~ by tim parks ~
Facts that weren’t surprising given the nature of the beast, when it comes to having been an out actor and comedian, as Stuart explained. “I came out in 1993. That was 25 years ago, I started the process and it took around a year to make the decision and a year to rewrite my act,” he recalled. “I think the hard part is that I still feel that I’m ‘catching up’ to my straight counterparts. Life is ‘birds of a feather’ and you’re always trying to ‘get into the club’ of the people who get the most opportunities. It makes me sad that we’re still in this place.
“Don’t cry for Stuart, Argentina” however, he has definitely been getting his fair share of opportunities. In this past year alone, according to his IMDb page, he ‘s amassed some ten credits with appearances on both the small and big screen. He is familiar to TV viewers as Joseph Randall in the 2016 HBO film Birth of a Nation, starring the delicious Armie Hammer and has also had a stint on Swedish Dicks. Jason Stuart, Armie Hammer and Swedish Dicks, now there’s a visual… Okay, where was I?
Oh yes, he’s also appeared on Netflix’s Love, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Will & Grace, Charmed and even an episode of Murder, She Wrote. On the silver screen, Stuart has had roles in Kindergarten Cop with ‘Ahnald,’ A Day without a Mexican, and more recently showcasing his acting chops in Abducted, The Infiltrators and Immortal.
He certainly doesn’t limit himself regarding the type of roles that come his way, playing both straight on film and not-so-straight, as he mentioned about a couple of recent projects. “I just played two gay roles in a row, which I hadn’t done in a long time. I also produced a series that I wrote called Smothered with Mitch Hara, where we play two older gay men in a 30-year relationship. You’ve heard of gay marriage… but have you heard about gay divorce? The two hate each other but can’t seem to separate.
They love each other and end up robbing a bank and are happy to live with each other because of it,” he said. “I did a little short film that’s now hitting the festival circuit called Hank and I play this sweetest, kindest sort of put-upon guy. Both of these gay characters are different; one is more comedic and the other is much more dramatic.”
This ying and yang aspect is also prevalent in how Stuart views his career in being an out actor and comedian, “There’s a different kind of prejudice.” Offering this analogy for the more negative connotations, “When you are in the closet in any way, shape or form, the symbol of it is that you’re in the closet standing on shoes and there are hat boxes and shit in the way. You’re behind the leather jacket and every once and a while someone opens the door, shines a light on your face, takes something out and then closes the door… and that’s how you make all of your decisions.
With the aforementioned cons, there is usually a corresponding flip side, offering a wealth of pros. Stuart stressed that chief among them is the fact that he’s “been lucky” as far as being able to be open and honest, which has informed his comedy act. It has also given him a treasure trove of emotions to play with in his acting performances. “The really great thing about it is that I get to be who I am. As a comedian I’m able to talk about my real life. As an actor it makes me a better artist to be able to tell the truth, so I can use my real emotions. It opens you up in a way that’s not possible to understand before.”
One has to wonder—well at least this interviewer did and I’m writing this—which of his roles has been the one that has been the furthest removed from him as a person and which has been most like him. (One out of two ain’t bad, as we got sidetracked after the first one and the second turned into the role that changed him the most.) He cited his role in Hank as “being very removed from me and not anywhere close to who I am.”
“He’s more sweet, in a gentile sort of way and I’m more of a papa bear. He’s much more feminine than I am,” he explained. “I’ve been really, really happy in the last couple of years, I’ve been able to do a lot of really wonderful roles. Certainly, Birth of a Nation was an experience that changed me as a human being. It gave me the opportunity to step up to the plate and work with some really powerful actors.”
Speaking of actors, we wanted to get his two cents worth on The Assassination of Gianni Versace’s straight – cough, cough – actor Darren Criss recently saying that he wasn’t going to take away any more roles from gay actors. Then of course, we also wanted his thoughts on the Jussie Smollett situation. “Andrew Cunanan was a pretty hard role to cast. But to say you’re not going to do any more ‘gay roles’ is like me saying I’m not going to do any more straight roles,” he quipped. “I understand, but an odd thing to say publicly.”
As for Smollett’s indictment and recent exoneration on 16 felony counts stemming from a claim he was the victim of a hate crime by two masked men in Chicago this January, which he was alleged to have staged, Stuart had this take.“Sad, just sad,” he replied. “I don’t know the man, I only know what I’ve read so my opinion means very little. I can’t imagine why he did what he did, if it’s true.”
Alrighty, “Lets get on with the show” or rather, on with Stuart’s show Shut Up, I’m Talking, and what aspect is his favorite as far as performing live. “What I hate about stand-up, is the five minutes before and what I love about it, is the first laugh. It’s a joy having that connection with people and when it works, it’s like really hot sex with a gorgeous man,” he stated. “When it doesn’t work, it’s like ‘Oh God! Why am I doing this?’
I don’t really have those kind of shows anymore, because you become very skilled and that’s where I’m at now. No matter what happens, I can have a fun time,” Stuart continued. “Each show is different and it’s never the same, so I never take my audience for granted and try to create a show for the crowd there that night.”
The subject matter Stuart will be discussing on stage coming up is very close to his heart, “The show is dedicated to my 80-year-old mother Gloria and the title refers to her,” he said. “We started doing an online Facebook show called Shut Up, I’m Talking. The reason we started doing it is because my mom has really bad arthritis and sometimes she would get so sad about it. She moved back to Los Angeles from Palm Springs around two and a half year ago,” he explained. “People know her as the woman who wears a push up bra and cha-cha heels, and she’s been a staple in my act.”
“Now it’s more about her and what it’s like for a mother and son to have gone to the next level in their relationship, where there’s total forgiveness,” Stuart continued. “We laugh all of the time and she’s my family now, whereas growing up she really was not. She had four husbands and when I was a kid, all of the wives on the block would say, ‘Hold onto your husbands, here comes Gloria!’ It’s fun to talk about now, but not fun to have as a mom.” (Laughs)
Southern California audiences will have two chances to see Jason Stuart in his native habitat, onstage performing his standup show.
The next stop on the Stuart comedy train is at The Copa Nightclub, 244 E. Amado Road in Palm Springs on Saturday, May 4. For tickets and more information, call 760.866.0021 or go to coparoomps.com.
Lucky for San Diegan’s Stuart returns to Martinis Above Fourth on Thursday, June 13 for another night of comedy! For tickets and more information call 619.400.5000 or go to ma4sd.com.
To keep apprised of Stuart’s other antics, check out his website at jasonstuart.com.
