[Very long excerpt from the We Love Soaps intervew]We Love Soaps: I am sitting here today with
Scott Evans who plays
Oliver Fish on
ABC’s
ONE LIFE TO LIVE. We are looking at the picture of the “Suds Stud” on the cover of
Instinct Magazine. Scott, when you see this picture, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Scott Evans: I’m happy with it, I’m happy with how it turned out. All of my friends who see this say, “You look so serious, you are so brooding.” It’s very fun. It’s not me, obviously. There’s a picture inside where I’m making a goofy face. That’s more my style.
(....)
We Love Soaps: This was the around the same time that your brother [
Chris Evans] started giving some interviews in the press, and mentioned that you are gay.
Scott Evans: Yes he outed me, well outed me publicly. I outed me when I was nineteen. He outed me publicly.
We Love Soaps: So in your personal life, your family, your friends, everyone knew.
Scott Evans: There was no shock. I didn’t get any phone calls like, “You’re kidding.” They knew.
We Love Soaps: What was it like for you to learn that your brother had put your personal life out there like that?
Scott Evans: It was in
The Advocate where he said it and told my story. When that article came out, he took a lot of flack from a lot of his friends who said, “I can’t believe you did that.” Immediately I got a phone call from him. He left me this message freaking out, “Are you okay with this? I didn’t mean to this, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I was like, “Dude, I don’t care. It’s as if you said Scott Evans has blonde hair and blue eyes.” It’s who I am, I don’t really care. He was relieved to hear that, but he still comes up and says, “Dude, I’m sorry about that.” I’m like, “I don’t care.” I’m glad that he’s comfortable enough to talk about it and he’s not ashamed.
We Love Soaps: It’s such a refreshing and unusual stance in the acting profession to be so open.
Scott Evans: I think I’m lucky to feel that way. I think there are a lot of people who got famous and had success at an early age before they were able to deal with their sexuality and so now they feel to have to hide it in this industry. It is tough. It’s a hard business to be in with that. For some reason, which is beyond me in 2009, it’s still not universally accepted. I think it’s tough, and I think I’m lucky that I was able to be out before it started. Yes, I have bridges to cross and things to deal with being an out actor. But it’s fun so far.
We Love Soaps: Do you think your being publicly out lead to an increase in time for
Oliver Fish?
Scott Evans: I don’t know. I have no idea. My character was not always gay. I was with
Stacy and
Layla and all that stuff. Then they made the story around this person struggling with it, which I really enjoyed playing. There are so many people like that, and it was not my experience in real life. It was nice to be able to play that. They knew I was gay, so I don’t know if they used that. It happened, and I’m so thrilled with my story.
We Love Soaps: A lot of the summer Oliver struggled who he is and how he presents to others. Did you get a lot of fan reaction from people that had the same struggles?
Scott Evans: Absolutely. And I still do. It’s my favorite thing ever. I’ve been getting letters, most recently from an inmate. He was talking about how he was struggling with it before he was incarcerated. But people have been writing letters saying that watching the story has been helping them and giving them the courage to come out to their families. I never expected that. I never thought this would reach so many people in such different ways. It’s been really really awesome getting those letters. I read them all.
We Love Soaps: Some would go so far as to call you a role model. Do you see yourself that way?
Scott Evans: I don’t know. I don’t think I was ever a great role model for my little sister. I’ll be a role model, or a gay icon, or whatever.
We Love Soaps: You’re on the cover of
Instinct Magazine, and you are very public in a field where most people are afraid to be out. What does the term “role model” mean to you?
Scott Evans: It means I have to use big words in interviews. [Laughs] I don’t know! It’s great, I was just able to do help out with some fundraising for
Cyndi Lauper’s
True Colors Foundation, I’ve been doing stuff with
GLAAD, and the auction with
OUT Magazine. It’s nice to be involved, especially with what’s happening with gay marriage, especially in places like New York and California. People in entertainment are very important in getting the word out because they have that public image and can reach more people. So when you’re vocal about issues that are important, I think that is what important. Especially in 2009 with how little progress we have made with civil rights in the GLBT community.
[From Part 2]http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/12/scott-evansl-we-love-soaps-interview.htmlWe Love Soaps: You said you are from a family that is very respectful and accepting [of your being gay]. Your mother was actually on a few episodes of
ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
Scott Evans: Barbara Fish!We Love Soaps: What what was that like to have your mother on the show?
Scott Evans: When
Frank Valentini [OLTL’s Executive Producer] first posed the question to me about her playing my mother, I thought, “Am I being Punk’d? What is this?” Then I called her and she was like, “Oh yeah, totally.” Then when I told her it was for real, she said, “Wait, I’m going to be on TV? Okay, I’m not going to eat.” [Laughs] That’s our reaction in my family. But it was great. She came to New York, she did four episodes, and we were up the night before running lines. She was totally cute. She got her costume and said, “Oh my Lord, I’m wearing a sweater set.” That is not her. It was very exciting for her. Then we were doing these scenes, these coming out scenes, where she had to not accept it. Everytime they yelled cut she was like, “Are you okay, are you okay? I’m sorry, I don’t mean this.” But it was fantastic. I loved getting up to get to work with a family member in a medium that she’s not even involved in. She’s involved in acting in the theater, but she all of a sudden was on TV with me and it was great.
We Love Soaps: That scene in the gay wedding episode where Fish stands up and comes out was pivotal. How did you prepare for that?
Scott Evans: It was fairly easy because what they wrote for dialogue was spectacular. I mean, we can’t swear on television, which is probably what I would have done in a real life situation. But they wrote me such great dialogue that I thought, “I can’t wait. These are things I’ve always wanted to say to people like this!” I was there when the
Hetrick-Martin Institute opened at Astor Place. I saw the protesters when I walked by. I was like [groans], it boggles my mind. So being able to do this, with so many people on set that day, it felt great. There was nobody there who really hates gays or doesn’t want gay marriage. So every time they’d say “cut” people kept saying, “This is so great, I love this.” I’m like, “I didn’t write it.”
We Love Soaps: But you certainly did say the lines, and you channeled the energy of someone who is torn with himself, and resolves that by being vocal.
Scott Evans: On top of that it was my character’s first time publicly announcing, “I’m gay” on national television, I had to remember that. But on the inside, as Scott Evans, I was thinking, “I’m gonna stick it to these protesters.” Playing both of those worked out.
We Love Soaps: Are there pressures that you face now that you were not facing a year ago at this time?
Scott Evans: Nothing much has changed. Except for the fact that now people think it’s important to have me at events. Before I went and I was a spectator. Now I go and I get to talk, I get to say things. People want to hear my opinion.
We Love Soaps: What’s that like?
Scott Evans: It’s silly. Because it’s not just me who feels this way. Everybody feels this way. It’s because I’m in an industry or a medium where people want to hear what I have to say...okay, I’ll talk. But we all feel this way. I’m just a voice for a large community.
We Love Soaps: Are there any drawbacks to being as out there publicly as you are now?
Scott Evans: I just read
an interview with Rupert Everett. He was saying he would not recommend to any young actor to come out in this industry, which is such a bummer that he says that. It’s probably true, and if I’m pigeonholed as a gay character the rest of my life, okay. I don’t mind. I think acting is acting. How you do a role should have nothing to do with your sexual practice as a basis. More and more there are gay roles on everything. I have no problem playing gay, or playing straight, and nobody else should either. But they do!
We Love Soaps: Again, I think that’s such a refreshing stance. “Role model” may not be the right term, but you are someone who hopefully inspires others to follow in the path you are trail blazing.
Scott Evans: I hope so. Especially now I think it’s really important that people come out. Everyone thinks the LGBT community is such a small little bit of the world, and it’s not. There are so many people that are so afraid to come out. Even lately, I can’t believe the stories I hear about
that teen [Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, murdered] in Puerto Rico or the older man in Brooklyn. I don’t know, it makes me sick.
[From Part 3]http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/12/scott-evans-wls-interview-part-three.html(....)
We Love Soaps: When he was depressed earlier this year, your character got drunk and was pretty irresponsible [having unprotected sex] with
Stacy. I think it was an important point that gays and lesbians are often likely to use alcohol to treat depression and put themselves at risk.
Scott Evans: Exactly.
We Love Soaps: Focusing on Stacy, Oliver is about to have a little Oliver out there soon. Can you give us any scoop about what’s going to happen with that?
Scott Evans: I don’t know actually. I just met the baby the other day. She’s adorable. And by “she” I mean there’s about twelve of them. They’re fantastic. It hasn’t come out who the father is, or who is going to be taking care of the baby, and I think what people will find out is that it’s a struggle. And it’s going to be a struggle. I don’t want to give too much away.
We Love Soaps: One of the things I admire about ONE LIFE TO LIVE, especially compared to the other daytime shows, is how diverse it is. As far as sexual orientation, as far as race and ethnicity, even class. Is it meaningful for you to be on a show that shows so many different people?
Scott Evans: I love it. I didn’t really know much about the soap world and about shows. Since I’ve become part of it I’ve learned a lot more about other shows. It’s sad, since I’ve become a part of it I’ve watched GUIDING LIGHT get canceled, now AS THE WORLD TURNS. It’s a bummer because it is such a different medium. If it gets lost, it’s going to be sad. But being part of a show like ONE LIFE TO LIVE is great. I don’t know much about the other shows, but I know people from other shows and I’ve watched scenes from other shows. From what I hear and what I read about our show is that it is diverse. It’s very forward thinking. We had our Christmas lunch the other day, and it’s just such a family there. I’m sure it’s the same on any show. I’m pretty biased, but our family is the best.
We Love Soaps: Our viewers are going to throw stones at me if I don’t ask you the question:
Scott Evans: Oh God.
We Love Soaps: Anyone special in your life?
Scott Evans: Yes. My family.
We Love Soaps: What would you like to see happen to Oliver Fish in the future?
Scott Evans: I hope him and Kyle do figure it out and have a relationship. I really want something to happen with the baby. I hope he doesn’t go the rest of his life not knowing [he’s the father].
We Love Soaps: If you could go back to the end of 2008 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would that be?
Scott Evans: Don’t listen to what other people say. I found myself this summer reading the boards a lot and reading what people had to say a lot. It got to me. I finally got to a place where could say, “You know what? There are going to people who love you, there are going to be people who hate you. Deal with it.”
We Love Soaps: Do you find yourself focusing more on the people who are negative?
Scott Evans: No. The thing is, especially with the story I’m a part of, the negativity isn’t like, “I can’t believe she married him, I hate her.” It’s more like, “How dare they show two men kissing on TV?” But for every person who says something bad, we have one hundred who come back and say [positive things]. I read the boards and see people write, “I’m a straight woman and I’m a mother. I love it, it’s a real relationship. I love it, and it’s nice to see people not cheating on each other and not killing each other and having affairs.” People can look at it like it’s gay or straight or whatever. At the end of the day it’s human emotion.
We Love Soaps: I sure with there was “Kish” when I was growing up.
Scott Evans: I can’t even think if there was anything we even had like that.
We Love Soaps: Any advice you would want to give to a young person reading this who is struggling with their own sexuality or questioning truths in their lives?
Scott Evans: I would say, “Don’t be afraid,” but my situation growing up was very different. I have read these letters where people tell me their situation and it makes me sick to my stomach. It makes my heart hurt for some of these kids out there. So I’d say, “Be strong.”
We Love Soaps: I want to thank you for this interview and for the wonderful work you are doing out there. I think you are a great role model for young people, and people like myself. You’re living your life without that fear. No matter what negative stuff you get out there I hope you hold that as well. You’re doing important work.
Scott Evans: Thanks. Let’s hope it continues.
