matthew Rhys
by Dennis Ayers, January 29, 2007
Brothers & Sisters, the ABC drama that airs Sundays nights following Desperate Housewives, features what may be the most substantial recurring gay character ever on network television. That character is Kevin Walker, and he's played, brilliantly, by a Welsh actor named Matthew Rhys (pronounced “Reese”).
Rhys is already a well-known face in the United Kingdom, but he may be less familiar to American audiences. The success of Brothers & Sisters, however, and his integral role on the show is sure to change all that. Though he is surrounded by a stellar ensemble cast of more readily recognizable television stars (among them Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths and Rob Lowe), Rhys more than holds his own. In fact, among fans of the show, Rhys' character, Kevin, has emerged as one of the show's most popular characters. We recently sat down with Rhys to talk about his role on Brothers & Sisters.
AfterElton.com: We're big fans of Brothers & Sisters and big fans of you as well. First off, congratulations on the success of the show. I heard you guys got two extra episodes. Any word yet on next year?
Matthew Rhys: As an actor, we're one of the last to know anyway, so no. I think the two extra episodes are a good sign though. We're all just crossing fingers, really.
AE: Gotcha. How does a Welsh actor wind up on an American television show?
MR: What has happened over many years is there's quite a large group of British actors, and we all come out for pilot season in January, February and March because it's the sort of quiet time at home. So we all trek out to L.A. and then start looking for work, and if we don't get something, then we go home again. I've been doing that for eight years now, on and off, in sort of various degrees of success, but this is the first series that was picked up.
AE: Had you come in to read for the part before Jonathan LaPaglia's departure [LaPaglia played Kevin in the original pilot] or did you come in after that?
MR: I came in after. Actually, this year I was late for pilot season, and my manager said, “Well, come over anyway and let's see what's out there.” It was all a matter of beautiful timing. When I did come over, they were recasting. I'm very lucky, really.
AE: From my perspective, Brothers & Sisters seems to be the only American network television show right now with a gay character of any significant depth. It's kind of amazing what you guys have been able to do. Does it surprise you that your character is such a standout on American television these days?
MR: Um, in a way, yes. Because that particular comment I've heard a couple of times, and it has made me think that in this day and age you would expect a higher degree of exposure for gay characters.
AE: I'd heard that Brothers & Sisters is going to be airing on Channel 4 in the U.K.
MR: Yes.
AE: How do you think it's going to be received over there? Do you think the show is more in line with European expectations of a show? Do you think the show will make as big a splash over there as it seems to be having here?
MR: I think so. The American shows that Channel 4 generally picks up have a good track record of doing well. And I think it has all the sort of qualities that British audiences enjoy and look forward to in an American series. It has a fantastic cast — the ensemble acting group is fantastic — but primarily the writing is so sound. It is challenging, and it's entertaining. And it sort of covers all those bases you want and you need, really.
AE: Do you think that having [executive producers] Jon Robin Baitz and Greg Berlanti there as two openly gay men — do you think that's helped the writing for your character?
MR: Absolutely! Robbie [Baitz] says that often he finds it very easy to write for Kevin as opposed to other characters. And Robbie was adamant from the start that he didn't want any whiff of stereotype or anything like that. Not to make [Kevin] any exception to anyone else in any way. Just an absolutely normal part of the family.
AE: Kevin, for me, seems to be a very successful gay representation because he's a very three-dimensional character. He's not a stereotype.
MR: Yes.
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. |
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