Throughout the years. Syfy has always had a great track record of science fiction original programming from the wackiness of Eureka to the edgy reboot of Battlestar: Galactica. Even their seriously bad Saturday night monster movies are worth a look (along with a couple of blunts and a couple of shots of Vodka).i also think with Torchwood coming back (on STARZ in July), this is the perfect time for more gays or sexually fluid characters exploring the world of sci-fi. One of my favorite shows Warehouse 13 is about to go gay. Out Magazine recently sat down with actor Aaron Ashmore (his twin brother Shawn played Iceman in the X Men movies), best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen on Smallville and for his role in the film Prom Queen (where he polayed a gay high school student) to talk about the show's decision to make his character gay.
Aaron, can you tell us a little bit about your character Steve, who joins the show this season?
Aaron: Steve Jinks is a young ATF agent who has the ability to tell when someone is lying. He can look you in the eye and just know automatically. So he’s recruited into the Warehouse because of this talent.
And the reason we’re talking about him is because… Steve is also gay. Why is the show going gay now?
Jack: Actually, Syfy suggested it. We were pitching this character and a couple of the execs are gay and said, “What if Steve was gay?” We immediately jumped on the idea -- but it’s just a part of who he is, it doesn’t define the character.
Aaron, how does that affect how you think about your character and how you play him?
Aaron: It’s in the back of my mind, but the show’s not really about romantic relationships. These people’s lives are crazy trying to save the world, so there’s not a lot of time for love. I think when he interacts with some people, in the back of my mind as an actor, I’ll decide that he thinks a guy is cute. But it doesn’t play into how he does his job.
Well, since you brought it up, what do you think his type is?
Aaron: I don’t think Steve’s into muscles. He’s more laid-back. I picture him with someone similar to himself.
I think there’s an important distinction, though, between characters on television that we see in gay relationships and friendships, and those that we don’t.
Jack: It’s the same thing with the straight characters. There’s really no time for that. Last season, we tried to get into relationship stuff and what we found that we really don’t have the space. They’re always out in the field!
In the past few seasons, television has seen a flood of new gay characters. Why do you think the word came down from Syfy that now was the time to get on board with that movement?
Jack: We’re always looking to bring diverse characters into our show, so it was just a question of who else do we want to include? In the first incarnation of Steve, we were looking for an Asian actor for the part, but didn’t find anyone that had the right chemistry with our cast. And even when Steve was going to be Asian, he was going to be gay. We wanted that dynamic.
What’s Steve’s back story as a gay man? Is he out? Do his parents know?
Jack: We haven’t explored a lot of Steve’s history, other than we know he has a sister. In the back of my head, it was a difficult coming out. I don’t think his parents were accepting right away. Steve’s an emotionally conservative guy and I think that came from the way his parents reacted. I think he’s been in a couple of relationships and he’s hurt. He’s hesitant about opening himself up to somebody. These are things we’ll explore as we get to know the character more, but I base a lot of that on how Aaron has played the character. It’s fun to watch him fill out Steve.
I’ll admit, sci-fi isn’t really a genre I immediately think of as being gay.
Jack: There’s a surprising number of gay characters in sci-fi –- in Caprica, in Torchwood. I always wondered why there weren’t more gay characters in Star Trek if it was so far into the future. It’s interesting how futuristic shows still adhere to current mores. I think our fans love the show -– the tone, the way we approach story telling, the family aspect -– so the important thing Steve brings to the show is another Warehouse brother. And that’s what’s so great about him being gay: it doesn’t matter.
Will there be ripple effects now that there’s a gay character on Syfy’s most-watched show?
Jack: No, I don’t think there will be, thankfully. We as a minority group have achieved a lot of what we’ve hoped to in the entertainment industry in that a gay character just happens to be gay. I think people will respond a lot more to what Aaron brings to the screen rather than what Steve being gay brings. It’s more about the individual, and Steve’s an exceptionally good guy. That’s a wonderfully quality for a gay character to have, because he’s someone you want to get to know. Any minority group is scary until you put a face on it.
Lastly, because we’re talking about gay sci-fi characters, I think it’s only natural that we discuss which of the Star Wars characters was most likely gay. Thoughts?
Aaron: I think it would be Luke. Definitely not Han.
Jack: We all want Han. He’s my dream.
The only woman we saw Luke kiss was his sister, so maybe that’s telling.
Jack: You’d have to be gay to do that, right? But, you know, Chewy would be in the bear community. And Obi-Wan certainly could be an old queen at times. C-3PO was the obvious gay. Actually, maybe they’re all gay.
Aaron: So that’s what a Jedi is.
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