Raul Esparza Interview in Sunday Times- Page 2

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 1:25pm

I don't know why people keep comparing Raul to Anthony Rapp. There are other actors that have come out, you know...

DonelBee, I wondered about that. Mainly because I'm surprised Larry Kramer didn't eat him; he's not exactly tolerant when it comes to the closeted.

[snl89]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 1:25pm

I vehemently disagree with the comparisons to Anthony Rapp, but whatever. Yes, Raul was honest and Anthony is absolutely known for his honesty, which is wonderful and admirable, but this is very different.

oh no, no I def dont mean that I think their pasts are like... similar or anything! its absolutely two VERY different situations, I totally agree with you on that. Its just that they both seem very open and honest and everything (not even so much about their private lives, but just in general. This actually WAS the first time I've really heard raul mention his private life very much, but he's just always seemed very open to me). They just kind of... seem to have similar-ish personalities to me...thats all :)

(and for the record, it actually has very little to do with the fact that they're both out... in fact I they reminded me of eachother even before this article, and therefore before I even knew raul WAS out :) This article just enhanced it more for me for some reason, but it really had nothing to do with their sexualities)

Updated On: 11/25/06 at 01:25 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 1:29pm

Well, I think people are expressing that they're surprised about this because Raúl is notoriously very private about his personal life, other than that he tells one story or another that makes mention of his wife in almost every interview he does. I obviously don't know what the reaction was when Anthony came out to the public, but he did it very differently, under very different circumstances.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 1:43pm

Raul is open about his personal life in this one article. That's MUCH different than writing an entire book about it, so comparing them and saying you'd read Raul's book completely ridiculous. Raul's a very private person, Anthony is definitely not. So the comparison doesn't make sense if you know much about their personalities, even if it isn't about the fact that they're both out now.

Updated On: 11/25/06 at 01:43 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 1:56pm

This may not be the place to ask this, but I've actually been curious about this for a while. I've noticed that most of the people on BWW who seem to be really fascinated by Raul Esparza are young, straight women. It echoes last year's fascination with Manoel Felciano - another somewhat (perhaps sexually) troubled male performer in his thirties. It seems to go beyond talent. What is it about these men that draws this young female crush demograph? I ask this with all great respect, not at all to be sarcastic or snide. Part of me would hope these aren't the types of men you would search out in terms of your own personal romantic lives. Lots of heartache there (as Esparza's interview indicates)...

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:04pm

MB, I can't speak on behalf of all Raul fans everywhere, but of all the fans I know, we've known for years. It hasn't effected our opinion of him- which is first and foremost about him as an actor.

Updated On: 11/25/06 at 02:04 PM

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:05pm

I don't really think that's what MB was asking...

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:05pm

That's an interesting question. First of all, I don't think it's fair to even attach "perhaps sexually troubled" to Manoel Felciano's name - of course it has the potential of being true, just as most specultation has some sort of potential for being true, but Felciano has never been the subject of rumors related to his sexual identity.

Speaking as a college-aged female who isn't overly sexually drawn to either Raul or Manoel (although I find Raul attractive), I think at least some of the appeal stems from a certain angst these performers seem to have. I suppose one could analyze the reasons why girls find angst attractive, but for whatever reason, it's been at the heart of fan fiction stories and the like for years and is generally perceived as attractive, at least from a distance, to the young female set. I truly don't believe that the girls who crush on these men actually want relationships with them or carbon copies of them. It's very much an admiration from a distance. Troubled men may seem attractive and intriguing - perhaps because they're so removed from the carefree life of a typical college girl - but I would hope that everyone who is drawn to Esparza does not truly want a relationship with someone like him.

Updated On: 11/25/06 at 02:05 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:07pm

I think a lot of want I want to say belongs in PM, depending on where it ends up going, but speaking for myself, yes, you're right. I do want to first emphasize as heavily as I can that I think he is one of the most talented performers on Broadway right now, of his generation, and that I might ever have the privilege of seeing perform. I think he is a genius, in performance and otherwise -- wildly intelligent, enviably articulate and then some. Bottom line: he is quite possibly the only person who I would get on a plane to see on stage. And that has always been the foundation for my attachment to him and his work. Not to be defensive, but it's important to me that I clarify that -- because it is in all absolutely honesty that which came first; before I knew a thing about his life outside of his profession. I also believe that if I had continued to know nothing, his work is good enough that it would have kept my attention anyway.

But anyway, to answer your question -- or to try to, anyway. I don't think it's appropriate to go into anything speculative about Felciano's personal life, but as for the "comparable" fascination... he hates that I say this, but Mano reminds me of Raúl. Physically, in the way he performs, in his devotion to the craft, etc, and that's part of the reason I find myself drawn to him. But, I think that's sort of where it ends, for me at least.

I say I'll "try" to answer your question because you pinpoint something that I'm not sure I can explain, even though I clearly experience it. I mean, I find the whole thing terribly interesting, but I'm not sure I can articulate why, which may not be too bright a thing to say.

However, though, that said, I think that this can be looked at like you'd look at the general fascination of straight females with gay and bisexual male actors -- there's something safe and distanced about that, especially for young girls. I don't know if I put myself in that category, but it goes on to be able to say that no, someone so troubled is not at all someone I'd actually want to be with. Not at all.

Updated On: 11/25/06 at 02:07 PM

[snl89]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:10pm

I've noticed that most of the people on BWW who seem to be really fascinated by Raul Esparza are young, straight women. It echoes last year's fascination with Manoel Felciano - another somewhat (perhaps sexually) troubled male performer in his thirties. It seems to go beyond talent. What is it about these men that draws this young female crush demograph?

^well, I really dont know anything about Manoel Felciano, but I CAN say that my fascination with Raul has very little to do with anything other than that I think he's extremely sexy and an amazing performer! haha. I started obsessing over him right after seeing him in Chitty- and I litterally knew NOTHING about him before that. And then I came to love him even more after ttB I just think he's a brilliant performer. Nothing to do with his personal life at all.

And I do apologize about the comparison- I admitedly DONT know too much about Raul and his personal life, and I didn't really have enough of a basis to make it on. Anyway, I dont want to make it into too much more of an issue, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry and that I realize now it probably wasnt the greatest comparison to make :)

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:14pm

Since MB hinted that our attraction to him was merely sexual and that we didn't know about what he was *really* like, I just wanted to mention that we did know and it hasn't effected our opinion yet.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:16pm

I don't really have a "crush" on Raul, I just think that he's a great performer.

And as for Mano, I don't really know. I think it's because he was accessible and safe. And there aren't any stories about him being pissy with fans or anything which just caused people to latch on to him.

For me personally...he reminded me a lot of my boyfriend, who is not 35 by the way, and I just love his voice.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:20pm

Actually, orange - I have asumed you do know and continue to be fascinated - which is what makes it all the more fascinating to me, because it clearly isn't the standard girl crush on Brad Pitt or Matt Damon...

Very interesting responses - particularly Emcee's. That seems to make a lot of sense.

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:25pm

Right, MB - I'm sure you've heard young, straight women say that "bisexuality is so hot." While Esparza's sexual orientation isn't the key factor in the attraction, I think his sexuality is something young women find appealing in one way or another, albeit from a distance and maybe on a more sophisticated level than simply calling it "hot."

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:25pm

I want to add that I think a lot of it comes from the allusions he often makes to how his work and his personal life often mutually reflect back and forth upon one another. So when you figure out what's going on, it makes a lot of sense, and when you can place that sort of "angst" in context with work you so admire, that makes the fascination almost cyclical -- and into one.

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:27pm

I have to admit, I'm a little misty-eyed. That was wonderful.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:27pm

I think that siamese dream hits the nail on the head as to a part of the appeal. Foremost, for me at least, is the fact that I think he's one of the most extraordinary actors that I've ever seen, as well as being passionate, articulate and, well, physically attractive. But there's also something that's attractive -- from a very, very safe distance -- about that darkness that speaks to inner conflict of some sort. Angst, basically, or the capacity for it or for similar emotional intensity. It's nothing that I would ever look for in a romantic relationship, but it's somewhat intriguing nonetheless.

I'm surely getting myself into trouble here: I don't like him because he seems unhappy or wish that on him by any means, so I hope that it doesn't seem that way. I would love for him to be content, and I wish him the very best and hope that he finds happiness. I think that this interview could be a very big step for him. Updated On: 11/25/06 at 02:27 PM

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:29pm

The draw to the two of them for me stems from my own life, and it's totally different. I come from a highly intellectual family, and go to a very academic school, and I have to deal constantly with the fact that what I want to do has nothing to do with academia. I want to be an actress. Something about the intelligence that Raúl and Mano share is really comforting in that it's possible to come from a really academic place and channel that into brilliant performance. Personally, they serve as role models. I first became interested in Raúl after hearing him on Tick, Tick, Boom's recording, and the more I learned about him, the more fascinating he seemed to me. I'm not going to lie, I do find them both attractive, but not only because of their appearances. It has more to do with stage presence and what I know of their personalities (or more personas I guess, since I don't really know them).

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:38pm

If anyone has been following Raul's career for awhil,e as I have (I've seen him in all his Broadway roles save CHITTY, plus his George in SITPWG at the Kennedy Center) you already knew this. This is old news. VERY old news. Raul specifically discussed this situation YEARS ago in one of those ASK A STAR features on Broadway.com or Playbill and made it quite clear he was bisexual. What's the big deal?

A Good Nightmare Comes So Rarely,
P genre

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:39pm

I loved him as an actor before I knew and continue to. I don't see why it should have made an impact.

As for me, I have no patience for closet cases and avoid even being friends with them (long story, not getting into it on the boards), so I disagree that being a fan of his means that he's the type of guy I would seek out in my personal life or whatever. If I didn't like him as an actor, I wouldn't care about him at all.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:44pm

Right, I also think there's a fair amount of fascination with male bisexuality in the demographic being discussed; yes, it's sexually attractive from a distance (as is that mysterious sort of enigmatic nature), but there's also a lot of psychology, biology and cultural issue that can often mystify, I think, and it's something I've been very interested in on a general level for a long time. For me, there's a lot of that involved as well. The truth of the matter, I guess, is that there are all of these issues which I am admittedly interested in and mystified by, and I see them embodied in someone who I am, yes, very attracted to, and whose work I got on an airplane to see, and everything just piles up on itself. I think the fascination that exists about his personal life wouldn't exist if not for being drawn in by his work in the first place, though, especially considering that I know a lot of us have long acknowledged it as a story full of heartbreak and sadness, just like he says. I don't know. I'm really hesitant admitting a lot of this because I don't want it to dumb down the way I feel about his work -- or the way people think that I regard him. That all HAD to come first, as I see it, otherwise everything else would be moot. I don't love his work more because of these things, or think he's more talented because he's bisexual and that's hot, or whatever. I'm fearful that admitting to these things will make it seem like I care less about his work, which I would really like to contest as best I can. This is a piece of the puzzle, because it's a combination of professional admiration and personal intrigue, but in no way does the latter trump the former.

When the "Ask a Star" thing first hit, I took it for a joke. Many people fought that notion, but because it was said in the tone that it was, a lot of people brushed over it as any SERIOUS admission. The information has always been for the taking if you know the right people in the right places, I think, but that snippet could have easily looked like a straight man poking fun at the fact that so many in the theater are gay or bi.

Updated On: 11/25/06 at 02:44 PM

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:47pm

I think the question was directed more towards the fans of Raul's that lean in the direction of infatuation, more than fandom. And it's an interesting question.

As for myself, I am a fan of his work and look up to him more than anything, being a theater student. Any attraction that I have towards him stems from that, because I do think he is one of the most talented actors on Broadway right now. His sexuality takes no part in the way I look at him, because really it's irrelevent as I'll never actually have a relationship with him on any level.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:56pm

First off, I too was quite surprised with this article, but greatly admire his honesty. You can debate whether this belongs in the times, but it still is admirable to be so honest in such a major paper.

I'm not sure if I'm actually adding anything to the discussion, since I am someone not very attracted to Raul or Mano, but I am often attracted to the gay/bisexual men. While...I can see where the safety and such can be a factor, I've realized it goes beyond that. There's been many situations that I've seen someone, thought he was gorgeous, then discovered he was gay. I don't know what it is, but there is just...something that happens to be quite physically appealing to me about gay men...strictly in looks, even before I see mannerisms. I certainly don't know what it is...but it's something.

Posted: 11/25/06 at 3:00pm

I agree, WesternSky2. I didn't mean to imply that anyone who found him physically attractive or even a wonderful performer also has this additional layer of fascination because he's bisexual, or angsty, or tortured. I think many young females who find him attractive do find these additional aspects to him appealing, but by no means am I trying to imply that the only reason why a woman would love his work is because of his sexuality or supposed angst, or that every woman who loves his work also is enthralled by his sexual confusion or problems in his personal life. Updated On: 11/25/06 at 03:00 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/25/06 at 3:12pm

I don't know what it is, but there is just...something that happens to be quite physically appealing to me about gay men...strictly in looks, even before I see mannerisms.

You do realize there are ugly gay men out there too, right?