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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2003)
ing time with M illegan’s partner of five years, Charles, a coach and casting director for voice-overs. Millegan says he came out to his family seven years ago and recounts the time he ric Millegan is out and there’s no stop adled home, finally determined to tell his ping him. The baby-faced actor from parents he was gay. W hen one of his younger Springfield refuses to he closeted and is brothers answered and informed him that riding the wave of openness toward gays in the Mom and Dad weren’t around, “1 told him entertainment industry. so I could tell somebody because I was fired up for it. He was very accepting, and we He is co-starring in O n_U ne, an indepen became closer.” dent film that explores the growing commu nity of people who conduct most of their Good thing because in O n_Line, his social and sexual lives at their computers. debut movie role, he plays a sexually confused college student who htxiks The film, which features two songs by Port up via the Internet with an older land hand Pink Martini, opens Sept. 26 at man. Millegan says their scenes Hollywtxxl Theatre. together are especially moving Eric Allen Millegan was horn in Hack- because “it’s about a young boy ettstown, N.J., about 60 miles west of New with an older man, which is never York City. W hen he was 5 the family moved depicted in movies. It’s not two to Springfield, where his father attended the Chelsea hoys. These relationships are Eric Allen Schixd of Journalism at nearby out there and yet we never see them.” University of Oregon. “W hen 1 was growing up, it was a big joke that 1 was named after a W hen 1 ask if anyone else associated journalism schcxd," Millegan quips, “and my with On_Lintj is gay, he tells me about John Fleck, who plays the older man. sister was named after Elvis’ daughter, Lisa “IJohn’sl gay in the movie and he’s gay in Marie.” real life,” Millegan says, hut catches him Millegan describes an idyllic childhixxJ in self. “T h ere’s an answer you should never which the worst thing that happened was give in an interview.” Then he asks, “He is “when the hall went over the fence, there openly gay, isn’t he?” (Note: Fleck is openly used to he a mean lady Inext door) who wouldn’t give it hack.” He started perform gay and gained national prominence as a ing in local shows at around 7 and hasn’t performance artist in 1990 when he was one of four artists, now collec stopped since. “1 was pretty tively known as the NEA ambitious once 1 started in Four, whose grants were theater,” he says. Urged on by his parents, rescinded by the National Millegan and all five of his Endowment for the Arts on the grounds that their siblings studied piano from an early age. He auditioned work was obscene.) for the Oregon C hildren’s For Millegan, being gay Choir when it was first is unashamedly a part of forming and sang with the who he is, although his group for five or six years. attitude reflects the com plexities of what it means “Everything I learned IthercJ was really important to me to he out as a public figure. getting musical jobs now," “1 never have and never he says. will make an announce As a child, he appeared in ment that I’m gay because — Eric M illegan productions of Amahl & the I just am,” he says. “Every Night Visitors and Oliver! and body knows.” worked with the Mainstage Theater (now W hen I first hear this, I am slightly con called the Downtown Cabaret Theater) in cerned, especially since Millegan has already Eugene. “Even then it was always about putting told me that among his role models and more shows on my resume.” heroes is Nathan Lane, who finally came out Txlay, Millegan remains close to his fam publicly in 1999 after years of being coy about ily ( “1 love my family,” he says, “and C hrist his sexuality. (“I would make a joke,” Lane mas is about coming home and being with told The Advocate in his coming-out article, “not out of being closeted, hut out of finding them ”) and they remain supportive o f his career, flying to New York to watch him it difficult to discuss my personal life with perform in Jesus Christ Superstar and spend total strangers.”) Out-and-outgay: E-tic Millegan, “I never have and never will make an announcement that I’m gay because I just am.... It’s never going to be more of an issue than my height.” eery I’m, AVAILABLE,,, when you are! Careful and energetic handling of all your home financing needs MORTGAGE A Advocates 6700 SVV IOfal) A m .. Suite 200 Beaverton, O R 97006 loll Free (877) 82MWW Fax (60S) 297-0824 F.-Vlail: colIcenwfemtgaclvi xates.com www.mtgadvncates.com Colleen Weed O ffice 503»297»9900 Cell 503»78ö« 1561 t f # y Up-and-coming actor Eric Millegan grew up in Springfield hut now lises in New \ork C its as he pursues an acting career. He’s still a hardcore supporter of the Portland Irail Blazers, though, and since I1*1)*-) has authored a column . called “The Fan” on OregonLive.com. Millegan finally got to meet his hero in July while taping an episode of FIRO’s Curh Your Enthusiasm, which will he televised in March. “I never considered him closeted,” he says. “I always considered him gay. I consid ered him closeted like 1 was closeted until I did The Advocate article a couple of months ago. He’s not denying it to the people he’s having sex with.” When I point out to him a myopia in the entertainment industry whereby actors will think, “If I’m gay and I’m open to my friends and family, then I’m openly gay,” even when they refuse to acknowledge it to the public, Mil legan says, “I’m already on record as gay. Frior to this movie, my life has been that I am gay. When I went to Sundance [Film Festival) there was a gay bninch and I went to that. When The Advocate wanted to write the article [abxxit me) c they never asked the question.. .hut the article clearly implied it by saying that I have a boyfriend. It’s never going to he more of an | issue than my height because there’s noth- ■fck ing to announce. It’s just what is." Wmt Millegan continues: “I don’t hold it against either Nathan or Rosie (O’D m nelll because they both got started at a time when things were completely different. They didn’t grow up with every- FxxJy around, with Rixsie and Nathan coming out before them.” But clearly Millegan relishes his celebrity and the pioneering status that comes with it. “You do a disservice to gays if you don’t come out,” he says. “Hopefully, now I can go along and have a gixxJ career and the next kid can see it and say, ‘1 can come out [because] Eric Millegan did.’ ” In fact, he says that being open is actually helping his career. “T he only reason I’m get ting any auditions,” he says, “is because of this one film credit. My agent sends in a press packet with the AdvtKate article in it every tim e...and I’m getting auditions, even more.” When I ask whether he had ever considered closeting himself, Millegan’s answers once again demonstrate the challenges facing an actor on this issue. “Opportunities don’t just open up and you become a big movie h star because you lie about your sexuality," he says. “My friends in the closet are not doing any better because they’re in the closet. You can be straight and not get jobs.” Still, he is honest enough to admit: “If I were a huge superstar, people would care m ore.... It’s pretty easy for me now, but let’s see me get tested.... I don’t know what 1 would do if I were offered $2 million hut told I couldn’t mention Charles." On the other hand, Millegan says: “I don’t mind being pigeonholed into getting a pay- check. There are plenty of straight actors who only play straight roles. Are they pigeonholed? If I only played gay people for the rest of my career, would that be terrible? There are plenty of different kinds of gay characters. I could work for years." JH FLOYD S klaver is a Ptrrtlarul free-lance writer. He can he reached at floydsklaver@comcast.net. Fanno Creek Clinic Welcomes Don Valerio, MD Internal Medicine 2 4 0 0 SW Vermont ♦ Portland Sports Injury HIV Testing/Care Cancer Screening Smoking Cessation Physical Exams Hepatitis Immunization Skin Problems Anxiety /Depression STD Testing General Adult Healthcare Appointments are now available. New patients welcome. ( 503 ) 452-0915 Most insurance plans accepted.
