WILSON CRUZ: I've talked about this throughout the years, but Rickie's journey to self acceptance, which is what I was lucky enough to play in those 19 episodes- you know, people talk all the time, oh, you know, the series was too short. Can you talk about the sort of origins of that storyline and how that represents something that you were able to bring to the show- your lasting contribution to Rickie?

You had to knock down the door in order to get in.ĮTHAN ALTER: There's certainly an example of real life bleeding into Rickie's life was the episode about him being homeless, and that reflected your own experience, as you talked about after you came out to your father and your father rejected you, essentially, at that moment. Being an actor of color in the '90s and the 2000s, you had to make your own way. On 'Great Scott' I did three episodes, sang every word, and the very next pilot season was the pilot season that included 'My So-Called Life.' I had to break down some walls every time. And so I came back at 3 o'clock, I met with producers, I sang my little song, and that's how I got my first job. I sang 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' and Sally Stiner looked at me and said you got balls. And I said, well, why don't we take a chance and see?Īnd so they did and I went to the cast- it was Sally Stiner's office and I went to the casting office and waited. And, well, they're not going to do anything about it. And I said, well, I think you should send in my head shot and resume. She was like, I don't know, that's what they want, so, you know, that's what we have to send them. And I said, well, why do they have to be white? And she said, well, I don't know you know- this is 1993.

They're looking for three white boys who can sing. I felt the obstacles of being a Latino, and one of the things that I remember early on was that I had an agent, but the only thing they would send me out on were these commercials and they were only, like, commercials that were Spanish language commercials.Īnd I kept asking them, like, what is the deal here? Like, is there anything else that I could go out for? And they were like, well, you know, look, take this for instance. I wasn't even out to my parents until I got 'My So-Called Life,' until we knew that we were going to series, actually. WILSON CRUZ: When I started I wasn't openly gay. So all of these people really allowed me to dream a bigger dream for myself.ĮTHAN ALTER: What was the biggest barrier? Do you think it was being a Latinx actor or being an openly gay actor? Ian McKellen was a big deal because here was an openly gay man who was respected for his talent. He was not hiding any part of himself and he was using his life and his talent to inform the world and the country about his experience as an openly gay man in the '80s. She taught me how to speak English on 'The Electric Company,' so I owe Rita Moreno many, many things.Īnd then I looked to someone like Harvey Fierstein who was this openly gay man, overtly effeminate I think is safe to say. The fact that I'm Puerto Rican, a New Yorican even, I was profoundly aware of Rita Moreno and all that she means to us as a people.

He not only changed my life but he changed what I thought about what I did.Īt 19 years old, I understood that there was responsibility with this occupation that I thought was just going to be a bunch of fun. So, yes, he means a great deal to me and he set me up pretty good. You know, people ask me all the time, when was the first time you saw yourself represented on screen? And my answer is always, when I saw myself on screen. WILSON CRUZ: I had never seen a character like Rickie on TV before. I thought you were dead.ĮTHAN ALTER: As a young kid growing up, like, I'd never seen a character like Rickie on TV before, so I think, you know, if anyone meets game-changer status, it's you for sure. WILSON CRUZ: I was not only the first Latino, but I was like- I was the first openly gay man to play an openly gay role on network television. Wilson Cruz speak about being the first open gay man to play the first openly gay role on television.

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