Loading...
|| Arts & Entertainment ||
1 2 NEXT  Page 1 of 2

Mr. Ross

Evan Ross, son of the legendary Diana Ross, is making a name for himself in the role of a gay man with AIDS in producer Queen Latifah's new HBO film Life Support.


When you hear Evan Ross’s voice—with its combo of depth and softness—and take in his generosity of spirit, it makes you think, Yeah, it makes sense he’s Diana Ross’s son. And when you learn he’s only 18, you realize he’s wise beyond his years, enough to tap into the darkness to play such challenging roles as the self-destructive gay HIV-positive teenager Amare in Life Support, which premiered this month on HBO. Starring Queen Latifah as a recovered crack addict turned activist who tries to save Amare, Life Support shines a light on people not often represented on the screen: African-American women and men living with HIV and AIDS, including men living on the "down low" like Amare’s lover, Michael. I talked with Evan about Life Support, love, struggle, forging his own identity—and what it was like to play gay.

Life Supportreally surprised me with its passion. What attracted you to the film and the role of Amare?
I had heard the script was really powerful and dealt with a lot of important issues. And when I spoke with Nelson George [the director and cowriter], he was very passionate about it. When I was looking through the roles, I thought Amare presented the harsher realities of HIV and I thought his would be a really interesting role to play—he wasn’t like any character I’d ever played before. So I decided to go with the role and see how I could bring something different to it. I thought, Let me see how I can play this role so we really still care about this character, even though he’s really messing up.

Yeah, Amare messes up a lot. He’s quite self-destructive. Can you talk about that?
One of the most important things is having people around you who love you and care for you. For Amare, he started to lose that after a while—his best friend and his sister and everyone had their own lives to deal with, and he started to feel alone. And it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Everyone has their own life to live. So I think Amare felt he had nobody as he was dealing with his disease and so many things. How he felt abandoned just made him give up.

It’s really interesting how Amare's gay sexuality wasn’t emphasized, but it was part of his character. When you look into Amare, do you think his self-destruction had anything to do with his not accepting being gay?
All of who he was impacted him. I don’t think there’s a reason why the film didn’t really emphasize his sexuality and how that was a part of him. It was subtle, and it was good it was subtle, because you can understand his downfall from all angles.

In terms of his issues with his sexuality and having HIV and the drugs, all of it…
Yeah, it was a combination of everything in his life that caused him to have a lot of trouble and give up. Everything was just too much. He didn’t have anybody to talk to, then he became part of the hustle, then he ending up selling all his medication and didn’t really care anymore.

When do you think he decided to give up?
I think it all started with his sister and not being able to go home, and his sister not wanting to be a part of his life and his messing up anymore. And then it was with his friends. Like Kelly, she was always there, but when Amare was really sick and on the floor, and as much as he was doing drugs to cover up his pain, Kelly asked him to leave. I think he felt betrayed, but at the same time it really wasn’t her fault. I think that’s something important too, because even though we see it and hear about it, we can’t really know what it’s like to deal with a situation like Amare’s or understand it totally.

Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter. 1 2 NEXT  Page 1 of 2



More Online Only
  • Film Teen Spirit

    While Native American cultures have long honored people of integrated genders, a new documentary looks at a shocking hate crime against a two-gendered Colorado teenager.

  • Politicians L.A. Confidential

    What's it like to be 33, gay, and one of the most powerful people in America's second-largest city? Stressful, says Matt Szabo, the new deputy chief of staff to Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

  • Commentary Love Bites for Twilight's Gay Fans

     

    Gay fanpires are sure to flock to New Moon, but with questions lingering about author Stephanie Meyer and the cash she gives to the Mormon Church, Mike Albo wonders if we'd be better off tying a clove of garlic around our necks.


  • Youth Church Opens Doors for Homeless Gay Teens

    A church-turned-shelter for homeless youth in Queens, New York is a far cry from sleeping on the streets after a $200,000 renovation and a partnership with the Ali Forney Center for LGBT youth.

  • Music France's Latest Export

    He's opened for Britney and Katy Perry, kept Dita Von Teese company in the front row at Paris Fashion Week, and gets name-checked on Twitter by Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Sarah Silverman. So who the hell is Sliimy, anyway?

  • Marriage Equality Triumph in the Tar Heel State

    The loss of marriage equality in Maine was a major blow on Election Night, but down the coast in North Carolina there was an LGBT victory. Pam Spaulding talks to Chapel Hill's mayor-elect, Mark Kleinschmidt.

  • Theater Video Content Flag Puppet Masters

    When performance-art drag diva Joey Arias combines forces with master puppeteer Basil Twist, anything — no, seriously, anything — can happen.

  • News Softball With Oprah and Palin

     

    Dave White recaps as Oprah plays nice with Palin in her exclusive, personality-rehabbing interview. Topics include Katie Couric ("badgering"), Levi Johnston ("Ricky Hollywood"), and step class ("gee, it's fun").

  • News View From Washington: Frank Tells

    This week Congressman Barney Frank laid out a plan and a timetable for repealing "don't ask, don't tell..." and a reminder that he's been saying it would happen in 2010 from the beginning.

  • News Features Where's Mitrice?

     

    Mitrice Richardson is a 4.0 student, a former beauty pageant contestant, and a lesbian. She’s also been missing since September, and her family and girlfriend want answers. 


     

  • Theater Seat Filler

    The Advocate’s queen on the New York theater scene meets bisexual conjoined twins, pits Sienna Miller against Jude Law, tastes Cheyenne Jackson’s Rainbow, and saves up for a rainy day with Hugh Jackman.

  • Art Fairey Good 


    Controversial artist Shepard Fairey spends his creative capital to bring marriage equality back to California.

  • Film Crazy Like a Fox

    Hipster actor Jason Schwartzman gets schooled on his gay fans and the Hollywood closet and reveals why he’s never played a gay role.

  • Television Viki Victorious?

     

    Soap icon and six-time Emmy Award winner Erika Slezak talks about the trials and tribulation of playing Victoria Lord and her run for mayor, gay rights, and the sudden death that rocks Llanview.

  • Commentary Called to Serve

    The military continues to operate under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which even the Pentagon says is unsubstantiated. As General McChrystal asks for more troops in Afghanistan, one gay Navy vet offers his service to his country in spite of the policy that would deny him.

  • News Features Marriage Foe Tied to Pro-Gay Companies

    Ford Motor Co. and Reynolds American, two companies that receive consistently high marks from the HRC, have ties with Schubert Flint Public Affairs, the firm that was instrumental in defeating marriage equality in California and Maine.

     

  • News Features A Few Good Men

    In honor of Veteran's Day, two of the most famous gay vets -- Frank Kameny and Dan Choi -- share their letters from Uncle Sam.

Most Popular Stories