Cheyenne Jackson: The Life of a Family Man

FROM AMERICAN HORROR STORY TO DISNEY’S LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD

by joel martens

What can I say? We have a fascination with Mr. Cheyenne Jackson. He’s a handsome, talented, gay man who is super-funny and plays sexy, dark characters who have a tendency to live on the wild side.

On American Horror Story’s fifth season, Hotel, Jackson portrayed fashion designer Will Drake, an owner of Hotel Cortez and Lady Gaga’s boy-toy. In the sixth, Roanoke, Jackson portrayed Sidney Aaron James, the mind behind the paranormal My Roanoke Nightmare. In Cult he portrayed Dr. Rudy Vincent and then in Apocalypse, he’s John Henry Moore, the warlock.

Now, this summer he’s taking a turn as Hades, the Lord of the Underworld… And though he’s the “evil one,” I doubt he’ll spend as much time covered in the blood and guts AHS is known for. It is Disney after all, and in true company fashion— though he’s “bad to the bone” and banished from the kingdom—he’s really more of a cool cat than the master of true evil. His hair does have this nasty habit of bursting into flames…

Disney is the perfect next step for this married father of twins: A little less The Shining and “Here’s Johnny…” more of a Snow White “Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” Evil Queen.

Jackson’s kids are gonna love it…

I’ve enjoyed researching you and husband Jason [Landau]. It’s been so gratifying because the two of you have been so willing to share parts of your life. Especially in the context of the LGBTQ community, seeing a married couple raising kids, managing your lives and careers together as a family. It’s just lovely to see, because you’ve managed to achieve what so many of us thought we’d never have.

Aww… Thank you for saying that. That’s why I do share my life, why we share our lives. I have always tried to be open about so many things. Perhaps to a fault at times, possibly. But now, I’m in such a different chapter of my life, why would I not share this unbelievable love and joy that I have with my family and kiddos.

Did you ever think you could survive with so little sleep when you first brought them home?

I so didn’t. I had no idea and my husband and I both immediately aged five years in the first year. (Laughs) We had a way that we wanted to do this; that was with no nanny and just being there for every moment possible. I’m so grateful that we were able to do it, but it is truly the hardest thing I have done in my life. It’s the most fulfilling, too. But yeah, it is exhausting. Especially the age they are now, it’s crazy and never ends. (Laughs)

There is so little representation around happy LGBTQ family life in the larger world, and it’s so important for our larger society to see that. You’ve managed to create your own version of the “American Dream” and it goes far in helping to normalize it in the larger context.

It’s definitely normal… It’s definitely that. (Laughs) It ain’t glamorous baby, it’s truly the meat and potatoes of life. That’s what is so beautiful and wonderful. It’s what I always wanted, and I didn’t know if I could have that. Now I see I can, and we do.

Seeing your Instagram feed and watching your twins grow and develop has been fun. It seems like their personalities are really starting to develop. They seem to be very different individuals with their own sense of who they are.

Yes, they have. (Laughs) They are similar in the fact that they are twins, so they look alike and are obviously related to each other. In terms of how expressed they are, they are also very similar. I thought maybe one would be very outgoing and one would be shyer, but they are both are very, very expressed, which is really kind of great. It has its disadvantages at times though: We were at dinner last night and they both just wanted to sing about everything on the table and everything that they saw at the top of their lungs. (Laughs) We are learning about inside voices and when to be loud and when to be quiet.

They love each other and take care of each other and then also nearly murder each other about twelve times a day. My job right now is to basically just keep them alive. (Laughs) To keep their heads intact, their necks from breaking, keep their fingers from getting chopped off. That’s kind of what we do all day and all night. (Laughs)

It kind of gives you a whole new level of respect for what your parents went through doesn’t it? My parents had four kids in their early 20’s, I think I’d have lost my mind.

Yes it does, it certainly does.

My sister Molly was born when I was 17, so I had a little taste of what it was like to raise a baby. I remember how absolutely fascinated I was by her at the 2- to 3-year mark, because it was like watching her personality explode.

We are right in the middle of that right now and it’s so amazing. Just last night Ethan put his hands in his food and squished it between his fingers, then looked up at me really slowly, right in to my eyes and said, “I’m so crazy right now.” (Laughs) I’m like, okay, here’s something I didn’t expect! Words and phrases that I didn’t even think that they knew, they just bust out and say them. Everybody has said that now is when it really starts to get fun. Harder in a different way, but more fun because we can interact and connect more.

I remember too, that they listen to everything around them and they absorb it like little sponges. I realized how much we must have been swearing around my sister, because once when she was frustrated with a toy, she let loose with a couple choice words in front of company, we had no idea she knew.

Oh God, yeah. (Laughs) They are like little sponges. We spell everything right now. That will only work for little while more because they are both, Willow in particular, are both very, very bright. She can spell her name and things like that… it’s just so much fun.

Could you even have imagined this life when you were a young, gay kid growing up in Idaho?

No. But, I knew I always wanted it. I was the only boy babysitter and I always loved kids. I was even a Sunday school teacher. When I was early in my 20s, I worked at a health club in Spokane and I ran their childcare department. Everyone who joined just thought I was a trainer, but I was like “Oh, no!”

I never thought that society and life would move in the direction it has, but amazingly it has. Once I knew that I was with the person I wanted to be with forever, and he was on the same page about wanting to have a family, it was just absolutely a no-brainer.

I’m curious if you feel any sort of pressure to share your lives, simply because you are a gay couple with a family and someone who is in the spotlight?

I don’t feel pressure at all, I definitely enjoy that part of it. I like seeing myself through other people and I know others like seeing themselves in me. What we have gotten by sharing our lives from people around the world is just so much amazing feedback. It’s really exactly like you said earlier. By sharing ourselves we are normalizing all of it, the good the bad and the ugly, the poopy diapers and the exhaustion and the day-to-day stuff. That’s what made me realize I could have those things in my life, it made me think “I can do that, too.”

It’s what life is about and why I in particular am here. That’s what I’ve always wanted to express with the music I do and the art I create. I want to inspire, and for people to see themselves in me, because I always see myself in all of my peers and all the people that I look to for guidance. So no, I definitely do not feel any pressure to do it.

You are part of a group of performers who are living your lives in the public eye but have managed to create a space where you can do it and still be private. Like you said, it’s not always perfect, but that’s part of the grace of it.

Thank you for saying that. I spent a lot of time not being myself and trying to be the person people wanted me to be. That didn’t work out so well for me, so now I work hard to be who I really am. Getting sober, respecting and loving the work I do and learning to love myself. Once that all started, that’s when my life really and truly began. I don’t put those expectations on myself any longer. I just want to be my most authentic self, whoever that is on any given day.

They say some are born with talent and others inherit it as they grow up. In that vein, do you sing to and with your kids?

24/7. (Laughs) There is almost never not music happening in the house and I am almost constantly singing to them. It’s a huge part of our lives. Jason, before he started his branding and marketing company, was an actor. He went to NYU as a musical theatre major and is incredibly musical and has a beautiful voice. We have that connection and when we give the kids baths every night, I do little pitch checks. (Laughs) Sometimes I think they’ve got it and then… well let’s just say we’re working on it!

Let’s talk a little about The Descendants 3 film you’re involved in these days. What a perfect gift for your kids, having dad in a Disney production. Had you ever done any kind of musical film before?

I did a little indie film a couple years ago with Audra McDonald, that was the first and the only one. This is the first thing I’m doing that my kids will actually be able to see. (Laughs) They got to see me in costume and walk around the set. It was very exciting for them and was a surprisingly super fun experience for me. Kristin Chenoweth gave me advice before I did it, “Honey just go for it, make huge choices, you can’t fail.” So, I thought, “Let’s just do it.”

It’s a whole different kind of evil for you compared to AHS. A fun kind of evil I would imagine for you. Will you return to American Horror Story?

I’ll always leave the door open, but I wanted to change things a bit and lighten it up. I asked to take a year off of American Horror Story and explore a few other things that I have coming up. Ryan [Murphy] was gracious enough to let me do it. He has been so great to me over the years and has hired me for so many things. It definitely feels like a sort of acting troupe.

It definitely feels like a sort of acting troupe and I’ve learned so much about myself as a performer and as an actor doing things with Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson. But, I wanted to change it up for me as an actor, because of where I am right now with my kids and what my life is about these days. I spent so many hours in the woods covered in blood and getting disemboweled by Angela Bassett, so instead I’m lightening it up by playing the lord of the underworld. (Laughs)

I love how Disney has evolved these days. It’s sort of a big thing that they have started a Pride collection and did a Pride Parade at Disney Paris. What was it like for you working with the organization?

It’s great. They are amazing, they have so much going on with so much content, with such amazing artists that they are shepherding. I didn’t know what to expect from this movie, I hadn’t seen the first two, but it really was a great experience. I asked my girlfriends who have kids the right age who enjoy the show, what is it about them that is so popular? She said that she loved Mal and Evie because they are so strong. They are beloved worldwide because these kids can relate to them, to their strengths. It was fun to jump into this world, even though I wondered if I would end up feeling like the weird older brother hanging around on set. It was actually great, they’re all pros and theater people.

It’s been a pleasure to hear you sing again, it seems like it’s been a while since you’ve done it regularly. Any plans for new music or a tour anytime soon?

You’re right, I haven’t really done it much, except with my kids. I am working on new music right now and am going to release a three-song EP. It’s new stuff that I’ve written for my kids that should release right around the time The Descendants 3 comes out. Then, Megan Hilty and I have created a show together and we’ll be touring with symphonies and the like.

We can’t wait to hear, see and learn more about every bit of it.

Descendants 3 will premiere on the Disney Channel in early August. Check your local listings for an exact date and time or go to disneynow.com.

Want to see and hear more about Cheyenne, Jason, Willow
and Ethan? Check out Jackson’s Instagram feed at @mrcheyennejackson.

For more information on Cheyenne’s upcoming EP and his tour dates with Megan Hilty, go to cheyennejackson.com.