ROBERT
GANT
by Lawrence Ferber
Robert Gant is one of those actors
who makes a difference through his work. Openly gay,
he proudly played the role of Hal Sparks’ hunky,
HIV-positive boyfriend, Ben, on Showtime’s Queer
as Folk between 2001–2005. Once the series
wrapped, he co-founded Mythgarden, a production company
devoted to projects that depict and are relevant to
the LGBT community. Their first feature film is Save
Me, in which Gant plays Scott, a broken gay man who
falls in love with Mark, a recovering drug/sex addict,
at an ex-gay ministry. Fellow Mythgarden co-founder
Chad Allen plays Mark, while Judith Light portrays Gayle,
the ministry’s leader. The film made its debut
at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and is being distributed
by Roadside Attractions. Meanwhile, Mythgarden is next
working with David Duchovny and here! Regent on a film
about an elderly gay man who finds both homophobia and
love at a nursing home in The Way Out. Speaking
of the elderly, Gant is passionate about the issue of
aging in the gay community and he supports the organizations
Senior Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), and Gay and
Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH).
Born Robert Gonzalez in Tampa, Florida, Gant lived a
previous life as a lawyer before becoming an actor.
He has appeared on TV’s Popular, Caroline in
the City, and Friends, and in films including Marie
and Bruce, and the raucous 2004 Power Up!-produced short,
Billy’s Dad is a Fudge-Packer. In between
his promotional duties for Save Me, and happily chatting
about his new dog, Gant sat down in the VIP Lounge.
What place in the world is on the
top of your list to visit?
[Italy’s] Amalfi Coast, most likely Positano.
I’m a bit of a workaholic and often vacation in
a way that doesn’t really entail rest. What I really
want to do is rest, relax, restore, and renew. So I’m
going to bring books, and I want a little villa where
they have a chef who makes all your meals and friends
can come and just chill.
What city in the USA most resembles
the decadent gay Pittsburgh wonderland depicted in Queer
as Folk?
West Hollywood! One of the things the show’s
producers decided to do was create a super-real environment
in that Pittsburgh setting. That working class, middle
of America sort of place, but with an almost fantastical,
wish-fulfillment element. So I think you’d really
have to go to New York or L.A. to experience that, and
that whole holding hands walking down the street thing
is very West Hollywood.
What is the first foreign country
you ever visited?
I had always wanted to do the backpacking thing
through Europe, and it was right after law school, so
I did a two-week trip to Rome, Florence, Venice, and
Nice. We were going to Paris next when someone told
us we had to go to San Tropez, so we decided to take
a train and ferry and…wow. We found the gay beach
and it was all these wealthy, crazy, European vacationers.
We met locals who had a vineyard and we stayed there
and it was an extraordinary adventure.
Save Me takes place in a conservative
part of the country. Is there a conservative-minded
destination gays should visit and interact with the
locals so they can have a positive, mind-opening impact
on the area?
Gosh, there are so many places that need help in
that regard, to have hearts and minds opened around
the issue of homosexuality. To understand who we really
are instead of preconceived notions. Unfortunately,
with the places that come to mind, I wouldn’t want
people to put their lives in danger. So it’s an
interesting question. Being a guy who came from the
south—I’m from Florida—that is definitely
a region that could most benefit from more open minds.
When choosing a hotel, what are some
of the amenities you consider absolutely essential?
I like hotels that are a little hipper. I love
a big fluffy robe. I’m a big L’Occitane [brand
toiletries] fan. I love all their verbena stuff, anything
verbena. My favorite scent in the world.
If you could meet with anyone from
the past, who would it be, where would you meet, and
why?
I’d like to meet Ghandi. My favorite quote
in the world is one of his: “Be the change you
wish to see in the world.” I’d love to speak
to him, and better understand the notion of nonviolent
existence and the thoughts behind it. I’d like
to meet him in my home. People say it feels like a little
bit of Tuscany. One of the things important to me is
to create a vacation-like setting where I live.
What is the best or most unique souvenir
you ever brought home, and where is it right now?
I have a painting from Queer As Folk that was in
Ben’s apartment. It’s a long, thin painting
of an elongated man, and he’s holding a red flower
and written over and over is “I will stand strong.”
That was a great source for my creation of the character
and brings a lot of power and spiritual energy to my
home.
If you were stranded on a desert
island what three things would you hope to find there?
A virtually ceaseless feast of wonderful foods
buried in a cave, most in cans, and all of the things
necessary to prepare and open the cans; a deserted little
abode; and a beautiful man with whom to spend time—the
thing I’m most interested in finding today.
[Published:
December, 2007]
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On
the Road, A Mini Gay Film Fest