Just out., August 17, 2001, Page 26, Image 26

26 Just out » august 17.2001
Peter Paige
Continued from Page 2 4
But Dorothy was only the beginning. Little
did Paige know he had several more queer pro­
ductions ahead.
In the fourth grade he wrote, directed and
starred in Grease: The College Years, a clever
spinoff of the hugely popular film. He continued
to pursue acting, writing and directing as a teen­
ager, performing in a number of school and
community plays.
Paige later received a full scholarship to
attend Boston University’s prestigious School of
Theatre Arts. He studied everything from David
Mamet to William Shakespeare for 12 to 15
hours a day, developed his acting talents and
graduated summa cum laude.
The struggling thespian then moved to New
York, where he supported himself by running
through a series of jobs at a hotel, a restaurant
and an art gallery. He soon connected with a
group of playwrights, directors and actors at
Playwright’s Horizons, a theater where he work-
shopped dozens of new plays.
This is when Paiges next cross-country
adventure began. He left the Big Apple and
began performing at theaters throughout the
United States.
In 1995 he arrived in Portland, where he
worked for two years on the city’s Equity stages.
The versatile actor performed everything from
the classics such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream
to edgy, contentious works by promising young
playwrights.
Don Horn worked with Paige on Party and
First Couple for triangle productions! He
remembers being impressed upon seeing this
new, fresh face.
“He was not averse to tackling things,” Horn
says. “I love that in an actor.”
Paige’s attitude was always, “Let’s get the job
done,” Horn adds. "I really respected him for
that.”
Jon Kretzu also has fond memories of work­
ing with Paige. He directed the young actor in a
production of Beth Henley’s Abundance at
Artists Repertory Theatre.
“We had a wonderful time working with
him,” Kretzu says. “He was just great in the role
and lots of fun to work with and full of ideas.
I’m not at all surprised that he’s done very well
in TV. I’m very proud of him.”
Portland also is where Paige was discovered
by his current manager, who immediately saw
the actor’s potential and brought him to Los
Angeles. There he continued to generate his
own work, collaborating on several projects
such as Twisted and Pantophobia, performed at
theaters around Los Angeles.
He soon was appearing all over the tube: on
Suddenly Susan, Veronica’s Cbset, Caroline in the
City and Time of Your Life. But it was his role on
Will & Grace that garnered the most attention.
Paige appeared in the November 1999
episode where Jack and Rosario were forced to
convince the Immigration and Naturalization
Service that they truly were married. He played
the government agent who turned out to be
someone Jack once slept with.
The stream of roles eventually led the bud­
ding star to Showtime’s Queer as Folk. He por­
trays Emmett Honeycutt, a beloved character
who is a light confection, both sweet and fruity.
“Here’s this nelly gay guy, this effeminate gay
man who likes himself, who somehow along the
way figured it out that he was OK,” he told
Streettalk. “W hat that affords him is this incredi­
ble way to look at the world— kind of like a kit­
ten, where anything that’s shiny and in front of
him is exciting."
Emmett, who utters lines such as “1 could be
a real man if I wanted to,” is the queen of all
queens on Queer as Folk, especially compared to
“straight acting” Michael (Hal Sparks), conserv­
ative Ted (Scott Lowell) and sex-starved Brian
(Gale Harold). Although those who worked
with him here in Portland might beg to differ,
Paige finds a lot of differences between him and
his character.
“I am a lot more grounded than I think
Emmett is,” he told Streettalk. “And a fair amount
more masculine, if I do say so myself.”
Horn, however, says Paige is plenty flamboy­
ant. Just a little more reserved.
“Peter has a heart of gold,” Horn says. “He’s
one of those actors who will give you the shirt
off his back. T h at’s the parallel I see.”
Paige also provides a distinctly queer flavor
for a cast that, according to some fans, sorely
needs it. He and Randy Harrison, who plays
young Justin, are the only two openly gay actors
on Queer as Folk.
Straight co-star Sparks pissed off a lot of
viewers when he compared same-sex smooching
to “kissing a dog.” But Paige denies rumors of
backstage squabbling.
“I adore Hal and think he’s a wonderful per­
son and talented actor,” he told PlanetOut. “I
am sure most of that is derived out of one com­
ment he made that was taken out of context,
which I’ve been asked to respond to, like, 900
times now. Any idea people have that Hal is
homophobic is inaccurate.”
And despite some criticism from gay men
that Queer as Folk only portrays a small segment
of the community, Paige passionately defends
the show’s importance. He’s ever mindful of just
how groundbreaking the series is.
“W hat I think the show portrays is flawed,
human, fully sexualized gay people, which is
something we’ve never seen before on televi­
sion,” he told The Advocate. “So hell yes, I think
it’s good for the community!” J H
Advanced Laser & Dermatologic Surgery Clinics
~ Physician Owned & Operated -
Peels
L a s e r H a ir R em o val
Leg Vein T re a tm e n t
Vascular Lesions
Photofacial/
P h o to reju ven atio n
Scar Revision
MOHS Surgery
for Skin Cancer
Reconstructive
Surgery
Microdermabrasion
Laser Skin Resurfacing
C a ll T o d a y fo r a F re e C o n s u lt a t io n :
5 0 3 -5 7 4 -D E R M
• 9963 SW Nimbus. Beaverton. OR 97008 [Men Door to Tepiick laser Vision)
»