Chris Potter on Showtime's "Queer as Folk" Chat

Transcript from March 18, 2001

Showtime: Thanks for signing on for our chat with Chris Potter. Chris plays "Dr. David," Michael's boyfriend and resident chiropractor on QAF. Once upon a time, Chris worked on Wall Street until he was discovered on the stage and became an actor. Chris found success starring in several television series, including "Kung Fu The Legend Continues" and "Silk Stalkings." He has also guest starred on "Will and Grace." Recently Chris shot two independent features, "Rockets Red Glare" and "Arachnid," both of which will be released sometime in the next year. In addition to acting, Chris makes time to pursue his other passions- ice hockey and music as a singer/songwriter. Let's get started! Welcome, Chris!
Chris Potter
(CP):		 Hello everyone!
Frankster: Hi Chris! I really enjoy watching QAF. Your portrayal of David is great! How does playing the role of David challenge you as an actor?
CP: Well, the first couple of episodes were very challenging. But it became less challenging as the season went on. The most important element in the job is the growth in he character. That's what I always search for, in each and every job that I have chosen to do.
RichInAZ: Chris, love your voice and also how David gets "silly" at times. Have you ever played a gay character before?
CP: Actually, yes; in my first sitcom, for three years in Canada, my character was supposed to be gay, but the network at that time in 1988, 1990, around that time, didn't want a gay character on television. I think this was around the time Billy Crystal was on "Soap." So he became an asexual character who I just played with him as gay (laughing) with that in mind, even though he wasn't written gay, we all knew he was supposed to be. But certainly I haven't played something as openly gay as this particular character.
Marlene1974: Hello, I just wanted to say that I think that this show is a very good one and I am definitely ADDICTED! I was wondering if everyone hangs out after the show and has become good friends?
CP: I think more the latter than the former. Everyone seems to be good friends, it is always difficult to hang out with fellow actors and fellow crew when you are spending 14 hours a day to begin with. It's not that you don't want to, it's just that we all have lives outside of our work, and often it is difficult to spend any more time with people than you do at work. But definitely, there are some great friendships I see developing on the set.
Cpalsteph: What's with all the Band-Aids? In one episode, Dr. Dave had a Band-Aid on his thumb, and then in another, he had a Band-Aid on his upper arm when he was giving Michael a rubdown. Just wondering!
CP: I have no idea -- it's probably just the dangerous life I personally lead; it has nothing to do with the character. I remember early in the season cutting my hand open with hedge trimmers, and then back in San Diego, I was home trimming palm trees and cut my upper arm. The leaves are like razors! So that's probably what you were seeing. It had nothing to do with the character -- it had to do with my own hazardous life outside of being Dr.David.
Layla: First off. I love the show! I'm from Pittsburgh myself and I can say that the show does a great job at keeping that "Pittsburgh feeling." My question is- What have you done prior to doing QAF? What motivated you to read for the part of David? (If that was the part you originally auditioned for/was cast for)
CP: Well first of all, I love Pittsburgh too. I've played quite a few celebrity hockey games in Pittsburgh. I can't figure out why we don't use the Andy Warhol museum as a reference in the show, because it's to me the most fascinating thing about Pittsburgh. To answer the second part of your question, I got a call at the end of the summer about "Queer As Folk." I knew nothing about the show, or the history of the show, and was told by my agent "just take this, don't ask any questions." I met with the producers about the show and about the role of Dr. David, and it appealed to me, so, I accepted the position.
Nitewoman: Hello Chris, it is really nice to have you back in Canada. Love your character and the show. The story lines are excellent. Does this part give you a challenge and if so are you enjoying the challenge and part? Seems to have a lot of meat to it -- no pun intended!
CP: Well, it is a bit discouraging to be forty and have to take your clothes off. That would have been much less challenging when I was thirty! But, that's the way life goes. It was nice to shoot back in Canada for six months, but tough to be away from my family. It won't happen again.
Jude: In what ways do you identify with "David"? -- I love you!
CP: You know, I don't know if I really do, aside from the writers working in some common interests, which I was surprised at, i.e., hockey, we don't exactly lead parallel lives. I suppose we all have a need to be loved, and many of us have searched for a partner to share our lives with. I share that in common with David, and I suppose I can identify with his desire to live a settled life.
B-Rock21: What should fans expect for Chris Potter in the next five to ten years?
CP: Well, when you hear someone say "would you like fries with that, Sir?" Look up! It might be me. I have no idea. I have no idea where I'm headed; I really have no idea. I used to.
CabinOnWater: Loved your Tarzan imitation when you first made love to Michael at the cabin (swinging on the tree branch). Was that part in the script itself? Or were you having fun on the set?
CP: That's an interesting question, because that was something that I had thought of doing spur of the moment. Depending on the director, those moments can often be very valuable, and I used many of those moments throughout my career. The past 300 episodes of TV have been some of my finest moments, they would be those moments, those spur of the moment moments. And I have to thank those directors. But those moments are in the hands of that week's director. So therefore, you can thank David Wellington for that moment.
Philly: Chris, great job. Your co-workers are also outstanding. Can't wait between episodes. I've read your credits online. Is this the most fun you've had working? If not, what else?
CP: I've enjoyed everything I've done!
Maddie: How has your family accepted your role on QAF?
CP: I assume you mean my family and extended family. Before I took the role, I, pardon the pun, "debriefed" everyone. If you are asking if this has embarrassed family members, obviously the answer would be no. This is a role without issues for the people in my life. It's a challenge, and they are the ones who know it most.
QaF ChicK: Hiya Chris! I am talkin' from Canada! Everyone here thinks that you are positively brilliant! I am not going to talk a bunch of butt kissin', well cause you know it all. I guess my question is, How did you go from doing shows like "Kung Fu" to kissing guys on "Queer As Folk"? Did you find the change difficult as an actor? Thanks again, you're a star!
CP: No, not at all. I knew no more about martial arts than I did about kissing men. Your jobs as an actor is to learn about those things and teach people through your performance; make them feel, make them think. If your comments are genuine, then how I feel has no bearing on my performance either way. What's important is that YOU believe.
Ana: Has your part as Dr. David been what you thought it would be when you signed onto the show? Has it exceeded your expectations?
CP Well I think it is exactly what I thought it would be. And it would be nice if it could be more. But where do we go with Dr. David?
Jim10010: Chris, I think you are great as David. What do you like the best about being David and what do you like the least?
CP: I love working with Hal. I've enjoyed the crew; I've found them to be refreshing and professional. What I've enjoyed the least is I'm just used to a bigger workload.
Lance: Hi, Chris, early on in your relationship with Michael, at dinner at his mom's place, you recreated "the kiss" from "Lady and the Tramp." It was a truly romantic scene. What was your inspiration? It DIDN'T look like you were kissing a dog!
CP: Well, this is a dangerous area for me, a bit of a Catch- 22, a damned if you do, damned if you don't. My inspiration comes from my process as an actor. Again, as I answered to an earlier question, my job is to make you believe. It is tough to eat a 12-inch noodle -- especially with Hal Sparks' lips approaching you from the other end! But we obviously pulled it off, and we're both proud of the reaction that there was to that moment. I think I can speak for him in this case.
Jonnycon2: Chris, a friend says you have a body like a boxer. Have you had any experience in the ring?
CP: No. I was a hockey player, and a dancer. And I suppose when you combine the violence of hockey with the poetry of dance you end up a pretty good fake martial artist on TV. And at this stage, the most rough-and-tumble activities I'm involved with are wrestles with a three and a half year old boy. But I do also have a face like a boxer, but that's not from being punched -- yet -- Just hockey pucks, sticks, and flying objects. Stuff like that. P.S. I think you meant an older boxer. Thanks!
Leigh-Ann: Chris, what effect, if any, do you think playing this controversial role will have on your career?
CP: Excuse me, what career would you be talking about? Hmmm. I think that anyone in a position to create in this business understands more about this particular job and the courage it takes for all involved to have it create a negative effect. I didn't take this job to have an effect on my career either way. I took the job because as an actor I knew my work would definitely have an effect on you.
Guy 24: do the actors really get naked when they are filming a love scene or a nudity scene? Like for example tonight's scene with Michael and the pasta? By the way I think you are the best character on the show-- so honest, caring --everything a gay guy could ever want in a boyfriend -- Great acting!
CP: No, there is no nudity by the actors. When it comes time for the nude scene, the producers step in, as substitutes. That is actually the bodies of Ron Cowan and Dan Lipman you are seeing each week. YES, of course we are getting naked each week! And it is difficult getting naked in front of people, but it is an integral part of this particular job. And thank you for your kind words.
Mark: How do you feel about gay men looking at you as a sex symbol?
CP: I think it's awesome. I think it's phenomenal that anyone would look at me as a sex symbol. I wish my wife could answer this question. Because she's made it clear that to her it's a phenomenon that ANYONE could look at me as a sex symbol!
Kermitgrif: Chris, are you glad to be back in Toronto?
CP: It was nice to be there again after a long absence, but more importantly, it was really great to be close to my family, what I meant was my extended family. Parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, etc. Because we miss them so much, and they are all so close when I am back in Toronto. That was a real bonus!
Hamad2: What elements of the character of Dr.David do you feel provide a positive role model for the professional gay?
CP: One of the decisions I made about portraying David was to play him like every heterosexual guy I know, because I've learned that statistically there are homosexual men who are living heterosexual lives. I thought it was important to show that David had no stereotypical visible signs or signals that would identify him as being gay. I thought that would be my small part in the education of the audience, because I think there is a percentage of the population that they believe they can "tell" someone if they are gay. I wanted the gay community to be proud of David, and I wanted the heterosexual community to say "Holy s--t, he doesn't appear to be gay!"
Mae: I enjoyed your guest appearance on "The Outer Limits." How long did it take to put on the alien costume? How did it feel?
CP: It felt rubbery. And it smelled bad. And it took a little too long. But I had never done it before, so it was another challenge. And it's over now!
Whitlow: Chris, how do you stay in such great shape?
CP: I'm really surprised to hear that, because I certainly don't go out of my way to be in shape. I started in my early 20s by maintaining a lot of activity. Examples are extracurricular sports, touch football, and hockey, whatever, basketball. In my 20s, then came children, and that's an automatic weight-training program. As they grow, the weight increases. I always watch what I eat. I've just gotten into a habit of eating certain things and not eating others. But, I guess the rest is just luck. It's really true; watch what you eat, get your heart rate up, three times a week, for at least twenty minutes. You'd be surprised at the results. I haven't been to a gym to lift weights for years, but I do enjoy the odd step class.
Gants22ny: Do you find that people can relate to your situation on the show?
CP: Absolutely! I think what's interesting from what I've read on the Internet, with regard to people's reaction to David and Michael's relationship, is that people closer to my age truly understand David's thoughts and actions. People closer to Michael's age seem to feel David is more controlling. But, myself, personally, side more with David's pursuit, and must admit, from the outside watching the end results of the show often wonder what David sees in Michael. I think that's a question that comes up a lot. Why doesn't David pursue someone more his own age?
InkpeninMD: How does "A" list David relate to a hometown Michael who has never been out of Pitt?
CP: Now there's the question. I don't know. I try to search for subtext, and answer those questions myself. It's missing in the storyline, I think for obvious reasons David must pursue Michael. Because if he started pursuing someone else he would be off the show!
Tuffboy: Is it intentional that you are distinctively older than Michael in the show?
CP: Yes. It is. I know that relates to the original series and the age differences between similar characters. I think it's important to add a dynamic to the show that is a solution to what the four young guys are trying to achieve, which is growing up, finding love in their lives, and moving on. David is the one lure that has been cast in front of these young men. And Michael seems to be biting the lure. But will David reel him in? Or will he remain in the pond with the other minnows?
Jazz: Where can I find your CD?
CP: Tower Records. In one of those 99-cent bins, somewhere near the bottom. Search Chris Potter websites, and you should be able to dig it up. Although I am unemployed and would probably be available to play weddings and bar mitzvahs.
Surf-r-Girl: Hi Chris, okay, so who laughs first, you or Hal?
CP: Definitely Hal. But always at his own jokes!
Phaeren: I think you are doing a fantastic job on the show. I love your character. Based on what you have seen Brian do, do you believe there is a chance you two will ever become friends?
CP: That would be an interesting twist, wouldn't it? The question many have asked, and one that people speculate will happen. I remain secretive.
Bari: I think you are a wonderful actor. I always enjoy watching you. Do you have your own web site?
CP: Yes. There's one called the Chris Potter Pages, that I hear is pretty good. I don't make web pages myself. I make small messes and clean them up in the kitchen.
TinaTyler: It seems like your character 'David" is doing all of the changing and sacrificing in the relationship. As he is the more mature of the two characters, do you find this a little odd?
CP: Yes, but I find David more interesting. It seems logical that he would be the one to make those attempts, changes, shifts, etc.
Linda J: Hi, Chris. Congratulations on your goal in Jackson Hole last weekend. In your previous roles on "Silk Stalkings" and "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues," your characters were much more physically active than Dr. David. Do you miss that action or do you prefer more sedate parts like you have in this series?
CP: No, I just prefer good roles. It is nice to be working all the time, and I particularly enjoy directing and acting -- often at the same time. But as an acting role goes, each has its own energy requirements. This one came with a psychological package, more than a physical package, which can be equally as exhausting and rewarding. I would have loved to direct an episode of "Queer As Folk."
Showtime: It's been great having you here Chris, but our time is almost through. Do you have any last comments for your fans?
CP: For those of you that already know me, and have followed me these past twelve years, thank you for making another transition and enjoying my work on "Queer As Folk." We've come a long way. For those of you who are new to me on "Queer As Folk," I hope you continue to enjoy the program, and also to follow me to other projects. Thanks! It's been great speaking to you.