Metro Weekly Magazine: 2020, October 22 — The Equilibrium of Cheyenne Jackson
We celebrate the career of Cheyenne Jackson, whip up a Bloody Velvet Cake, and let the D.C. Ward 2 candidates have their say.
This week, we welcome the magnificent, multi-talented Cheyenne Jackson back to the cover of the magazine. Jackson last appeared on our cover in 2009, just as his career was starting to truly skyrocket. What a blast it’s been for Jackson in the ensuing years, who, among other things, got to play Lady Gaga’s husband on American Horror Story.
Cheyenne currently has two projects in full view — Netflix’s delightful Julie and the Phantoms, in which he plays a sinister spirit (and has an incredible, show-stopping song and dance number), and HBO Max’s powerful celebration of LGBTQ history, Equal, in which he portrays Dale Jennings, one of the founders of the Mattachine Society.
In a candid, engaging interview with André Hereford, Jackson, who was photographed by Vince Truspin, talks about his latest work, how he reconciles his upbringing with being openly gay, having been raised in the midwest in an ultra-conservative family, and the vital importance of voting in the upcoming election. He speaks eloquently — and with a dash of humor — about the vital importance of finding one’s tribe, an essential theme built into the series Equal.
“When I graduated high school, I heard of…the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater,” he says. “It was a professional summer stock theater that everybody went to…and I got in. I had never met gay people. I had never met people of color. My mind was so blown. It was like when Dorothy opens the door to Oz and everything is in Technicolor. I truly felt like, ‘Oh my god, these are my people. This is my tribe. This is what I’ve been looking for.'” He adds with a laugh, “It was a great summer. We did Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and I think I slept with five of the seven brothers. Because I had to make sure.”
Also in this week’s issue, we give our entire Feed news section over to the critical Ward 2 race in Washington, D.C. We posed the same questions to all four candidates and we think you’ll find their responses honest, often compelling, and eye-opening.
We shine a Spotlight on Ryan Spahn‘s terrific new film Nora Highland, created during quarantine and having its World Streaming Premiere at New York’s NewFest LGBTQ Film Festival on Monday, Oct. 26.
Meanwhile, over in Savor, Craig Bowman whips up a Bloody Velvet Cake just in time for Halloween. Our critics have a look at The Witches, Friendsgiving, and the remarkable new album from Waylon Payne, a queer country artist you need to start listening to immediately.
Finally, RetroScene takes a deep dive into Whitman-Walker’s AIDSWalk/Walk & 5k to End HIV, which is happening this Saturday, and the 17th Street High Heel Race. While you’re in the issue, be sure to check out our Video Gallery (you’ll find the button for it in the toolbar) for a memorable trip through our High Heel Race videos from 2008 to 2013.
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