Hey everybody --
Thanks to you all for your interest and kind words and support and all that. You all keep thanking me, but believe me, contributing to this thread is a real pleasure for me. I love conversations, and taking the time to correspond with you all like this beats staring at the wall of my hotel room before I head over to rehearsal.
"I just saw another one of your movies called David, Searching. I'm really into those more artsy, less mainstream films so one of my friends got it for me off ebay and it was really good. This is kind of a wierd question but was it ever hard or akward to film based on some of its content? Could you ever kind of relate to David on a personal level?"
I'm glad you liked David Searching. It was truly a labor of love -- no one was paid *anything* to do it. And it was written for me, which was a real honor. Just for the record about the "content" (i.e. the masturbation scenes): I did exactly what Leslie, the director, told me to do, and trusted him that he would shoot it tastefully. I believe very strongly in the power of film to get into very intimate, slightly uncomfortable nooks and crannies of human experience, as a way to explore what it means to be human, so I didn't have a problem doing that.
And I definitely related to David on a personal level in some ways, although I think he was a bit more neurotic than I. But I've definitely had my share of insecurity when it came to dating and romantic relationships and all that. I just haven't been as single as often or as long as he has.
On a side note, when Leslie saw Rent for the first time, he freaked out that I was playing another documentary filmmaker. Just a weird coincidence.
"i know with your very busy schedule you don't have much free time but i was wondering if you like to read and if so what some of your favorite books are."
I haven't been reading as much this past year as I'd like to. I sort of get to read in spurts. But among my favorite books are The Catcher in the Rye, Doomsday Book, The Feast of Love, Disgrace, the Lemony Snicket books, The Corrections, and lots more that I can't think of at the moment. I love books that have a lot of truth in them, but that also have a strong point of view, even fantasy elements sometimes, as a way to explore the human condition. I love books that are funny but have a serious core. I love books that feel authentic, whether they take place in Hoboken or on Mars.
"On another note, I just heard the version of Seasons of Love that had Stevie Wonder singing the solos. Did you get to meet him and sing with him for the recording or was it all done seperately?"
We didn't get to meet him or sing with him, unfortunately. They were sorting out his contract when we were supposed to be there with him, and by the time that got worked out we had to go. Sad.
"1. Had you seen HEDWIG (play or film) before you performed in it? Also, I have never seen the play but the movie is one of my favorites of all time...how do you think the two compare?"
I had seen the play about three or four times, with three different Hedwigs (John, Michael Cerveris, and Matt McGrath, all of whom were great and all of whom brought out different colors and aspects of the character). And I had seen the film once, in the theatre. I admired things about the film, but overall, expecially after working on it, I prefer the play. I think in some ways the film literalizes the story too much; it's really an allegory, and it's somehow more effective to allow the audience to imagine all of the events of the story as told to them by Hedwig, rather than seeing them. I also love the structure of the play, that it all takes place in real time at a real venue, and it's a real rock concert. I think that gives the music even more power and urgency and allows the songs to shine. But I do think John displayed a wonderful sense of imagination in the way that he filmed some of the numbers, and I think that the film's presence has given new life to the theatrical version, which is now being done all over the country (and Canada) and is doing well wherever it goes up.
"2. RENT has obviously become very important to a massive amount of people. Was there anything that impacted you growing up the way RENT has so many of us?"
I don't think so, no. My friends and I used to love watching Monty Python movies and tv shows, and the Star Wars films were great, but they didn't affect the deepest parts of our lives the way Rent has affected so many. It's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, I think.
"Can you tell us some of the other people that auditioned for the "rent" movie since the whole cast has been announced?"
I'm sorry, I don't think that's my place. I don't know how many of those people would want it known that they didn't get to do it. I can say, however, that there were some interesting names on that list. Speculate away.
"I would like to know more about your experience with Your're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. I'm Currently doing the show and its a lot of fun, but I was wondering about your experience with it."
What would you like to know? I had a wonderful time, but I was sad to see it fail to draw much of an audience on Broadway. While we were out of town, we got wonderful reviews and a great response from our audiences, and then we got to NYC and Ben Brantley in the Times hated us (but loved Kristin Chenoweth, thereby launching her career) and we could never get our feet under us. But do you have more specific questions?
"I have a question for Anthony and everyone else too... if you were ever given the oportunity to run naked through the Parthenon, would you do it?"
Sure. Now I feel stupid, but that's a reference from the 1994 studio production of Rent, right?
"In David Searching, what was it like working with John Cameron Mitchell?"
David Searching was actually the second project I did with John; we were also in Six Degrees of Separation together. He's a very smart, inventive actor. It was fun to do our little quick scene in David Searching together.
"Also, did he give you any tips or whatnot when you played Hedwig?"
Nope. I didn't ask, though. I figured by the time I did it he had moved on, after playing the character for so long and doing the film and everything. I also wanted my version to come from myself and my director, and not be too influenced by the other incarnations I'd seen, as much as I'd admired them.
"That and Velvet Goldmine. Have you ever seen that movie, and if you have, what did you think of it?"
I did see Velvet Goldmine when it came out, and thought some of it was very cool, but overall it seemed like a bit of a mess to me at the time. It was certainly interesting, though.
"which do you prefer making? Lower budget independent movies (David Searching, Open House etc) or ones that are more mainstream and well known (Road Trip, A Beautiful Mind, RENT..) or both?"
I've had great experiences on both kinds of films, actually, although overall the lower budget films tend to be a more intimate experience. Dazed and Confused was a kind of midsized budget, as was Adventures in Babysitting, and they were great to work on, because we had enough money for a real crew and real equipment and all that, but not enough money to encourage people to behave like spoiled brats. In the case of Rent, even though the budget is $40 million or so, and we're staying in a nice hotel and all that, the process has been much more like that of an independent film, but that's mostly because Chris is by far one of the most collaborative directors I've ever worked with on a film. He hasn't changed at all in the 18 years since we did Babysitting together, except that he's gotten a lot more confident, which is a good thing.
The only big budget film that was a drag to work on was Twister. And that's all that film warrants in this space.
"One question that I have heard from a few detractors over the many years is "Why don't they get a job and pay the Rent?" I know that this question does not have a simple answer. But, maybe with your wisdom you could provide a little insight."
Benny blindsides Roger and Mark with his demand for the back rent; he had been letting them live there rent free, since he didn't need their money, and they were friends, and he knew they were trying to get their work done. And Mark does wind up getting a job. Roger is more or less incapable of holding down a job in his condition, after holing himself up in his apartment in the wake of April's death and his HIV diagnosis. But the story is not meant to endorse any particular way of living; it's just trying to present honestly the struggles of these characters to make connections, to make ends meet. And the struggle to pay rent, especially for fledgling artists, is a real one, and perhaps Jonathan just wanted to paint a more extreme picture of that situation to make it all the more dramatic.
"1. I know you did an episode of Law and Order: SVU. What did you think about Mariska Hargitay winning the Golden Globe?"
I think she's great on the show, and I was happy for her. She was very nice to work with.
". I saw you in "Mister" a couple of years back with Yassmin Alers. At the performance I saw, your costar choked on his beer and everyone was in stitches (the cast and audience), but you stayed completely in character. Is it hard for you to stay in character at funny moments like that which catch you by surprise? On this board people have debated whether or not cracking under that type of pressure is severely unprofessional in a live stage setting, what do you think about it?"
I pride myself on being able to stay in a scene when something goes wrong, but in the right context I think it can be very funny for an audience if the actors do break. Overall, though, I think it's unprofessional, and sometimes in a long run actors start to get into the habit of trying to make each other break, and that can get really obnoxious. Actors are there to tell a story, to convey an experience, and that doesn't usually involve losing control.
" Have you seen Maria Full of Grace? If you haven't, I recommend it to you, because I feel Catalina Sandino Moreno (who I'm hoping will surprise us all with an Oscar nomination, but I doubt it) as well as the film are being vastly overlooked this awards season."
I saw it and LOVED it. It was one of my favorite films of 2004. Don't be so convinced that Catalina won't get an Oscar nomination; she was nominated for a SAG award, and the actors' branch nominates actors for the Oscars as well, so there seems to be a good amount of support for her out there. I hope she gets nominated, because she was amazing. That whole film was devastating.
"Can I make a request that if you ever have the option, to please make a guest appearance on "The Daily Show?""
If I am lucky enough to be invited, I will be there in a *heartbeat.* I think Jon Stewart is a genius, and I would be thrilled to get to chat with him for all to see.
"I think that's great, but...what do you eat? Like, what's a typical meal for you?"
I'm a pescetarian, the official term for someone who eats fish but not other animal products, so a typical meal for me is something like seared tuna with a side of vegetables, or a vegetarian chili, something like that.
"Also, do you work out, and if so...what work out plan do you use, if any?"
I have fallen in love with yoga in the last couple of years, and now that's my favorite form of exercize. I just did a great class last night. I've never been in better shape, actually, since I started practicing yoga. I also love to walk, and I love to in-line skate, but San Fran is not the world's friendliest city for that, with all of its hills and traffic. In NYC, skating is one of my favorite ways to get around.
"Sorry if this was asked already, but is there any word yet if the movie will have a delayed release a la Phantom of the Opera."
By delayed do you mean a platform release, in which it comes out in NYC and LA and then rolls out to other cities a couple of weeks later? That's a possibility, although I don't think they've figured it out for sure yet. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.
Have a great day, everybody --
Anthony
Though I can't help giggling over the fact that that was YOUR line. 
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