Eric Lively: Exclusive Interview
What’s it like to be the only man surrounded by a cast of lesbian women played by Jennifer Beals, Pam Grier, Sandra Bernhard, and Camryn Manheim, to name a few?
Just ask Atlanta native Eric Lively, the newest star of Showtime’s hit series “The L Word.” ATLANTAboy.com caught up with Lively after the show’s premiere in New York City to discuss his southern roots, his road to stardom, and working with those crazy Olsen twins.
You’re originally from Atlanta, right?
I am. My family lived there for a while before we moved to Southern California. We go back a lot since we have relatives who still live in Georgia--usually we visit my aunt who lives in Breman. I always try to get some Brunswick Stew or something like that to take back with me, since you can’t find that kind of stuff in L.A.
Was it hard to adjust to Los Angeles when you first got there?
Well my family is Southern Baptist, so that didn’t help. None of my friends understood why I had to call my dad “Sir” and my mom “Ma’am.” I was like because if I don’t I’ll get spanked! And I got spanked a lot. There’s just a different kind of respect that you’re taught to pay your family in the South as opposed to what I’ve seen in L.A.
Is it true that you were on “Full House?”
[Laughs]. Yeah, I played Stephanie’s boyfriend. I think I was like ten years old and it was the first thing I ever did. A family friend who was an agent said I should go on an audition, so I did and I got the part. It’s funny, because after I left “Full House” I didn’t want to be an actor anymore. I just wanted to go off and do my own thing. So after I graduated high school I went to New York and to study photography.
Did you ever get to work with the Olsen Twins?
Ha, yeah I did. I think they were like two years old at the time, but they were there. Mary Kate and Ashley [laughs].
You did a lot of other television work too, right?
Well I starred in a television series called “So Weird” on The Disney Channel for two years, and I also starred in two other TV movies. One with Megan Mullally called “The Pact” and one called “Uprising” with Leelee Sobieski, David Schwimmer, and Donald Sutherland.
You were also in the very first “American Pie” movie.” Did you know it was going to become as successful as it did?
No, not at all. While I was studying photography in New York I was also doing some modeling for Abercrombie and Fitch, and somehow I got cast to play a singer in the movie. None of us had any idea we were going to be a part of something that big.
In addition to the new season of “The L Word,” you have another project coming out soon also.
Yes, it’s an amazing film called “Speak” based on the best-selling book. I star in the movie along with Steve Zahn and Kristen Stewart who played the girl in “Panic Room.” It’s about a girl in high school who suddenly stops speaking, which you realize later is because I raped her. My character is the most popular guy in high school who you wouldn't suspect, which is a very realistic situation.
Tell me about the new character you play on “The L Word.”
I play an aspiring filmmaker named Mark Wayland, who’s your typical straight guy from Los Angeles. Basically he makes X-rated gonzo films with hidden cameras and stuff. He moves in with Jenny (Mia Kirshner) and Shane (Katherine Moennig) and discovers this society of lesbian women which mesmerizes him. So he takes on this film project that he thinks will be really lucrative, but in turn could possibly exploit his roommates and their friends.
Speaking of possible exploitation, you recently did a photo shoot for Greg Gorman. Were you nervous about doing it, since he always seems to get his models naked?
Not at all. Greg had already shot me when I was a model, and I had told him upfront that I didn’t want to do any nude work. He never asked me about it again, but since he knew I was interested in photography he offered to show me some techniques like lighting. Since then he’s become a friend and sort of a photography mentor as well.
So there won’t be any nude photos of Eric Lively surfacing anytime soon?
[Laughs] It’s actually funny you ask that, because this season I’m gonna be completely naked in a couple of scenes of “The L Word.” I’d never done a nude scene before. I had to take off all my clothes and just stand there naked. It was seriously the scariest thing I had ever done, but was so liberating at the same time.
How did your Southern Baptist family feel about that?
Well my mom and my immediate family who are all in California love the show, even though they’re still pretty religious. We’re really close and supportive of each other. But I’m not sure what my extended family down in Georgia will think [laughs].
What have you learned as the only male character on the show?
Almost everyone on the set is female--the writer, the director, the cast and even the crew. Going up to work with all these women in Vancouver where we shoot was a little overwhelming at first. But it’s been really revelatory for me as a human being. I think being a female is hard because men are always trying to get something physical from them. Even with lesbians, guys are always saying “oh come on, I can change you.” I never realized this world is so derogatory toward women until I started working on this show.
Do you think the show’s message is different from that of other shows like “Queer As Folk” or “Will & Grace?”
Well “Will & Grace” was the first show about gay characters that was really accepted, but there hadn’t really been a show about lesbians yet. The success of “The L Word” has proven that that there’s a curiosity about these women’s lives that people want to watch and learn about, which is good because people are always afraid of what they don’t know. Lesbians come up and thank us all the time for what we’re doing. We get to represent a group that hasn’t been represented before, but there’s also a pressure and an obligation to do it right. And I think we’re doing that pretty well.
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