Luke Macfarlane On Sexuality and the Sci-Fi Genre In ‘Killjoys’

[Source]

Luke Macfarlane On Sexuality and the Sci-Fi Genre In ‘Killjoys’

By: Jim Halterman on June 19, 2015

Luke Macfarlane stars as D'avin on 'Killjoys.' (SyFy)

Luke Macfarlane does everything right.

First, he grabbed our attention by playing Scotty, the man who stole the heart (and ours) of Kevin (Matthew Rhys) on the drama “Brothers & Sisters” and was part of groundbreaking moments as big as a gay wedding and smaller like just having scenes showing male intimacy, which had typically been something left to viewers’ imaginations.

Then, he popped up guest-starring on shows like “Satisfaction,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Smash” but we all knew we needed the out actor back on our TVs on a regular basis. His recurring role as the war vet/boyfriend to Brendan Fehr’s Drew on NBC’s “The Night Shift” was a step in the right direction but as of tonight we have Macfarlane back in a new series that is something of a departure from what we’ve come to expect from him.

Yes, Luke Macfarlane is now in a science fiction series and he’s playing something of a bad boy. In “Killjoys,” he is D’avin Jaqobis, a futuristic bounty hunter who teams up with his estranged brother (Aaron Ashmore)  and the first scene we see him in in tonight’s premiere episode on SyFy he’s in a cage kicking ass…with his shirt off.

Actually, Macfarlane has his shirt off quite a bit in the show, which is something I asked him about when we talked recently about the new show, his love of sci-fi (who knew?) and how sexuality is portrayed in this new world.

On the surface it seems like a really different role for you. Have you done sci-fi before?

Luke Macfarlane: Sci-Fi is definitely new territory for me. Action I have definitely done before but sci-fi made sense for me and I’m quickly learning how an established little group it is. I feel very much like, “Oh, I hope they’ll allow me to sit at their table.”

I think the sci-fi fans are pretty loyal like the LGBT audience. We’re like, “We’ll stand by you no matter what.”

LM: Yeah, but they also might turn on you if you make them upset in any kind of way. [laughs]

Was this the kind of role you were looking for because I’m sure you had a lot of options.

LM: I really, really wanted to do an action show and I really wanted to a sci-fi show, very much. When I read this pilot I was like, “Oh, this is really good.” It was really well written. It takes the genre seriously enough but there’s still a sense of fun to it, this idea. The show doesn’t take itself that seriously [and] it takes its audience members seriously so it was a really delicate touch that I thought was really smart so I was definitely wanting to be part of a show like this.

Can you tell me what exactly a ‘killjoy’ is?

LM: A killjoy is a kind of derogatory term. We’re basically bounty hunters so a killjoy is a kind of derogatory term for a RAC agent. A RAC agent, think of them like black water, it’s a sort of private corporation that exists kind of in the murky areas of the law.

I actually loved the brother relationship just because I feel like that allows you guys to have a lot of extra layers instead of just being bad ass bounty hunters and fighters. How was that for you to play?

LM: I think the brother relationship is really unique and I also think that all of the relationships are. Playing a brother is awesome, especially brothers that are estranged. But then I also love Hannah John-Kamen’s relationship with Aaron Ashmore because they’re best friends and it’s not sexual. We don’t see that where a guy and girl can be friends but they don’t want to have sex with each other. It’s just two people who are friends. I think that’s really realistic and it’s fun. We’re so used to seeing, “It’s a pretty girl and a pretty guy of course they’re going to want to have sex.” I think that’s a really unique relationship. It’s very real.

And  your character has a definite edge to him. Can you talk about who this guy is?

LM: We find out that he was actually in the Galactic Army and he left for sort of reasons we don’t know yet and I’m in that prisoner transfer ship when they find me because if you don’t have money it’s very hard to travel across the galaxy so you kind of become a bit of an indentured slave in order to get free passage so it’s less of being a criminal and more of being a cheap ticket across the galaxy.

(l-r) Aaron Ashmore, Hannah John-Kamen and Macfarlane. (SyFy)

What is sexuality like in this world? From the first episode I didn’t get a big sense of that or even your character for that matter. 

LM: It’s really great. Our showrunner, Michelle Lovretta (who also created the queer-centric “Lost Girl“) is really smart about sexuality and what sexual identity meant. She has very cool opinions on it. The thing I told you about Aaron Ashmore and Hannah’s relationship, that’s a unique sort of sexual relationship in that they’re people that are not having sex but they’re really close. My character could really have sex with whoever he wants and has a very sort of careless relationship to sex. I don’t think he’s gay in any way but I don’t think it would be above him or like anybody in the world to have sex with somebody of the same sex if it was going to get them something that they needed. It’s a very transactional world in that sense.

We go to a bar that we spend a lot of time at where the owner is a transgender person, perhaps. It’s not really spoken of but his clothes suggest that he’s a woman. And there’s also ‘sexers.’ There are these prostitutes that are in the world that are actually very empowered. They don’t work for anybody but themselves and people have sex with them all the time. They work at the bar.

I couldn’t help but notice that your shirt is off a couple of times in the first episode…

LM: Yeah, it became a running joke amongst the group. It’s all in the script and in fact I would actually rather have my shirt put on like, “This is just getting ridiculous,” but yeah.

But you’ve obviously been taking care of yourself and we see you doing some MMA (mixed martial arts) type of fighting. Is that what you were going for or is that something that you were trained in?

LM: Yeah. The fight choreographers do a kind of MMA-style kind of thing and I’ve been interested in boxing for some years now. I’ve always actually taken very good care of body. I don’t tend take my shirt off in my television shows so it was kind of fun to take it off. for the show  It does come off a lot in the show. It’s also that hilarious thing of when you’re filming all the time and you just stop eating so it was quite a terrifying thing to always try to be in good shape.

And you can’t go to craft services for a snack too often, right?

LM: [laughs] No, you really can’t!

Are you personally a fan of sci-fi?

LM: Totally. Like growing up, one of the shows that the entire family ate dinner at the table was “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” That was one of the greatest television shows ever and then I’m a fan of “Firefly.” I’ve always loved the genre.

And there’s something nice about the fact that today there are so many gay characters popping up in shows that you wouldn’t call gay-centric but it’s kind of reflective of our world.

LM: Absolutely. It’s been interesting just watching everything with the Supreme Court happening right now and the thing that the media keeps saying over and over and over again is that the attitudes of this country have changed so quickly and so drastically…I heard some statistic today that 30 percent of Americans, in 1997, thought that people of the same sex should get married and now it’s 70 percent. That’s just great.

(l-r) John-Kamen, Ashmore and Macfarlane during the NBC Summer Press Day. (SyFy)

“Killjoys” airs Fridays at 9pm on SyFy.

Luke on NBC with Patricia Wettig

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

'The Normal Heart' Explores the Early Days of AIDS

Two performers from the critically acclaimed play "The Normal Heart" discuss the show -- at the Arena Stage through July 29 -- and the fact that it coincides with the International AIDS Conference, in D.C. for the first time.

By Barbara Harrison Jul 20, 2012

Equality Magazine

Equality Magazine Winter 2011 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 t o talk about the everyday issues of our lives — like gay parenting, who teaches the thild how to bait a hook, who leads on the tanog 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 grauate — 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 implusively 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 actor 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 onpenly gay person in New York for years. Why did I feel like I had to say, 'I'm stright,' in that moment? Coming out for me had been relatively painless. When I sat down with my oldest buddied and told them I was gay, they hugged me and they said. 'This doesn't change anything.' When I choked out the words, 'I'm gay,' to my mom and dad, the first thing they said was 'We love you.' And then my mother told me that she still expected grandkids from me! [Laughter.]

"Any difficulties I had in coming out were internal. My struggles were mostly within myself. The immediate world around me was incredibly supportive; it couldn't have been more supportive. I was raised and educated in a place where I felt safe and secure, I was never bullied, and my family encouraged me to self investigation. What was shocking about that lie that I told that night in Hollywood Hills was how easily I could take all the steps I had made toward making the best and open version of myself back. Because in that moment, in a few words, I slipped back into the closet.

"It was then that I realized how fragile my resolve was. And that if I was going to truly be gay, I was going to have to come out every single day of my life.

"It's something that we do in small ways. Like asking for a room with single bed when we're on vacation with our parents. And it's something that we do in large ways, like telling our commanding officers that we're gay. For the past few years, I have been taking class in fine wood-working... most of my classmates are retired contractors, firemen and engineers, and most of them have never met an actor before. Each class starts with an itroduction. And I say, 'My name is Luke Macfarlane and I'm an actor.' And they say, 'Oh, would I know you from anything?' And I say, 'Well, right now I'm on a show called "Brothers and Sisters."'... And they say 'Oh, "Brothers and Sisters!"' And then they say, 'Well, what do you play?' And I say, 'I play the husband of one of the brothers.' 'Ooohhh' is usually the response. Recently, one of my shop mates wandered over to me and admitted that he had seen my show because his wife watches it. And then he asked me what it was like kissing a guy. I told him I liked it. But I could see that I was starting to make him nervous, and then he asked me, 'So are you gay in real life?' And I said, 'Yes, I am.' And I swear to you that it was like coming out for the first time all over again.

"I wish I could say at the point, he said, 'Cool.' But insted, he became uncomfortable and he told me that I was the first gay person he had ever met. For the remainder of the class, he kept his distance, and I was obviously disappointed by the way that conversation went down.

"I would like to think that on some level, I helped move his acceptance of gay people just a tiny step forward. And that is all we can do.

Family Equality Council

Family Equality Council - December, 2010

Family Equality Council Awards Dinner
Saturday, January 29th, 2011
House of Blues
8430 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA

Can’t attend but would like to make a donation towards the event?
Click here.

Honoring

Dan Savage & Terry Miller
Founders of the It Gets Better Project

Kris Perry & Sandy Stier and Paul Katami & Jeff Zarrillo

The Plaintiffs from the Perry v. Schwarzenegger Trial

Luke Macfarlane

"Scotty" from Brothers & Sisters

The Family Equality Council Awards Dinner brings together LGBT parents, friends and allies to celebrate the progress we have made as a community of loving families towards full equality. In 2011, the Awards Dinner will feature a cocktail reception, a full-course seated dinner, live entertainment and the opportunity to mingle with old friends and meet new ones.

Use the buttons above to purchase tickets or tables, donate to the auction, learn about sponsorship opportunities and purchase advertising space in the program book. Please feel free to contact Major Gifts & Events Manager Daniel Robinson at daniel.robinson@familyequality.org or 617.502.8700 x 224 with any questions.

This event is generously sponsored by:

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

It gets better - a message for gay youth (B&S cast & crew)

A few quotes from Luke's speech at HRC

Thanks to the magnisifant Luke's website, Luke Macfarlan Online, we have some quotes of Luke's speech from HRC.

Social Lite (blog by Paul Blackburn): HRC Gala!!!
Luke Macfarlane was the guest speaker for the evening and I must say he did a terrific job. He spoke of his coming out story not only to his family, but also to himself and to his life in general. He went on to say how important it is that we do not hide who we are. He was not saying that we should dress in all pink and shout "hey girlfriend!" but he said that we should be proud of who we are and not hide it. If someone asks us if we are gay, we should be honest.

One comment Luke said made me smirk. He said "this is as simple as requesting ONE bed at a hotel instead of two when you are checking in with your partner." I mention this because this past Friday I attended a wedding with Edward. As we were checking in the woman helping me asked "Mr. Blackburn, I see you only reserved ONE bed, did you want two?" I simply smiled and said "No, one will be just fine."

Heart Mind Strength: First United Church of Oak Park (blog by Julie R. Harley): Coming Out About Our Faith
Another award for visibility went to Luke Macfarlane, an openly gay actor who stars in a TV series called "Brothers and Sisters." Luke told a story that I found to be very moving.

Luke has known he was gay since his early teens. He grew up in Canada (worshiping in the United Church of Canada), then moved to NYC for his acting career. In his mid-20s, Luke moved to LA. At a cocktail party, a casting agent greeted him and welcomed him to Hollywood, then said, "Luke, I heard a rumor that you're gay." In that moment, as a newcomer in an unfamiliar place, Luke suddenly lost his nerve. Not sure how he would be received by a potential employer, he denied his true self. "No, I'm not gay," he told the agent. And she promptly asked him out on a date.

Luke confessed to all 650 of us at the banquet that he was ashamed by his failure of nerve. Though he had come out of the closet years before, here he was, going right back into hiding. He said, "Being out is a decision we have to make again and again, every day."

Human Rights Campaign

[source - deleted]

Human Rights Campaign
2010 Chicago Gala

NO EXCUSES - November 6, 2010

Important: Please note change of venue to the Fairmont Chicago

JUST ANNOUNCED!

Guest Speaker
Luke Macfarlane
Luke made his feature film début in Bill Condon’s KINSEY, opposite Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. He also starred in Robert Altman’s TANNER ON TANNER, a limited series for the Sundance Channel, opposite Cynthia Nixon. On the stage, Luke starred in the WHERE DO WE LIVE, written and directed by Chris Shinn at the Vineyard Theater, as well as the play JUVENILIA. Most recently, Luke has starred in the Playwright’s Horizons production of THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED opposite Jill Clayburgh.

Luke is a graduate of The Juilliard Drama Division, where he starred in the productions of ‘The School of Night,’ ‘Blue Window,’ 'The Grapes of Wrath,' and 'As You Like It.’

Luke is best known for his role on ABC’s hit television series BROTHERS AND SISTERS. He is also known for his work on the critically acclaimed Steven Bochco FX series, OVER THERE and Luke most recently starred in the CBC mini-series IRON ROAD leading an all-star cast including Peter O’Toole and Sam Neill.

Luke hails from London, Ontario and resides in Los Angeles.