LGBT audiences probably first noticed actor Adrian Gonzalez as the hotter-than-hot boyfriend of a man whose ex attempted to win him back in the 2011 movie August, which was as steamy as its title.
Now Gonzalez, a graduate of Northwestern University, is on From Here on OUT, Here TV's first-ever original sitcom. The series revolves a man's attempts to get his show, Guy Dubai: International Gay Spy, made.
Gonzalez recently talked with Windy City Times about auditioning, stereotypes and his Chicago roots.
Windy City Times: Hey, Adrian. Tell me how you became connected with the show From Here on OUT.
Adrian Gonzalez: auditioned. [Laughs] My agent sent me out on an audition.
WCT: When you found out what the character would be like, was there any hesitation? Some people have said that your character is very stereotypical.
Adrian Gonzalez: Well, that's what they were going for, and I wasn't afraid to play with that. I kinda wanted to make him a hybrid, an [Agador] kind of thing; I wanted him to be like that character from The Birdcage. I don't think there was anything wrong with having him as a stereotype. [Raul, Gonzalez's character] is a very content person; he's a pool boy, and he loves what he does. He's pretty much the slut with a heart of gold.
WCT: Since you play a pool boy [with very little clothing], what is your workout regimen like to get ready for your scenes?
Adrian Gonzalez: [Laughs] I work out in general. I do a lot of CrossFit. I've always been in pretty good shape, although I'm not in the shape [co-star] T.J. Hoban is in. He's pretty unreal. You see him and you can see every muscle.
WCT: I also saw you in August, and it was a different role than the one in From Here on OUT, but I assume that's what you want to do: challenge yourself as an actor.
Adrian Gonzalez: Right. I think that was the fun part. With this role, it's the freedom to be this happy character. The comedy was a challenge, and I think that's why I wanted to do this.
WCT: So you'd say comedy is more difficult than drama?
Adrian Gonzalez: For me, it's definitely being in a comedy. In a drama, it's all about honesty and show a part of yourself. With comedy, you do that as well—but it's a lot harder. There's the timing and the pacing; there are a lot of technical aspects to comedy. I don't think I'm that funny. [Both laugh.] I love doing it, though.
WCT: You mentioned the technical aspects of comedy. There are also a lot of them in sex scenes. [Note: There are quite a few in From Here on OUT.]
Adrian Gonzalez: Uh, yeah. [Laughs] It can be awkward; my first day, I shot four different sex scenes with five different guys I had never met.
WCT: That sounds like a regular weekend for some people.
Adrian Gonzalez: [Laughs] Yes, it definitely does! There's a combination of actors who are straight and gay, and so you try to play the scene out and hope everyone's comfortable with it. People were OK with whatever went on and Sam [Irvin], our director, really set up a very safe environment. It was all for the fun of comedy, and it was all well-done—a little over-gratuitious, but it was fun.
WCT: For people who may not know, what is auditioning for like? Do you just encounter hundreds of other people?
Adrian Gonzalez: [Laughs] Yeah—depending on the role, you do tend to see the same people. I have even made a few friends. You get called in, you show up and you prepare for your role.
WCT: It's applying for a job.
Adrian Gonzalez: You're basically applying for a job—over and over.
WCT: Who would be your dream actor or actress to work with?
Adrian Gonzalez: Oh, wow. I think anybody would say Meryl Streep, but I feel that's so far-fetched. On TV, who would I like to work with? I would say one of my favorite actors right now is Adam Driver on the show Girls. I love that guy; I think he's great, and I hope to work with him one day. [A conversation then ensues about various TV shows, including The Good Wife, Scandal and Game of Thrones.] I'd love to work with [The Good Wife's] Julianna Margulies as well.
WCT: And what's with all the controversy about [Girls'] Lena Dunham's nudity?
Adrian Gonzalez: She's very curvaceous and doesn't work out. She's very much herself.
WCT: She's normal.
Adrian Gonzalez: Exactly. But there's a reason for the nudity—to make someone uncomfortable and to face one's [truth]...
WCT: Well, she's braver than I am.
Adrian Gonzalez: I was actually naked on stage in Chicago.
WCT: What?
Adrian Gonzalez: Yeah; this was over at The Center on Halsted. I played Ramon in the play Love! Valour! Compassion! with Hubris Productions. Your newspaper reviewed us—and you guys were very nice to me. I was on stage naked for, like, 45 minutes.
WCT: What was that like?
Adrian Gonzalez: It was weird. [Interviewer laughs.] I was supposed to be on a platform pretending I was on a lake and I was just lying there, naked. I even did some nude modeling before then to prepare. By the first show, I was comfortable; once you rip the Band-Aid off, you're fine.
WCT: So you lived in Chicago for a while?
Adrian Gonzalez: Yeah. I went to Northwestern and graduated in 2005. I then stayed in Chicago for about three and a half years. I worked with Bailiwick as well. But I then I decided to pursue TV and film. Now, Chicago has some really great shows [filming there]: Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire
WCT: The movie Divergent was filmed here, and the show Shameless films here.
Adrian Gonzalez: That's great! I didn't know that about Divergent.
WCT: Now you'll have to come back.
Adrian Gonzalez: Yeah, but there's that weather: eight months of winter, one month of spring, one month of summer and two months of fall. [Both laugh.] Here it's always sunny and there's a little breeze.
From Here on OUT is currently on Here TV. Here TV can be found via VOD and SVOD services by entering the "On Demand" menu, selecting "Premium," and then selecting "Here TV on Demand."
To find out how to get Here TV, log on to www.heretv.com/AGetHerePage. Here TV is also now available as a YouTube paid channel.
