Trevor Donovan went from playing a high school womanizer to playing a gay man coming to terms with his sexual orientation on 90210. His character, Teddy, experienced self-loathing and a series of dysfunctional relationships with men, before coming out amid societal pressures. Windy City Times talked to Donovan about Teddy's transformation, fan reaction and playing a living doll on the big screen.
Windy City Times: Hi, Trevor. What season of 90210 are you going into this fall?
Trevor Donovan: It is my third season and the fourth season of the show.
WCT: Your character, Teddy, came out last season. Did you have any idea that he would be written as a gay character?
Trevor Donovan: No. In my first season I came on as a guest star and had no idea about the direction of the character or if he was even going to stick around. And then on the break between the second and the third season, I signed as a series regular and found out that he was going to be coming out of the closet.
WCT: What was your reaction to the storyline?
Trevor Donovan: Initially I had my reservations because I wasn't sure how they were going to handle it, so I wanted to wait and talk to the producers and writers and make sure that we all had the same idea in mind, and it turns out we did. They wanted the coming out story and not just a ratings booster or shock value story.
WCT: There was a scene last season where Teddy called his one-night stand a "faggot." Was he saying to someone else what he felt about himself?
Trevor Donovan: That's exactly the intention of that scene.
The point of the storyline was to show Teddy's inner personal struggle and to show him coming to terms with who he really was and why he hasn't been happy his whole life, and lose a lot of those expectations that his family and peers had for him because he looked a certain way and acted a certain way so there's no way he could be gay by society's standards. So he had that drilled into his mind from a young age until he did go outside of that comfort zone and he came to realize it created this inner turmoil, anger and self-hatred. Then it exploded and he projected it onto someone else who was trying to help him. It showed the difficulty of coming out because of the way society views homosexuality.
WCT: How have fans reacted to the storyline?
Trevor Donovan: It has been nothing but positive. I get tweets and Facebook messages saying how much my character has helped them in their personal lives.
WCT: How do you feel about being a sex symbol for both men and women?
Trevor Donovan: It's very flattering. It's not a bad thing, especially in the line of work I'm in.
WCT: Do men hit on you because they confuse your reel life with your real life?
Trevor Donovan: You know what's funny? I haven't gotten hit on once. I live in the West Hollywood area and I get a lot of people thanking me and saying how much they appreciate my character. I was hit on more prior to doing this role. [ Laughs ]
WCT: How many episodes will you be doing for the upcoming season?
Trevor Donovan: As of right now it's five, but I'm just rolling with the punches of whatever they decide to do. The episodes are going to be scattered throughout the first half of the season is what I gather.
WCT: If you had the opportunity to write for Teddy, what direction would you want to see your character go in?
Trevor Donovan: The way that they're going, which I can't talk about, is a brilliant direction. Just as my storyline coincided last year with social issues with the bullying, this season is going to coincide with a lot of political and social issues going on in the news.
WCT: How did you get involved in the public-service announcement for the Trevor Project's "It Gets Better" campaign?
Trevor Donovan: My manager and I just decided to do it. I went over to his house and we just shot it in an afternoon, and we just posted it ourselves.
WCT: Is it true that you are going to be playing Ken in the Barbie live-action movie?
Trevor Donovan: I've been talking with the producer Laurence Mark ( Dreamgirls ) , whom I've known for quite some time. It's in pre-production and I've been meeting with them about it. It's definitely a possibility.
WCT: Can you tell me about your upcoming movie, Savages?
Trevor Donovan: It's an Oliver Stone film that I start at the end of August. It's a mystery/thriller type film with a little dark comedy. There's some great names in it: John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek.
WCT: You are in excellent shape. What is your workout regimen?
Trevor Donovan: I exercise every single day. I have been surfing for most of my life and also do a workout regimen called Crossfit and I do a lot of mountain running.
WCT: How do you feel about those shirtless scenes on 90210?
Trevor Donovan: I understand the purpose of it but there have been times where I've said, "No I'm not taking my shirt off. There's no reason for it." But it's a part of my job and I'm totally comfortable with it.
WCT: Did you start out as a model, and was acting a natural progression for you?
Trevor Donovan: I did start out as a model, but I had no interest in acting. I started taking acting classes because I was so terrified of getting in front of the camera for commercial auditions. After about a year I just fell in love with acting.
WCT: What kind of legacy would you want to leave behind as an actor?
Trevor Donovan: One actor who I look up to is Paul Newman who was a great actor, but took it outside of that and was a philanthropist as well. He started the salad dressing company and did not take a single dime from the profits. I want to leave a mark in the entertainment industry but also make a positive impact on the world.
Season four of 90210 premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 13. To keep up with Trevor Donovan, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Donovan/143984612895.
