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Many Crowns (part three)

Chad Allen‘s newest film, ‘Save Me,’ is another reflection of the actor’s multifaceted faith.

By Blase DiStefano

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ChadKiss
The object of my affection: private investigator Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) gives a kiss to his husband, New York state senator Tim Callahan (Sebastian Spence) in the Donald Strachey Mystery series that airs on here! TV. How does his costar respond to their onscreen intimacy? “Well,” Allen says, “he's straight, unfortunately. But, oh well. He was very nervous in the first film we made, but we got to become really good friends, and he really relaxed. Now we don't even think about it, so the affection and the physicality come very natural.” The fourth installment, Ice Blues , premieres September 5.

My next question was gonna be, “Where do you think you find yourself on the Kinsey scale?”

I’m pretty far. [Both laugh] I forget, was the Kinsey scale a seven?

No. The zero is exclusively heterosexual and six is exclusively homosexual.
Oh yeah. I’m probably a five and a half. [Both laugh] But I love women.

But in other times of your life, you have been a four or three or whatever?
Absolutely. And we can talk about how much of those times of my life were about a myriad of other issues that were going on, but that’s just me. I dated a guy seriously at one time who had a very, very beautiful, loving relationship with a woman after we stopped dating, and I don’t doubt the love they had between one another.

This may or may not be a good segue into For Better or Worse [a comedy about a pair of grooms whose family, friends, and exes threaten to turn their wedding into a disastrous event]. Can you tell me about it? Is it in pre-production or post-production?
It’s in pre-production. I don’t know when we’re going to shoot it. It’s a great idea. And it’s a fantastic cast. We’re cool together.

Have you ever heard of Ruta Lee?
No.

She’s in the movie, according to International Movie Data Base. She’s an actress from the ’60s. Also, she was on Roseanne and played Roseanne’s mother’s girlfriend.
[If we make the movie], I’ll be able to meet her. Do you know who Tab Hunter is?

Oh, my God, yes. I interviewed him.
I just am so excited for myself. You interviewed him for his book?

Yes.

I read the book [Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star]. I was preparing to do Looped, and I wanted to get a better understanding of what it was like to live closeted during that time. So I read his book, and it was so fascinating, ’cause so much of his story paralleled my own. I thought it was so interesting, so I rooted around the Internet and found his e-mail address. I sent him an e-mail telling him my story and inviting him to the show, since he worked with Tallulah Bankhead [in Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore on Broadway]. I have a photo of Tab and Tallulah up in my dressing room at the Playhouse. So I invited him to come to the show, and he and his partner Allan Glaser are coming to see the play!

That’s great!
I’m so excited to meet him. I’m beside myself, I’m so excited.

Back to Valerie Harper for a minute. When I interviewed her, she asked me about my name, and I told her I was named after St. Blaise, who was patron saint of diseases of the throat, which is hilarious, and I said that when we went to church, there was a St. Blaise Day in which our throats were blessed by crisscrossing candles.
I remember that!

You do?
Oh yeah. I went 12 years to Catholic school. My Mom always choked a lot for some reason, so she would always go on St. Blaise Day and do the Blessing of the Throat, and they would put the candles on both sides of the neck, which I think is hilarious. I haven’t thought about that since I was in the 8th grade.

You would have had no reason to!
[Laughs] I’ll definitely tell Valerie.

I don’t know if she’ll remember that or not.
She probably will. She’s extraordinary. The other night we had a reporter from a small magazine who came to the theater and sent a note backstage to me letting me know he was there. When he walked in, Valerie looked up and not only did she remember him, she remembered his name. So yes, I will absolutely recant the story to her.

I truly appreciate your time.
Great interview. Take care, my friend.

Blase DiStefano interviewed William Mann, author of Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn, for OutSmart’s February 2008 issue (“The Not-So-Straight Kate”).
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Blase DiStefano

Blase DiStefano is the Creative Director/Entertainment Editor for OutSmart Magazine.

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