The Florida Times-Union       July 29, 2005

Jason Stuart is happy to be a middle man

By MADELEINE PECK Special to the Times-Union

Jason Stuart has struggled for years to make it as a comedian and an actor, and he's finally made it to the middle.

He's not a huge star, but he's not starving either, and that's a good thing, he said.

"I never thought I'd be in the middle," Stuart said by phone from Los Angeles, where he's reading a new script. "I thought I'd be either a big star or utter failure."

Stuart, who has several one-man shows to his name and appearances on television shows such as Will and Grace, My Wife and Kids, House M.D. and Fat Actress, brings his stand-up act to the Comedy Zone next week. He'll do a benefit Wednesday night for the Northeast Florida AIDS Network, then stick around for shows through the weekend.

For Stuart, making it to the middle wasn't easy. In 1993, he came out as a gay actor on the Geraldo show. He says he was already out to friends and family, but not professionally.

"The reaction was a mixed bag ... some people were comfortable and didn't care at all, and there are other people who spend their lives creating hell for gay people."

He's at the forefront of a new generation of actors who are openly homosexual but play a broad range of characters, from the "stereotypically gay guy in the office that thinks everyone else is gay" to straight characters.

"It's about work and working hard," he said. "When you're gay and over 30, it doesn't just come. You have to be able to reinvent yourself."

But Stuart is not just a funny actor; he's a comedian whose latest tour, "Looking for Mr. Right," plumbs the chaotic dating scene, and that's something everyone can relate to.

For example, Stuart recently met a guy he thought was nice; they'd gone on a date and things seemed to be going smoothly. Then just before their second date, the guy called in a frenzy, saying someone was following him. It turns out the guy was on crystal meth. For Stuart, it wasn't just a turn-off, it became material for his stage act.

On stage, Stuart's show is based on making a connection with his audience. "My material changes all the time," he said. "I try to find out who's in my audience and make it a fun and joyous experience."

Stuart doesn't shy away from controversial issues such as, say, gay marriage. "It's the year 2005," he said. "Let us marry each other and we'll stop marrying you."

He closes each show with a question-and-answer session where he invites the audience to ask him about anything.

For Jason Stuart, being openly gay is just another joke
By Sam Sessa
Sun Staff
Originally published June 2, 2005

Call Jason Stuart any one of these three things:
1) an openly gay comedian
2) a gay comedian
3) a plain old comedian

He doesn't care - as long as you come to one (or all) of his shows at the Improv this weekend (but he might give preference to well-dressed gay single men who sit in the front row). You can even be a part of history: He's reportedly the first openly gay comedian to headline the Improv, something he's so excited about he has to use two adverbs to describe the feeling.

"Isn't that just absolutely amazingly strange?" he said.

If you really want to nitpick, Stuart says he's an "openly gay comedian" rather than a "gay comedian," because the term "gay comedian" implies the person prefers a gay joke to any other kind of joke. But Stuart jokes about everything.

"Straight people get to talk about whatever they want to talk about all the time, so I want to do the same thing," he said.

Let's go back to the whole age thing for a minute. How old is he? "It's too devastatingly real," he said. "You don't ask a gay man his age."

Turns out, he's been lying to the press - and maybe even to himself - for so many years he claims he's forgotten the real number. Not that reporters haven't tried to pin it down, but they haven't had too much success. Either they get the number a little too high (which he says is totally devastating), or too low (which he loves, because that way he wins the age-guessing game).

In his routine, Stuart jokes about getting older, along with politics, pop culture, his family and his pile of traffic tickets. When he came out about 12 years ago, his routine was totally different, and he slowly changed it by testing new jokes over a two-year period. Now, he doesn't monitor how many of his jokes are gay-themed.

"I don't really think about it at all," he said. "I just talk about what interests me. It's not like, 'Oh, this is gay, and this is not gay.'"

This tour is called the "Looking for Mr. Right Comedy Tour" - even though Stuart just started dating a guy he met in Los Angeles, where he lives. But Stuart said prospective boyfriends shouldn't be discouraged: He has to be married before he changes the tour's name. And comedy tours have been good for meeting people. "I've met a lot of guys over the years," he gushes.

Not all in comedy, either. Stuart also guests on TV sitcoms such as Fat Actress and My Wife and Kids and works in film. He just landed a supporting role in an independent film called Going Postal, where he plays a goofy post office worker. When it comes to roles, he doesn't pick favorites. Straight, gay, ambiguous - everything's game.

"What matters to me is that the roles are good and the people you work with are talented," he said. "The quality of the work is what matters to me. And there isn't one kind of gay part. We're not all exactly alike. I know that's hard to believe."

Ideally, Stuart wants to work in films and do the occasional comedy show. The road is long and lonely, and he'd like to be able to sleep in his own bed after the show. He loves to flirt and chat with his audience at his shows, which helps spice up his routine and break up the monotony of the road. He says that's another one of the reasons he puts "openly" in front of "gay" - so people will know just who they're dealing with.

"Sometimes there are people who don't like gay people, and I don't want them to come," he said. "There are people that love things that are different, and those are the people that I want to come."

Jason Stuart is at the Improv, 6 Market Place in Power Plant Live, tonight through Sunday. Tickets are $15, and show times vary. Call 410-727-8500 or visit www.baltimoreimprov.com.

The many roles of Jason Stuart

Comic heads to Novi this weekend to look for 'Mr. Right'

By Cornelius A. Fortune

Originally printed 11/17/2005 (Issue 1346 - Between The Lines News)
[view the original pages as a pdf]

NOVI - Alan Alda once said in a Woody Allen film that comedy is tragedy plus time.

In a bizarre way, he had it right. It often takes the passage of time for a thing to be funny - especially if it was painful to begin with.

Jason Stuart's love affair with a guy from Michigan didn't go well, but he can joke about it now.

"I love Detroit men," he admitted. "I always meet nice guys in Detroit - Detroit and New York - those are the guys that I dig, and then they break my heart. I fell in love. I had a terrible crush on him and he was terrible to me."

Stuart is a comedian and actor that you've seen before (though you probably didn't notice him), and like the best character actors, he's essentially played the same role over and over again, not because his range is limited, but those are the jobs he's been given.

"In 'Gone Postal,' I was an assistant office manager; in 'Easier, Softer Way' (with Mekhi Phifer) I'm the events manager of a rehab center; in 'Coffee Date' (with Wilson Cruz and Sally Kirkland) I'm the manager of a computer office; in 'Monkey Men' I'm the manager of a vitamin store, on 'The Drew Carey Show' I was the manager of the client's department; on 'Charmed' I was the manager of Quake - I'm always the manager," he said, amused. "I was once a stage manager in a dream sequence."

Comedy used to be something he used as a defense mechanism.

"As I kid I used comedy as a way of protecting myself. And now I've made an art form out of it and I do it for a living," he said, "but I'm not that funny in real life anymore...no need. I'm comfortable with who I am. Sometimes I'm funny with my friends, sometimes I'm funny with people, but it's not something I work on or think about. Other than at work of course."

Another thing that sets him apart as a comedian is that he's always been an actor - there wasn't a transition to face. In fact, he felt right at home acting.

"A lot of comedians like Roseanne and Chris Rock, Tim Allen, and Drew Carey all started as comedians and then they became actors, I am the other way around," he said. "I've always studied acting and I was an actor before I was a comedian. I always pursued both careers."

His career has been about hard work and dedication, and most of all, persistence.

"I think you have to want it really bad. I think you have to do the work and find out if you actually like the work. Don't try to make a lot of money at first, and if you really like the work, and you work hard, the money will come." Stuart's "Looking for Mr. Right Tour" will be appearing at Wise Guys comedy club in Novi, Nov. 17-19.

"This is my first time at Wise Guys and I'm really excited about working there," said Stuart. "In my life, I've had a lot of the worst boyfriends that ever lived, and as I get older, what I want somebody - I have a great life, I have a nice career. I get to act, I get to travel. I get to meet interesting people. I have great friends. I'm able to make a living at my chosen field, and I want to add a man to it. How to find him, I don't know. So that's part of the things I'm talking about (in the act). Also I want to get married. The new slogan is 'Come on straight people, if you let us marry each other, we'll stop marrying you.'"

Any last woror those single guys out there? "I look forward to meeting Mr. Right," he said. "And if he's in Detroit, he has to relocate to Los Angeles in my swanky two-bedroom apartment. If you're smart and sexy, and you're a good man and you're willing to relocate...call me. And if you just want to have a good time come and see the show."

Wise Guys is located in Novi at 40380 Grand River Avenue, 48375. For more information call Wise Guys at 248-919-3216. For the latest on Jason Stuart visit his website at www.jasonstuart.com.

look who's coming
JASON STUART, COMEDIAN

That funny, Jewish gay guy
By MATT EHLERS, STAFF WRITER

You might not know his name, but if you've ever turned on a television or gone to the movies, Jason Stuart is one of those actors you'll probably recognize.

He's scored recent parts on Kirstie Alley's Showtime series "Fat Actress" and the Fox drama "House." He played a recurring character on the ABC sit¬com "My Wife and Kids," and was a hairdresser in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "Kindergarten Cop." When he's not acting, Stuart tours with his stand up act, which visits Raleigh this weekend. The show at Charlie Goodnight's is being advertised with the tagline, "he's Jewish, he's gay and he is funny!"

Stuart, whose first break came with a bit part on "One Day at a Time," spoke recently from Los Angeles.

Q: How did you make the transition from "One Day at a Time" to stand up comedy?
A: I had a manager that I tried to get with, that I basically just wore down. She said, "You know, you're very funny. You should do stand up comedy." And I said, "I'm really not that funny." And she said, "No, I think you should do it." So I started doing it. And I started going to the Comedy Store. The first time I did my show, I was so nervous that I was funny.

Q: What about your own sitcom? Is that something you're looking to do?
A: Well, I've had different deals. I've had around five or six deals with people, producers, to develop it. I'am working on doing something now. But well see. You never know.

Q: What's happened in the past?
A: I think people are really afraid to have a gay person in any sort of powerful position.

Q: Why is that?
A You could probably tell me better than I could. I really don't know.

Q: Would you be willing to break that ice?
A: Are you kidding me? I don't have a thing about being gay. It doesn't matter to me. It's not an issue to me. It's just who I am. It's more important for me to be who I am than it is for me to be in show business. I want a happy life.

Q: What kind of audiences do you get at your stand up gigs?
A: Very eclectic. I'd say a portion of gay men, a smattering of women, lots of straight couples, some Jews, some black women and I guess a couple of I don't-know-whats.

Q: Are you still on the "Looking for Mr. Right" tour?
A: Oh yeah, that's it.

Q: Have you had any luck with that?
A: I'm working on it. It's not easy finding a good man. I'm looking for Mr. Right, but I seem to be settling for Mr. Right Now.

Staff writer Matt Ehlers can be reached at 829-4889 or mehlers@newsobserver.com

Gorgeous Magazine June/July 2005

Jason Stuart
By Darrell McLaurin

Who is that man? You know you've seen him before. He was hilarious on that TV show, or that commercial. His name is right on the tip of your tongue. Don't worry, you're not alone, but pretty soon, everyone will know Jason Stuart.

Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Jason knew from a very young age that he was destined for a career as a performer. Studying acting at a young age, Jason discovered that he truly loved taking the stage and creating characters. After experiences with a variety of performing outlets, Jason discovered an obviously innate aptitude for comedy and truly began his journey. With his ability to take his own personal triumphs and tragedies and turn them into laughs, Jason soon found himself performing all over the country, entertaining crowds in comedy clubs, colleges, and Gay events to sell out performances!

In 1993, realizing that he could no longer hide who he was from the world, and not wanting to, Jason came out nationally on The Geraldo Show and has never looked back. Jason has said, "Coming out professionally in 1993 was one of the highlights of my career. People don't understand the power in coming out. I feel privileged knowing that some young gay person might get a sense of his life's possibilities by seeing what another 'openly gay' man has accomplished. Actors like Bill Brochtrup, Alex Mapa and I are breaking new ground. I'm extremely proud to be part of this 'second wave' of openly gay performers who are out there, following in the footsteps of performers like Lea Delaria, Kate Clinton, and Harvey Fierstein, people who are out there demanding respect and just 'asking for a little more'. I get e-mail everyday from fans who are honored that I'm out there, doing what I can as an openly gay actor." And he's doing quite a bit.

Probably best known for his recurring role on the ABC sitcom "My Wife & Kids" starring Damon Wayans, playing a gay shrink, Jason is a very talented character actor, whose many diverse roles include the AIDS drama "Letting Go", last years controversial indie comedy "A Day Without A Mexican" and the upcoming drama "Ghosts Never Sleep" costarring opposite Oscar winner Faye Dunaway. Additionally, Jason has proved his mettle in the independent film world, starring in and co-producing the semi-improvisational romantic comedy "10 Attitudes". He has recently appeared on both the new medical drama "House" and Kirstie Alley's "Fat Actress", and will soon be appearing in two original VH1 shows as a celebrity panelist on "Love Lounge," and as an interview subject (along with k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge) on an episode of "The Coolest Year," in which he talks about what it was like growing up gay.

Says Jason, "Ideally, the fact that I happen to be gay would be a non-issue to casting and film directors. I think that most people don't really care about that sort of thing. Unfortunately, the problem lies within the entertainment business itself. There just aren't any diverse roles being created for openly gay actors. For some reason, we aren't seen as being able to carry a role other than the, usually one dimensional, stereotype. I don't think that it's done purposefully. I think that it's done out of habit, and ignorance. They just don't think that there's anything wrong with that mindset."

Since his art is usually about his life, I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's been on Jason's mind lately. His recent romantic comedy, "10 Attitudes", about a thirty something, fairly normal, gay man who's looking for love, as well as his current comedy tour, aptly named "The Looking For Mr. Right Tour," are fairly convincing evidence of a desire to settle down. Jason, a hopeful romantic, says, "I'm at a place in my life, where I realize that I have a really good life, and I would love to find the perfect person to share these things with. I just don't know where to look anymore, and trust me, I've tried everywhere.

"But, you know what I want? What I really want is to get a really interesting supporting role in a movie, get tons of great press, and have to fight off paparazzi. Get nominated for a Golden Globe, and then the Oscar, have the greatest experience of my life, and then for the next 10 years do big studio variations on the role that made me famous and get paid tons and tons of money. Then, while I'm starring in a hot television show, I'll get a really great role in a movie, playing a straight guy, and surprise everyone by winning the Oscar."

He just may get his wish.

Frontiers Newsmagazine December 8-21 2004

A Stand-up Guy
Comedian, Actor, Activist: Why Jason Stuart Can't Commit to Just One Role
By Lydia Marcus

Jason Stuart is a self-deprecating, self-described "average gay guy" who is well-known for his dual career as an actor and stand-up comedian. What most people don't know is that Stuart also works as a lecturer who speaks to major corporations like Motorola and AT&T, as well as college students, in a very personal and revealing piece titled "Coming Out in Hollywood: Making It to the Middle--What It's Like to Be Openly Gay in the Workplace."

November saw the home-video release of "10 Attitudes," featuring Stuart in his first starring role. In the film, Stuart plays Josh, a man suddenly confronted with the dissolution of his 10-year relationship after he catches his partner with a younger man. Determined to find love again but nervous about meeting new people, he participates in a bet concocted by his optimistic best friend who's convinced that if Josh goes on 10 different dates with 10 different men, he'll find true love.

In addition to "10 Attitudes," Stuart will be traveling with his new stand-up show, "The Looking for Mr. Right Comedy Tour." He also has two additional films making the festival rounds: "Ghosts Never Sleep," co-starring Faye Dunaway, and "Letting Go," in which he portrays a man living with AIDS in 1989. He's also appearing in two original VH1 shows--as a celebrity panelist on "Love Lounge," and as a interview subject (along with k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge) on an episode of "The Coolest Year," in which he talks about what it was like growing up gay. As if that were not enough, he will also co-star in an episode of Kirstie Alley's new cable comedy, "Fat Actress," set to air next March.

I recently caught up with the busy performer by phone just days before he was set to perform his stand-up routine on a mixed gay and straight Carnival cruise. During our interview, Stuart delved into the difficulty of finding a husband, acting opposite Alley and Dunaway, his experience working on "10 Attitudes," and much more.

Lydia Marcus: You've been doing a lot of sitcoms and playing a lot of gay characters lately.
Jason Stuart: Or what I call ambiguous. I'm in charge of something yet no one will listen to me. I'm always playing the manager of something, but yet no one will listen to me and I don't why. Isn't that weird?

Yes, something about you connotes power, yet not complete power. Although when you played the marriage counselor to Damon Wayans and his wife on "My Wife and Kids," they really listened to you.
The most powerful role [of all], yet I cured them, and it was over.

Now that you get recognized from TV, do you get cruised more?
Well, that's been going for years because of doing the stand-up.

So does doing stand-up get you more dates?
In a weird kind of way, but it's not what you think it is.

So what is it?
It's sort of that people become interested in what they think you are, not who you are. And no matter what, I'm not famous enough.

Rita Hayworth used to say something like, "Men would go to bed with Gilda and they'd wake up with me," and it wasn't quite what they were expecting.
I don't think the bed part is the problem; I think it's just the life part.

So what's different about you in life versus your act?
I'm pretty quiet. I have a very quiet life.

Are you the typical shy, introverted person off-stage, but ...
I'm not shy or introverted, but I'm just not much of a social butterfly. I'm not out at Rage every night. I'm a Faultline, Cuffs kind of guy if I go out. I don't smoke and I don't drink.

How has your stand-up evolved over the years?
What's great is, I just talk about whatever I want to talk about and I don't think about it and I don't edit myself, where[as] I used to do that all the time.

I've noticed that when you've been on TV promoting your stand-up you often flirt with the male hosts.
Oh, I do, don't I?

Yes.
Because I want to be married. Well, what is my tour called right now? "The Looking for Mr. Right Comedy Tour." What is my movie called? "10 Attitudes." What is the movie about? It's about how difficult it is to fall in love. "Can a regular gay guy fall in love in Los Angeles?" That's the logline for the film.

In "10 Attitudes," you go out on 10 dates with 10 guys. Were those scenes improvised or a mix of script and improv?
No, mostly improvised.

So when David Faustino is playing a character who asks you to be in a threesome with his girlfriend ...
I had no idea that was coming. Wasn't that the funniest thing you ever saw? I almost died. I had to keep myself from laughing my head off.

I realized from watching your acting reel, which has clips of your lectures, that a lot of the script came from your real life.
Oh my God! Oh, you're the first person to see that correlation.

In the movie there's a flashback to you as a chubby junior high school student getting harassed by some boys because they think you're gay, and someone scrawls "fag" on your locker. That's something that actually happened to you.
That happened to me, yes. Lots of things from the film are taken from my life, but it certainly isn't my life because I'm not from Ohio. I'm an L.A. boy; I grew up in Los Angeles, I was born in New York.

Do you think you've been interviewed by a lot of straight people?
Oh, definitely.

Are they a little freaked out, like how much they can ask about certain things?
They ask the weirdest questions. The question I get all the time is--they're very concerned with which part is gay and which part isn't. And I always say, "Most of the time my parts are so small there's no time for a sexual preference." You know, I'm in two or three scenes; it's not like you're going to get a whole background.

Right. They want a little flow chart.
See, the thing is, I don't care if the part is straight or gay--I care if I'm in a good project with good people where I'm going to grow as an actor and where I can be good.

What do you hope people get from "10 Attitudes"?
Well, number one, it's a romantic comedy about a semi-attractive, 30-something guy, so it's not about some young twinkie, yet there are a lot of very good-looking men in the film. I call it gay Julia Roberts meets "Real World" meets Woody Allen.

You perform at a lot of mainstream comedy clubs. What do you think your appeal is to straight audiences?
I think funny is funny. And if you're a funny person, which I am, my job as a comedian is to set up a joke so they understand it, so I have to be able to be a storyteller and not be afraid. But I was more afraid of gay guys when I first started doing comedy than I was of anything. (laughs)

Why?
Because no matter what, there's 20 gay guys in the audience that are just as funny as you are; the only difference is they can't repeat it. ... I have to repeat it all the time at a moment's notice whenever I have to work.

You recently filmed an episode of Kirstie Alley's upcoming cable comedy. What was she like to work with?
Really nice ... What was interesting was when I took a picture of her she said, "Please take it up high because the outfit makes me look fat."

You also recently worked opposite Faye Dunaway in an independent film called "Ghosts Never Sleep." What was it like working with her?
Working with Miss Dunaway was just it for me. She was incredible. She's always in character and she basically was very, very gracious to me, and she was there for me--she was there for my close-up--and she was just fabulous.

When you aren't acting or touring with your stand-up, what do you like to do for fun?
I'm a movie nut. I really like to hike ... I like to read. I also like to draw and paint, but I haven't done it in a long time ... I'm also very political. I do a lot of political fund-raisers, benefits. I do a lot of things that I think are important to our community. That's important to me in life.

Because you grew up in L.A., you used to go watch a lot of TV tapings locally at CBS next to the Farmer's Market.
Oh, God, yeah, all through grammar school and junior high and high school.

What did you see?
"Sonny and Cher," "Maude," "Carol Burnett," "All in the Family," game shows, talk shows. My first talk show ever--the first time I was ever on television--was on "The Vin Scully Show." ... I was interviewed from the audience and I said, "Oh, God, someone's going to find me, someone's going to find me and make me a star." I just really believed that. I believed that God had waved his wand over me; that's the way I survived as a kid. And I thought that one day someone would come and give me this great part. And [what] I really want is to get a really interesting supporting role in a movie, and I want to get paid nothing for it, get an Oscar nomination, have the greatest experience of my life, and then for the next 10 years do the same roles in big studio pictures and get paid tons and tons of money. (laughs) And then play a straight guy in a movie and surprise everyone and actually win the Oscar.

For more on Stuart's new movie, see www.ariztical.com/10attitudes.htm.

© 2004 Frontiers Newsmagazine; All Rights Reserved.

Jason Stuart’s ‘Attitudes’
Comedian with deep desert ties chats about pain and his first full length film on DVD
By Marc Thomson

The first time I saw Jason Stuart's stand up, he did this bit about his mother (who, by the way, still lives in Cathedral City), who wore sexy high heels everywhere, even to the beach.

The memory of Stuart tramping across the stage, balancing an imaginary cigarette in one hand while affecting a movie starlette's hippy swagger as he'd puff, step sink, step sink, step sink, still makes me chuckle.

Since then, he's appeared in "Kindergarten Cop" with Arnold Schwarzenegger, "My Wife and Kids" with Damon Wayans, "Will and Grace" and many other television shows.

Stuart is everywhere these days.

Bryan Singer, the director of "X Men," conducts him in an episode of "House" on HBO, which airs Tuesday, Nov. 30.

He's also on the video shelves in the DVD "A Day Without a Mexican" and "Ghosts Never Sleep" with Faye Dunaway, Tony Goldwyn and Sean Young. This March, he'll co star with Kirstie Alley in the new comedy film "Fat Actress."

Stuart still does a lot of stand up. Outrageous, personal and often political, his topics range from growing up gay in Southern California to the issue of gay marriage. He tells his straight audiences, "Look at it this way. Let us marry each other, and we'll stop marrying you."

The big news for Stuart is that he's finally got his own film. Put together with the love, sweat and money from his fans, especially friend and producer/director Michael Gallant, "10 Attitudes" was released on DVD on Nov. 23.

It's the tale of a young, gay Los Angeles professional whose relationship blows up, so he decides to move back to Cleveland that is until his best friend begs him to try to find a new relationship. He agrees to give love a try, but no more than 10 tries, 10 blind dates, before he chucks it for good.

As you might guess, each of the 10 dates turns out to be more hysterically tragic than the last until he finally finds love when he least expects it.

David Faustino, Jim J. Bullock, Judy Tenuta and many other familiar faces star in the flick with him.

The Weekly caught up with Stuart soon after his latest gig on a cruise ship and just before "10 Attitudes" hit the shelves

WEEKLY: Your lead role in "10 Attitudes" is comic, but also very romantic.

JASON STUART: I'm a big romantic. You know, this was supposed to be a short film, but it turned into a long film because I just couldn't shut up. You know the whole thing was improvised?

Really?

About 80 percent. Michael Gallant would talk to the other people in the scene and I didn't even know what they were going to do. On the DVD there's a gag reel and bloopers, a lot of the stuff that didn't get into the final cut.

Well, I think you're quite a natural actor.

Thanks! Remember to put that in print. And publish the Web site so they can buy the movie?

You do political stuff in your stand up. What did you think about the election?

I was upset! I just wonder if all the voting has gone in. There's a chance of voter fraud.
I hate to say it in print, but I just don't know. I just put one foot in front of the other and just don't give up the fight. It's now more important than ever to be "out" and not give up the fight. I want to be funny about this, but I don't know how, yet.
I know it's going to affect me financially. It already has because I don't get as many college jobs as usual because Bush has cut back money to the colleges.

How did you know you wanted to be in the spotlight, to be a performer?

I was in a play when I was a kid called "Santa Claus for President." They put these pillows under my clothes and I looked pregnant. I did the whole Santa Claus role as if I were Lucille Ball pregnant on "I Love Lucy" I copied her. And I got all these laughs, and I thought 'This is cool! I can do this!'

What were you like as a kid?

I was funny, but it was all about fear. You can't hit a moving target kind of thing.

Which do you prefer, stand up or film acting?

I like them both. I find stand up a little lonely, but I do enjoy my fans. I do like being around creative people, though.

How much do you interact with your audiences? Do you do question and answer like Ellen DeGeneres?

I did it before her. She took that from me.

What sort of questions do you get?

When did you know you were gay?

And?

It was a Thursday. There was a meeting at Elton John's house and they picked me.

What's the second most popular question?

Are you a top or a bottom?

Really? Isn't that a little personal?

I think so! I say 'That's a little too specific.'

How much of your comedy comes from pain?

All of it. It's funny, you know, that I'm working on that right now. Getting deeper. I'm talking about getting older and things that really matter to me. Before I just used to talk about my family and now I'm talking about things that really touch me in my soul.

How do you know when pain becomes funny?

Everything is funny.

Drop Marc Thomson an e mail at marcthomson@desertpostweekly.com

December 2004

FEATURES

‘Attitudes’ adjustment: an interview with comedian and actor Jason Stuart
By Gregg Shapiro

Now available on DVD from Culture Q Connection/Ariztical Video, 10 Attitudes tells the amusing story of Josh (openly gay comedian Jason Stuart), a caterer in L.A. who ends his relationship with longtime lover Lyle when he discovers that he is cheating on him. Newly single, Josh’s best friend Brandon (Christopher Cowan) bets him that he can find him a new lover in ten dates. However, if by the end of the tenth date Josh is still single, he will leave L.A. for the friendlier confines of home in Cleveland. Stuart, who, in addition to starring in the movie, co-wrote the screenplay, recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about the movie.

Gregg Shapiro: You co-wrote the screenplay to your movie 10 Attitudes with the movie’s director, Michael Gallant. What was that experience like for you?

Jason Stuart: The film is almost total improv! We wrote maybe twenty per cent with my partner Michael Gallant. (He is ) only (my) partner on the film! I am still single. I know, hard to tell!

GS: Your movie 10 Attitudes poses the question, “Can a regular gay guy find love in L.A.?” Regardless of the way that question is answered in the movie, do you, personally, think it’s possible?

JS: Ohhhhhhh!!!!!!! I am still looking, hoping, and praying for Mr. Right, but too often end up with Mr. Right Now. My new show is called “The Looking For Mr. Right Comedy Tour.” So I’m putting it out there. And with the film being released on Nov 23rd on www.ariztical.com and also on the 23rd I am on the new medical drama House on Fox TV, directed by Bryan Singer who did X-Men, maybe a man of my dreams will come my way.

GS: Fidelity is an issue in the movie. Your character Josh’s lover Lyle cheats on him. One of the first guys Josh meets in a bar is all over him until his lover shows up and puts a stop to the flirtation, and one of Josh’s 10 dates (Nick) about whom he is serious, is also unfaithful. Why do you think this type of infidelity is endemic in the gay community?

JS: Men are whores! What can I say? I myself have never cheated, but I have had my fair share of guys.

GS: Was it the gay culture in L.A. that allows that sort of disloyalty to thrive?

JS: I think its not just gay men; it’s men in general. We are raised to be hunters. Wow, I sound butch!

GS: Josh calls L.A. a “crazy town with crazy people.” Do you have a similar love/hate relationship with the city?

JS: Not really. Some of my best friends I met in LA. Alexandra Paul, from Baywatch, plays my sister in the film. All I had to do was make a call and she said, “Where and when?” I said, “Can we use your house?” and she said, “Come on over!”

GS: A fairly restrained Judy Tenuta plays Glenda, the woman who runs the “Looking For Love” therapy group. What was it like working with her?

JS: I have known Judy forever! Last week we were going to a movie and a fan yelled, “There goes the real Will & Grace.”

GS: I love the fact that your mother was cast in the role of Joshua’s mom. Please tell me something about that.

JS: My mom is not an actress, but has the best sense of humor. The director, Michael Gallant, said, “I am going to go to Palm Springs and film her.” I did not expect much. He asked a few questions and she was great and soooo funny! I was proved so wrong. Every one loves her and howls when she comes on screen.

GS: 10 Attitudes has some serious moment, including the flashback scene where Josh is picked on by school bully Jack.

JS: That was taken from a real life experience and I did date a guy who used to make fun of me as a kid. We met years later and started to date a bit. It was hot, but did not last long. It happened (when I was) in my twenties.

GS: You co-star with Faye Dunaway and Tony Goldwyn in the drama Ghosts Never Sleep. What was it like working with Dunaway?

JS: She was a dream come true. She loves the work and is a pro. The only strange thing was she kept pulling her Oscar out of her purse, saying “I won this!” Just kidding. I have gotten to work with some great actors. Last week I did the new Kirstie Alley comedy show (Fat Actress) that’s going to be on Showtime in March 2005. She was a scream, sooo funny! I play the assistant to film director McG of Charlie’s Angels 3: The Forgotten Angels. They were asking for names for their characters in the fake film and I said she should be called “Cayenne” and Kirstie said the other two girls should be caller “Pepper” and “Sugar”. Sugar was a little person. The show is improve-style like Curb Your Enthusiasm. I cannot wait to see it!

GS: The last time we spoke, in 2000, it was shortly before the presidential election. What about this years election?

JS: Well... I have so much to say. Where do I start? On gay marriage. It’s the year 2004, straight people, if you let us marry each other we will stop marrying you! (The) war on terror. Bin Laden is 6’3” and attached to a dialysis machine and they can’t find him! If he were in Japan, the Japanese people would be screaming Godzilla!

Issue Date: November 11, 2004. Vol: 9 No: 22
View actual article on outlooknews.com

What to Watch... TV and Movies.

This Time, Stuart's 'Attitude' is Straighter than Usual
By Mike Szymanski
November 26, 2004

Jason Stuart never thought he'd play the straight guy, but in "10 Attitudes," the movie he stars in and produces about gay relationships, he very much allows the actors and comedians around him get the laughs.

Stuart is an out gay comic who made national headlines in 1993 when he came out of the closet on "Geraldo," and is now a semi-regular playing a gay therapist to Damon Wayans on "My Wife and Kids."

"I wanted to make this movie about bad dates, I certainly had enough material," says Stuart, in an interview with Zap2it.com. "And it all slowly came together, although it took a while to get it finished."

After meeting Emmy-award winning producer Michael Gallant in a group therapy session five years ago, they both commiserated about miserable dating experiences. Gallant, who produced "War & Remembrance" and the upcoming "Adam and Steve," began writing the story about an average guy's quest to find the perfect man in West Hollywood.

They ended up putting Stuart in situations with actors such as "Married With Children's" David Faustino and Comedy Central's Scott Kennedy for dates that were completely ad-libbed. Faustino, known as a very heterosexual youth on his TV show, surprised Stuart by trying to set up a three-way liaison with he and his girlfriend, while Kennedy explains his creepy fascination with boy bands and his hobby stalking Marky Mark.

"I have to give Michael credit for creating a movie out of nothing, a lot of times we had no idea what was going to happen," says Stuart, who admits he's been in situations where male and female couples have tried to take him home.

He befriended Faustino on the set of an indie film "Get Your Stuff," and they let their improvisational skills take them through the date. Stuart depended on plenty of friends to get him through the movie, which was funded by himself, Gallant and Rob Bonet from the Alan Carr estate.

So, for example, the kitchen is really that of Stuart's good friend Alexandra Paul from "Baywatch," and the living room where the group therapy sessions are held is really at comedienne Judy Tenuta's place.

"We wanted to make it all as easy as possible, not to have them go very far for work," quips Stuart, which explains why Tenuta looks like she's just woke up in a few scenes. "And Alexandra shocked me because she never got mad at me before, but she certainly did for this role."

Over the course of the dates, Stuart's hair gets lighter and darker and his goatee gets shaved and grown back -- it's explained away in the film, but the reality is that he was off doing other parts. Stuart began in the business with "Murder, She Wrote," "Charmed," "Seaquest," "The John Larroquette Show" and "Three Sisters," and more recently he's twice taped "Will and Grace" as well as "Providence," "Drew Carrey," Bryan Singer's "House" and has small roles in films such as "Vegas Vacation," "Kindergarten Cop," "Gia," and "Lost and Found."

Constantly on the road with his comedy routine, Stuart has recently hit the pavement taking this gay "Swingers" film to the Barcelona Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, where it won the audience and best picture awards, and "10 Attitudes" has played festivals in Philadelphia, New Zealand and Austin.

"The 30-something or 40-something gay men who are not perfect seem to have connected with the character of Josh that I play," Stuart explains, adding that he's still not in a relationship. "Half of the guys in the 30s, 40s and 50s are dead because of the AIDS epidemic, and the other half want someone who is 12, so if you're lucky to be alive, it's very hard to find someone."

Others in the film include "Bold and the Beautiful" star Sean Kanan and his longtime "Too Close for Comfort" friend Jim J. Bullock who is now doing "Hairspray" on Broadway. Dealing with all the ups and downs of different kinds of relationships in the film hasn't helped Stuart in his own personal life, however.

"I had to go back into therapy because I can't figure out why I don't have a boyfriend," says Stuart, who's longest relationship lasted five years. "But I believe my husband is out there, I just don't know what he looks like or where he is."

Meanwhile, he's continuing to tour, with upcoming gigs early next year in Maine, Mexico Michigan, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri and more. He's in the indie film "A Day Without a Mexican," and just taped an episode on Kirstie Alley's new show, "Fat Actress."

But, he's most excited about doing a scene with Oscar-wining actress Faye Dunaway in an upcoming film "Ghosts Never Sleep."

"I forgot a line, and I screamed, 'I'm with Academy Award winning actress Faye Dunaway!' and everyone waited for her to react," Stuart recalls. "She put her hand on my knee and I felt like we were crying together. It was incredible performance, and this is someone who co-starred with Jack Nicholson, George C. Scott, Warren Beatty!"

And, with that role, Stuart seems to come full circle. He's playing a talk show host, not unlike "Geraldo," who gave him his big open door.

Stuart's "10 Attitudes" is opening in major markets throughout the country through December.

view the actual article on the Zap2it.com site

From clevescene.com
Originally published by Cleveland Scene Sep 08, 2004
©2004 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stuart Brittle
Comedian Jason Stuart promises a gay old time.
BY CRIS GLASER

Jason Stuart doesn't date much, and he can't understand why. At 5 foot 11 and a fit 185 pounds, he thinks he's a pretty good catch for a gay dude. "I just went on a date two weeks ago with this guy who said, 'Oh, I think I'm going to get a tattoo on my chest of a knife going through my heart with the blood spurting out,'" says the "38-ish" Stuart. "I said, 'I gotta go.' It's just awful."

To pop some Prozac into his yawn of a love life, Stuart's embarked on the Looking for Mr. Right Comedy Tour, which brings the Bronx-born, SoCal-raised funnyman to Cleveland this weekend to bust on his family, dating, and in this election year, gay marriage. "C'mon, straight people, it's the year 2004," says Stuart, who has recurring roles as a gay shrink on My Wife & Kids and a bitchy club manager on Will & Grace. "If you let us marry each other, we'll stop marrying you!"

The sales pitch is directed straight at the Bush administration, especially Vice President Cheney and his lesbian daughter. "But people don't see it that way," Stuart laments. "I think, once it goes to the Supreme Court, I don't see how they could deny us this. I hope those people take their jobs seriously, because it's unconstitutional, and I can't believe we're wasting our time and money."

His close pal Drew Carey can't say it any better. The two comedians met more than a decade ago, when the Cleveland-born Carey was an unknown in L.A. and both were yukking it up at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club. "He would hang out at the club, and I thought, 'God, who is this dorky guy with the glasses?'" says Stuart, who later had a guest spot on Carey's sitcom. "For the first three years of his show, I called him every day. Do you think that was too much?"

But nothing's ever enough for Stuart. When he's not on tour, he's pounding the pavement for new acting gigs, preferably ones that feature gay characters. He gets frustrated when he hears that an estimated 85 percent of those roles go to hetero actors. "If it was easy, I wouldn't mind if [Hollywood producers] would let me play straight parts whenever I wanted to, but they don't," bemoans Stuart. "It's not that open to me."

Once in a while, he's lucky. He recently wrapped up production on the movie Ghosts Never Sleep, starring "the incredibly professional" Faye Dunaway. "The only thing is, she kept pulling this Oscar out of her purse and saying, 'I won this.'" He's also a panelist on VH1's talk show Love Lounge ("It's like Politically Incorrect, only on love, sex, and dating") and stars in 10 Attitudes (opening in November) with gal-pal Judy Tenuta.

"I'm working around the clock," he says. "But my life is jam-packed and fun-filled."

BUSY COMIC IS OUT AND ABOUT By Rita Rose
Rita.rose@indystar.com

Comedian Jason Stuart has a message for straight people about gay marriage: "Come on ... it's the year 2004. If you let us marry each other, we will stop marrying you!"

Stuart, an openly gay standup comic and actor, will have plenty to say about gay marriage – and lots of other topics – when he returns to Indianapolis with his Big Fat Gay Jewish Comedy Tour Wednesday through Saturday at Crackers Downtown.

It's his second gig at the club, where he sold out six of seven shows last year. In 2002, Stuart was the opening act for comedian Kate Clinton at the Indiana Roof, and he appeared at the Indianapolis Gay and Lesbian Film Festival that year for his independent film, "10 Attitudes," which he acted in and produced.

While gay marriage is a hot topic, Stuart has plenty of other material to make audiences laugh. And you don't have to be gay to appreciate it, he said.

"I talk about my family, growing up, politics, pop culture, dating, traveling, getting older and gays in the military," Stuart said by phone from his Los Angeles home. "I also do impressions of 'Star Search' and 'American Idol.' It's not really a dirty show, honestly. I flirt, but it's not dirty."

Stuart writes his own material, which is "always changing" with life's experiences. "Almost everything I talk about is what has happened to me. When I was a kid, we always played doctor, but the straight kids always made me be the receptionist."

Generally Supportive

Most of his family is supportive of his career and have attended his comedy shows, he said. His mom "always becomes part of the act" and he counts his sister-in-law as "my best audience, although I don't know why she finds me so hysterical. My father doesn't think I'm funny, but he comes anyway. 'Why do you have to talk about the family?' he says."

His sister, however, won't speak to him because of his sexual orientation. "She's an Orthodox Jew, and she and her husband won't let me see their kids," he said. "They feel I will influence them (to be gay)," he said. "Their kids live secluded and sheltered lives with no opportunity to express themselves, so yes, I'd like to influence them. But not in the way they think."

A standup comic since 1983, Stuart has experienced an upsurge in his career since he came out on Geraldo Rivera's talk show in 1993. He's had acting roles in several independent films and has a recurring role as Dr. Thomas, the, gay shrink on the ABC sitcom "My Wife & Kids," with Damon Wayans. He also has appeared on "Will & Grace," "Strong Medicine," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Murder, She Wrote." In feature films, he was in "Kindergarten Cop" with his now-governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and recently filmed "Ghosts Never Sleep" with Faye Dunaway.

He makes regular appearances at The Laugh Factory in Los Angeles and recently hosted Show West in Las Vegas. He also released his first CD, “Gay Comedy without a Dress” available online at jasonstuart.com

Life-changing Experience

Coming out, he said, changed his whole life. And doing it on a national TV was a risk. “My family and friends knew I was gonna do it,” he said of the “Geraldo” appearance. “It was scary, because you never know what’s gonna happen or how people will react. In some ways, it (being out) is easier, in some ways harder, because it's another way for people to limit you as an actor.

"People think every gay role is the same, but they're different, really. I feel blessed in that way. I'm lucky to play both straight and gay roles and don't feel at all limited as an actor."

Stuart also doesn't want being gay to define him as a human being. "It doesn't bother me, but it's not all of who I am. I'm also an activist, a son, a friend, a character actor - I'm a multidimensional person."

Lectures to businesses

He also isn't limited to doing standup comedy and films. In his spare time, he does lectures on college campuses and for Fortune 500 companies, offerring insights about what it's like to be openly gay in the workplace. He mixes a bit of comedy with his lectures, which are sponsored by Out Media. "I've gotten a lot of good feedback," he said.

Although he doesn't have a significant other at the moment, the comedian thinks marriage should be for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.

“It’s all about division of church and state,” he said. “I believe any church is a private organization and religious beliefs should be respected, and you have the right in church. In law, gays should have the same rights as everyone else in the country and, as American, should be treated equally.”

About Jason Stuart
• Age: 38.
• Born: In the Bronx, reared in Los Angeles.
• Family: "I come from a very crazy and lovable Jewish family."
• Notable award: Best picture award at the Barcelona Gay & Lesbian Film Festival for "10 Attitudes," which he starred in and produced.
• Recent independent films: "What Adam Knows," with Paul Willson and Tori Davis; "Ghosts Never Sleep," with Faye Dunaway; and "A Day Without A Mexican with
Yareli Arizmemdi.
• Theater credits: "Mister Roberts," "Night of January 16th," "The Caucasian Chalk Circle," "The Sand Castle," "Coriolanus," "Panic in Griffith Park."
• CD: "Gay Comedy Without A Dress."
• Web site: jasonstuart.com.
• On being openly gay: "I'm as out as you can be! I'm so gay and so out, I could redecorate a room just by looking at it!"

Of Interest • compiled by Dana Mack   JASON STUART "BIG FAT GAY JEWISH COMEDY TOUR"

Actor/comedian Jason Stuart has become the indie film king in the past year. He has completed 5 independent film's that shows his range as a character actor. Jason has always been a fan of the indie film world and is thrilled to be part of such a group of diverse films.

Jason is best known for his hilarious recurring role as "Dr. Thomas" the gay shrink on the hit ABC sitcom "My Wife & Kids" starring Damon Wayans. He's also recently appeared on "Strong Medicine" opposite Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement).

Last year Jason completed a dramatic role in another indie film, Letting Go, by filmmaker Barbara Daoust, playing the role of a man in the late 1980's who finds out he is HIV-positive and decides to die with dignity and grace.

Stuart said, "I have been looking forward to doing more serious work and growing as an artist and an actor."

Stuart has been constantly working on new material and the "Big Fat Gay Comedy Tour" will not flinch from the controversial stuff, like the war on terrorism and Osama bin Laden. He has some new material and some new insults, that he targets poor unsuspecting members of the audience with. He has also included material about his parents, about dating, and also about getting older! Jason is sporting a "new look" which comes from the fact he's been working out with a trainer for the past 4 or 5 years, with a renewed vigor to push himself farther than he ever thought he could go and it's working!

He also acknowledges that he looks better than he ever did, but he still abhors the idea of aging. Jason has also always been very open about his relationships and his desire "to find a husband." Currently single, Stuart said he longs for the day when he can find his mate so that he can finally sing the popular tune, "I Finally Found Someone." When asked about the pitfalls of coming out professionally, the comic gets serious. "There have been days when I thought, Why did I do this? This is so hard. Being an openly gay person is so complicated. The hardest thing is that a lot of the gay parts go to straight people. At least let me have those parts." Stuart feels his role is breaking new ground. "I'm an openly gay man, which is almost historic on television, and there doesn't seem to be that many gay people playing gay people."

Jason will be appearing in Detroit, Michigan at The Rattle Box, 8832 Greenfield Rd just north of Joy Road on Friday, April 23rd for 2 shows only 8:30pm and 11:15pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. with limited tickets available.

Also sharing the stage with Jason Stuart will be the Peroxide Piranha herself, our own Nickki Stevens. You can catch Jason Stuart doing "Big Fat Gay Jewish Comedy Tour" all over Metraland on these dates and places. April 25 at Central Ohio Bowling in Columbus. OH. April 28-May 1 at Crackers Comedy Club in Indianapolis, IN. May20 - 23 at Jokers Comedy Club in Dayton, OH. For PR info: Modern Artist 323-871-2888 / jasstu@aol.com photos / live steam video available at www.jasonstuart.com

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