photo: Miranda Penn Turin / Getty photo: Randy Holmes / Getty, Danny Feld / Getty, Richard Cartwright / Getty
luke macfarlane On “brothers & sisters,” His First Hollywood Party and Coming Out Every Single Day Luke MacFarlane may be best known for his role as Scotty on the ABC’s hit television series, “Brothers and Sisters,” where his husband, Kevin, is a member of the complicated, but certainly lovable, Walker family. “Brothers and Sisters” was the first show on American network TV to air a same-sex marriage ceremony. And it goes on to talk about the everyday issues of our lives — like gay parenting, who teaches the child how to bait a hook, who leads on the tango and so much more. And it stars Sally Field! MacFarlane, 31, made his feature film debut in Bill Condon’s film, Kinsey, opposite Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, and also starred in Robert Altman’s series about American politics, Tanner on Tanner, opposite Cynthia Nixon. The Julliard graduate — who has a twin sister — hails from London, Ontario, and lives in Los Angeles. MacFarlane received the Visibility Award at HRC’s most recent Chicago Gala.
Excerpts of his HRC address follow. “During my first week in L.A., I was invited to my first Hollywood party. It was a sprawling contemporary home, high in the Hollywood Hills. And I knew almost no one there, and I wandered around large rooms a bit lost, with a drink in my hand, looking for someone to talk to. Eventually, a pretty blonde casting assistant recognized me from an audition and called me over and introduced me to a group of her friends. We talked for a bit, and she asked how I was adjusting to life in Los Angeles — how my driving skills were, and the superiority of Los Angeles sushi over New York sushi. “But then she said to me, ‘I heard a rumor, Luke, I heard you were gay. Are you gay?’ I think my heart skipped a beat, and I impulsively responded, ‘No, I’m not gay.’ I felt sick to my stomach. And somehow, I agreed to have a date with her. This might not seem like a shocking lie, coming from the lips of a newly arrived actor in Hollywood. Lord knows, there is a rich legacy of gay male actors going on dates with women. But the truth was, up until that point, I believed I was comfortable and secure in my sexuality. I had been living as an openly gay person in New York for years. Why did I feel like I had to say, ‘I’m straight,’ in that moment? Coming out for me had been relatively painless. When I sat down with my continued on page 31
MacFarlane on “Brothers and Sisters,” with his TV husband, Kevin (Matthew Rhys), and mother-in-law, Sarah (Sally Field).
WWW.HRC.ORG
winter 2011
15