Antonio, Party of One

No surprise that you often appear shirtless or in a swimsuit on the show. Is it possible you're in better shape now than you were during your underwear modeling days?
I don't know, but I do feel stronger now. I used to be in the gym all the time, but now I'm doing gymnastics every day, so I'm more flexible. My diet's certainly a lot better now than it ever was when I was younger. I feel I'm getting better as I get older.

You played Amanda Woodward's ex-husband, Jack Parezi, on Melrose Place in 1995. Now that the series is getting a reboot on the CW, would you ever revisit the role?
Well, he died — Heather Locklear killed me — but in soap operas you can certainly die and come back. So if they decided to bring me back, I would love to come back. That would be incredible.

Getting back to your Chelsea Lately interview, you got a lot of flak in the LGBT blogosphere for not answering host Chelsea Handler's question of whether you'd rather be gay or stupid. Seems like a no-brainer to me, Antonio.
Yeah, but the point that people don't understand is that it's a stupid question to ask. Of course I'm going to say I'd rather be gay, but I don't like answering stupid questions. It wasn't a straightforward question that she really wanted an answer to; she was just antagonizing me because she wanted me to say "gay." Everybody should know the answer to that, including myself, but the end of the day, it's a stupid question, and I just felt I shouldn't answer any dumb-ass questions. Ask me something that's worth asking.

OK, then. In your last Advocate interview you admitted to once reaching out to Britney Spears for a date, but she never returned your call. Considering what Britney's been through since 2004, is it safe to say you may have dodged a bullet there?
[Laughs] Yeah, well, she was a different person back then. Now she's all over the place. But listen, she's got kids now, so I really do hope for the best for her.