Broad Appeal

If I were a young homosexual in desperate need of
classic cinematic education, what would be my required viewing? The two essentials would be All About Eve
and Sunset Boulevard. It’s interesting
because they’re two of the most totemic films
in gay camp culture, and yet both movies were written
and directed by very heterosexual men. Then one of my
favorite movies of all time -- and it’s never on
anybody’s top 10 list, but I’m a major
Judy fan -- is Judy’s last movie, I Could Go on
Singing. That would be number 3. Actually, I
conduct an unofficial film course for new friends -- mainly
young actors who come to my plays and haven’t seen a
lot of old movies -- and I have a list of films they
should see. It’s an idiosyncratic list, but I
think it’s a good one. I differentiate between
“movies you should see” and
“movies you should see just because I love
them.” In a way I get very jealous thinking of
all the pleasure they’ll have seeing these
movies for the first time. It’s fun to watch them
again with someone who’s never seen them
before. It’s almost like seeing it fresh.

In one “Charles and Julie” YouTube episode
with your friend Julie Halston, you said,
“The best movies have been made, and the
best plays have been done.” So why get out of bed
in the morning, Charles? Wasn’t that a terrible thing to say? It
does get a little discouraging when some people die
and we don’t really have anyone to replace them. But
I loved Milk, actually. I thought that was a
wonderful film. It was particularly fun for me to watch
because when I first performed in San Francisco in
1981, it was at this marvelous gay performing arts
center called Valencia Rose. It was a great dream of mine
to perform in San Francisco because I’d read all of
the Tales of the City books. This was just a couple of
years after Harvey Milk was killed, and all the people
in his circle used to hang around at the Valencia Rose
cabaret. I got to be friendly with Scott Smith, Cleve Jones,
and Danny Nicoletta, particularly. At the time, I felt
like I was in an Agatha Christie mystery, talking to
all these people who had known this man, hearing their
different points of view.

Finally, settle a bet: Was the long blond wig you
wore in your 2006 film A Very Serious Person
the same one you wore for a guest spot in an episode of
Lipstick Jungle in March 2008? Yes! I paid more for that wig than somebody
might pay for a car, and you can’t use it for
much. When they called me to go on Lipstick Jungle
and play this Karl Lagerfeld kind of designer, I
didn’t want to look like myself. I wanted to look
more theatrical, so that wig came in handy. I thought I
looked pretty good.

And it was good to see you on prime-time network television. Well, I’ve often been asked to play those
kinds of little parts -- the bitchy fashionista or the
vicious desk clerk. But I’m very, very grand
and like to see myself as a cult star, so I don’t
want to play those kinds of parts. They’re gay
stereotypes, and they’re usually only a couple
of lines. I once told an agent, “Any part that
I’m right for, I wouldn’t want to
play.” But then Lipstick Jungle came
along. At first I said no, but then, being grand, I said,
“Well, if you give me fabulous billing, that would be
exciting.” And they did give me wonderful
billing for a part that was only four lines.

Any behind-the-scenes drama on set? I do have one story about someone being a bitch,
but I’ll have to tell you later, off the
record!