Out in Hollywood - 29/Apr/2008

[Source] 

Exclusive: Matthew Rhys and Luke MacFarlane on their TV nuptuals...

Don't you just love all the drama of that "exclusive" headline? Well, I guess I'm feeling a little over-the-top after chatting-up both Kevin AND Scotty within moments of each other at a Television Academy event in North Hollywood last night. Oh wait! Kevin and Scotty are just TV characters - gay TV characters - played by actors Matthew Rhys and Luke MacFarlane.

I wanted to get their thoughts on this wonderful plot development that has Scotty and Kevin - an on-and-off-again couple since the beginning of the show - tying the knot in a commitment ceremony in the second season finale in a few weeks.

On the commitment ceremony:
Matthew: "It was great, perfectly put together. We didn't get there easily, there's no wasn't an easy road there up to the last few second, just like the turbulent path that we've had. There's a lot of drama before getting there but then you know, it's all resolved. And about time I think."
Luke: "It means that the audience is ready because, you know, in television we make sure people are ready before we foist anything upon them by sort of testing it and stuff. It means that the world is ready and it also means that the characters in their lives are ready too. It's a beautiful thing that's happening but also a very appropriate thing."

On working together:
Luke: Matthew's a wonderful actor, he just oozes charm. From day one it's always been super simple with him.

Matthew: "We do have (chemistry). It's a real joy to work with him, a pleasure. As much as (Kevin and Scotty's) drama came from their turbulence and the conflict in their relationship, being now in this (committed) relationship opens up a world of drama for them to play out. So, it's all exciting times.
"What's great is they really have picked two very diverse characters, the two of us compliment us very well as characters. Kevin can be a little bit uptight at times whereas Scotty, is a little bit too much of a free-spirit. So when the two meet, it makes for humorous times.

On Kevin's growth as a character:
Matthew: "It's been great to over two seasons have this arc, this sort of turbulent arc, and somewhere that he's reached which is what you want. You don't want to be ping-ponging back between old stories. So I'm glad the character's evolving."

On a lighter note, one of the pre-strike episodes had Kevin and Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) joining Scotty and his friends at a karaoke bar. Kevin, tired of being known as uptight, gets real drunk and begins singing to Scotty from the stage. Did Matthew have fun filming such a silly scene?

"It was fun. For me, as a Welshman, to desecrate a Tom Jones song like that, it was I found painful. And then to do the same to a Willie Nelson song, it was painful to be that bad! It came very naturally, of course. What I did was pretty unforgiveable."

Out in Hollywood - 29/Apr/2008

[Source]

A chat w/Luke MacFarlane...

He had them at mango salsa.

When Luke MacFarlane's endearing character of Scotty sat down to dinner for the first time with the Walker clan on "Brothers & Sisters," it was a big outdoor party scene where Sally Field's Nora had just humiliated her late husband's mistress Holly (Patricia Wettig). The tension was incredibly high until Scotty piped up and asked, "Is this salsa mango?"

Scotty Wandell and Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) had instant chemistry from the minute the financially struggling waiter-turned-chef walked into his law office on a legal matter. He cut through Kevin's veneer with quirky humor and charm and you knew he had Kevin's heart when he bit into a red velvet cupcake and smiled at the end of one of their early episodes..

"My whole experience on the show started off as just a few episodes and it's just become more and more and more and I'm so grateful for that," Luke told me Monday night when we chatted before the start of the "A
Conversation With Brothers & Sisters" event at the Television Academy in North Hollywood.

Luke, 28, was among the 12 cast members who participated as he was recently promoted from recurring character to full-fledged series regular: "They are making a regular for season three. It's very, very nice. We all know in television it's hard to get a gig that lasts for a long time so when the agent calls up and says, 'You're guaranteed these number of episodes you feel very, very lucky."

Luke, who studied drama at Julliard, was previously best-known for his role as Pvt. Frank "Dim" Dumphy in the series "Over There." The Canadian actor had never given any interviews about his personal life until discussing his sexuality for the first time in an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail a few weeks ago 2008. He decided to share that not only is he playing a gay man on TV, but he is a gay man in life.

""It's been relatively simple for me," he said of the increased spotlight. "I'll say that I decided to do that interview, I decided to answer those questions in an effort to make my life simpler and that's going to contunue to be my motto. So, I'll have to say, it hasn't been that hot a light on me at all."

Even though through much of show's first season the writers had Kevin struggling with commitment issues and go on to have relationships with a closeted soap actor (Jason Lewis) and a minister (Eric Winter), Scotty had been a fan favorite from his first scene and audiences wanted to see he and Kevin together.

Said Luke: "Well, I do know that the fans had a lot to do with Scotty staying around as long as he has so I'm grateful for them."

I mention to him that now that Scotty is getting more airtime, the fans now want to get to know Luke himself a little better. He laughed a bit nervously and said, "In time."

We look forward to it.

AfterElton - 25/Apr/2008

[Source]

A few more Kevin and Scotty pics from the "Brothers & Sisters" gay wedding finale
Posted by Brian Juergens, Contributor on April 25, 2008

 Yesterday we shared a handful of pics from the upcoming gay wedding finale of Brothers & Sisters, and last night ABC released a few more of the grooms-to-be preparing (big thanks to Lee for the tip!)

Wait, isn't it bad luck for the intendeds to see one another before the ceremony? Shouldn't the maid of honor be helping with that? Or at least ... Patrick Dempsey?

 (All photos Copyright © 2008 ABC Television Studio/Michael Desmond)

AfterElton - 24/Apr/2008

[Source]

"Brothers & Sisters": New Kevin & Scotty commitment ceremony pics!
Posted by Brian Juergens, Contributor on April 24, 2008

ABC just released pics of Kevin and Scotty's wedding on the upcoming Very Special Episode of Brothers & Sisters, and we've got 'em for ya. Last time we reported on the upcoming gay wedding finale, Luke MacFarlane hadn't come forward yet to publicly announce that he is a gay-type person. Now it's all the more wonderful to see these pics ... oh damn, we always cry at weddings! Where's the open bar...

Here's ABC's description of the episode:

"Prior Commitments" - Kevin and Scotty make a commitment to be life partners, Saul finally deals with his identity in a public way, and the family discovers that William (guest starring Tom Skerritt) kept yet another painful secret from his family, on the season finale of "Brothers & Sisters,"

Tons more pics after the jump!

(All photos Copyright © 2008 ABC Television Studio/Michael Desmond)

The drama continues on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters'

[Source]

The drama continues on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters'

By William Keck, USA TODAY
April 19, 2008

Nearly the entire "Brothers & Sisters" cast has gathered on a sound stage at Disney Studios to shoot the May 11 season-ending finale. As usual, someone in the Walker clan is experiencing a momentous occasion.

But that's four fresh episodes away; the show finally returns Sunday (ABC, 10 p.m. ET/PT), and there's plenty of drama in between.

Romance will be in the air for many, including Walker son Kevin (Matthew Rhys) and his on-again, off-again boyfriend Scotty Wandell (Luke MacFarlane). Kevin appears to be ready to settle down for good, and "there are sort of a series of proposals that are done sort of badly by Kevin," teases Rhys. Boding well for the union's success: MacFarlane has been added to the cast as a full series regular for next season and is expected to assume a permanent position in the annual Walker family photo. Among other developments:

The paternity question

A lingering mystery in the series has been who fathered the daughter of the late Walker patriarch's mistress, Holly. Before the writers' strike, thirtysomething alum Ken Olin returned to his acting roots to play a man who might be the biological father of Holly's daughter, Rebecca (Emily VanCamp). In one of the new episodes, viewers will learn if Olin's David or the late William Walker is the true daddy. "It's a potentially devastating experience to be going through," says VanCamp. "She's fallen in love with this family."

Romantic entanglements

Complicating the paternity situation is a possible attraction between Rebecca and the young man she believes to be her brother Justin (Dave Annable). For months, VanCamp and Annable have been instructed to play a repressed attraction between their supposed siblings. Rebecca's true paternity, Annable says, will leave both "confused and unsure in which direction the relationship should head. There are a lot of feelings they have to deal with."

Business moves

Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) returns her focus to the family company, and mom Nora (Sally Field) will begin a new career that uses her homemaking skills. But Sarah might be looking for a new job before too long. "Saul (Ron Rikfin) and Sarah put the company on the edge," Griffiths says, "and by the end of the season we're at risk of losing the whole Walker family wealth."

A ticking biological clock

Calista Flockhart's Kitty has been struggling to have a baby with new husband Robert (Rob Lowe). Flockhart savors the story line. "A lot of women are choosing to have careers and waiting to have children until their late 30s and early 40s and coming up against the fact that they can't," Flockhart says. "It speaks to a lot of women who are in Kitty's situation." By season's end, the couple will decide how they intend to become parents, supervising producer Monica Breen says.

Political maneuverings

Robert lost his bid for the White House, but Lowe says he will be asked to accept the vice presidential nomination. The big question: Will he accept? Flockhart, for one, hopes he does not. "We can't possibly compete with Hillary and Obama and John," she says of the current real-life front-runners. But Breen hasn't totally abandoned her Camelot dreams. While Breen acknowledges that moving Kitty to D.C. "would fissure the family togetherness, I would love to end the series with the Walkers being the first family of America."

ZAP2It - 16/Apr/2008

[Source]

'Brothers & Sisters' Star Comes Out
Zap2It.com | April 16, 2008

Luke Macfarlane hopes real life will imitate art

Luke Macfarlane, 'Brothers & Sisters

Luke Macfarlane, who plays a gay man on"Brothers & Sisters," has confirmed that he's actually gay in real life.

The Canadian actor officially went public with his sexual orientation in an interview in Canada's Globe and Mail on Tuesday (April 15).

Coming out in Hollywood was not an easy decision, considering that it may affect his career.

"I don't know what will happen professionally ... that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth," says Macfarlane, 28. "There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself -- so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."

Despite going public, Macfarlane refuses to discuss his personal life, but admits he'd like to be married someday. He'll get a chance to feel what it's like on the "Brothers & Sisters" season finale when his character Scotty Wandell weds his partner Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys).

"How exciting that we're saying, 'This can be part of the cultural fabric, now,' because it is two series regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you see every week," he says. "It's telling of the beginning of more waves and I'm very proud of that.

"Most importantly, in portraying gay people, the more we realize it's just like portraying anybody else<" he adds. "Gay marriage, it's not about two people being gay, it's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married."

The episode will air on ABC on May 11.

TVCRUNCH - 16/Apr/2008

Brothers & Sisters Luke MacFarlane Admits He’s Gay
April 16th, 2008 by Wendy


Well, not sure how newsworthy sexual orientation is these days, but Luke MacFarlane of “Brothers and Sisters” recently did an interview with Toronto’s Globe and Mail and said he’s gay.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise ? maybe because he plays a gay character on “Brothers or Sisters” or maybe there’s no longer a shock factor with celebrities coming out?

The more interesting news here is that he discusses his sexual orientation as it relates to “Brothers and Sisters” and the upcoming marriage of his gay character Scotty, who I absolutely love, with Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys).

Luke MacFarlane said in the interview, “There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what’s been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself ? so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way.”


Of the onscreen nuptials, Luke MacFarlane says, “It’s about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. Hopefully, the more that becomes part of the cultural awareness it won’t be, a spectacular Sunday episode.”

TV Guide - 16/Apr/2008

[Source]
Brothers & Sisters Star Comes Out: "It's My Truth"

Apr 16, 2008 04:13 PM ET
by TV Guide News


Luke MacFarlane by Craig Sjodin/ABC
Brothers & Sisters' Luke MacFarlane has chosen now, the occasion of a significant step forward for Scotty and Kevin, to disclose his own sexuality. "I don't know what will happen professionally - that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth," the actor tells Canada's Globe and Mail. "There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are, and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself. So this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."
MacFarlane's coming out comes just as Scotty and Kevin are (Spoiler alert) on their way to a May-sweeps marriage. "From a standing-outside perspective, and also as someone who is gay, I think that it's a very exciting time," he observes. "How exciting that we're saying, 'This can be part of the cultural fabric, now,' because it is two series regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you see every week. It's telling of the beginning of more waves, and I'm very proud of that." -MWM

FaFaRAZZI - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]

Luke MacFarlane Comes Ou....Who?
Posted Apr 15 via A Socialites Life

Is this a big deal? I'm still waiting on Anderson Cooper, Tom Cruise, Wentworth Miller, Johnny Trav, Jeremy Piven, Jodie Foster, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliot, and Ellen Page to 'fess up. Who's this bitch? I kid, I kid. it's wonderful. Luke MacFarlane of ABC's Brothers & Sisters has come out.

Luke plays the character of "Scotty" on the drama. Scotty is the boyfriend of Matthew Rhys' gay character "Kevin Walker." The show plans to have them commit to each other in a civil union in an upcoming episode. MacFarlane felt that this was a good time to bust out.

"I don't know what will happen professionally," MacFarlane said. "That is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth. ... There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."

Dude, it's 2008. If the planet doesn't realize that 3/4 of the working actors in Hollywood are as gay as West Side Story, then there's a problem.

Apparently he's banging T.R. Knight. T.R. gets props for that awesome t-shirt. If you need a tour, T, you look me up. I know several public restrooms and various gay-oriented dive bars.

Photos: BauerGriffinOnline.com

EXPOSAY - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]

Actor Luke MacFarlane Reveals His Sexual Preference
April 15, 2008

Matthew Rhys

"Brothers & Sisters" star Luke MacFarlane is a homosexual, he confirms in an interview.

The actor says that his sexuality is no secret to his family and friends but this is still the first time he comes out publicly.

Farlane, 28, tells The Globe and Mail, "There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."

The interview coincides with the ABC drama's episode that focuses on Farlane's character Scotty Wandell and his marriage to one of the "brothers" Kevin Walker, played by Matthew Rhys. However, although his revelation may seem just like a rating stunt for the series, the actor hopes that the focus will be on his on-screen relationship.

He continues, "It's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. Hopefully, the more that becomes part of the cultural awareness it won't be, a spectacular Sunday episode."

Chicago Pride Com - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]
"Brothers & Sisters"' Luke MacFarlane Comes Out
by Kevin Wayne
Tue. April 15, 2008  12:00:00 AM 
Canadian actor Luke MacFarlane, who plays the character of Scotty Wandell on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters', came out in an interview with the Toronto Globe & Mail today.

The 28 year-old actor says that his sexuality is no secret to his family and friends but this is still the first time he comes out publicly. "There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way," MacFarlane told the Canadian paper.

The interview coincides with the 'Brothers & Sisters' episode that focuses on MacFarlane's character Scotty and his marriage to Kevin Walker, played by Matthew Rhys. "I don't know what will happen professionally ... that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth," said MacFarlane. Macfarlane, who has been connected in a number of Webblogs to several well-known actors, was asked by The Globe and Mail if he currently has a boyfriend but declined to answer.

Celebuzz - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]
2:11 pm - 04/15/2008
Brothers & Sisters' Luke MacFarlane Comes Out

To the list of recently out actors and singers including Neil Patrick Harris, T.R. Knight and Lance Bass, add the name of Canadian actor Luke MacFarlane, better known to gay fans as the man who plays Scotty Wandell on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters. After several years of speculation about MacFarlane’s sexuality, the actor confirmed he is in fact gay in an interview with the Canadian paper Globe and Mail.
"I don't know what will happen professionally," MacFarlane said. "That is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth. ... There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."

The 28-year-old native of London, Ontario, appears to have decided to make the announcement he is in gay in part due to an upcoming storyline on Brothers & Sisters that involves his character being “married” to Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys), his boyfriend on the show.
"From a standing outside perspective, and also as someone who is gay, I think that it's a very exciting time," MacFarlane said. "How exciting that we're saying, 'This can be part of the cultural fabric, now,' because it is two series regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you see every week. It's telling of the beginning of more waves and I'm very proud of that."
Fans of the show will also be excited to note that MacFarlane has been made a series regular on the ABC drama, meaning the character will be staying on the show for quite some time and should be getting more screen time. Scotty’s relationship with Kevin has already generated enormous fan interest and broken new ground due to the show’s frank (for U.S. network television) handling of Kevin and Scotty’s love-life, including numerous kisses, something still of a rarity for American audiences.
Kevin and Scotty won’t legally be married as California, where the show is set, doesn’t currently allow same-sex marriage; rather they'll have a civil union. Still, MacFarlane's coming out may heighten interest in what was already something of a history-making moment of television: two gay series regulars getting married on network TV drama.
"Most importantly, in portraying gay people, the more we realize it's just like portraying anybody else and, gay marriage, it's not about two people being gay, it's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married," MacFarlane said to the Mail and Globe.

MacFarlane’s coming out marks the first time an out actor on network television has played such a prominent gay role. Neil Patrick Harris and T. R. Knight, two of television's other out gay actors, both play heterosexuals. Bryan Batt's gay character on Mad Men and Mario Cantone's on Men in Trees are very small parts.
When asked by the Globe and Mail about whether or not he was currently dating anyone, MacFarlane declined to answer. However, he did add that like his character Scotty, MacFarlane would like to get married one day.
After high school, MacFarlane attended Juilliard, then went on to roles in the miniseries Tanner on Tanner and then the film Kinsey. Before landing the part of Scotty on Brothers & Sisters, MacFarlane played Pvt. Frank 'Dim' Dumphy, on FX’s short-lived war drama Over There. He also had a part in the Fox failed pilot Supreme Courtships as Allen, one of six Supreme Court clerks.
MacFarlane recently filmed a television movie for the Canadian Broadcast Company called Iron Road. In the historical drama, MacFarlane plays James Nichol’s, the son of a wealthy railroad tycoon. The actor's character meets and falls in love with a young Chinese woman thereby making him the movie’s romantic lead.
In short, the ranks of out actors in the prime of their careers has added another new and noteworthy name.

Queerty - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]
Luke MacFarlane's Gay


Our minds are totally blown. Actor Luke MacFarlane, who plays gay on Brothers and Sisters, came out as a living, breathing homosexual!
While people have been gossiping about his bedroom antics for years, MacFarlane didn't feel ready until now – when he's a regular on a hit television drama.

I don't know what will happen professionally … that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth. … There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself – so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way.

MacFarlane's revelation should come as no surprise. He's previously been seen trotting about with fellow ABC actor, TR Knight. Not to mention his drive-by with Wentworth Miller…

During the course of his interview, MacFarlane also discusses his television character's forthcoming gay marriage – and it's cultural importance:

Most importantly, in portraying gay people, the more we realize it's just like portraying anybody else and, gay marriage, it's not about two people being gay, it's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. Hopefully, the more that becomes part of the cultural awareness it won't be…

And it makes for great ratings!

Apr 15, 2008

iCelebZ.com - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]
Actor Luke MacFarlane Reveals His Sexual Preference
April 15, 2008
"Brothers & Sisters" star Luke MacFarlane is a homosexual, he confirms in an interview.

The actor says that his sexuality is no secret to his family and friends but this is still the first time he comes out publicly.
Farlane, 28, tells The Globe and Mail, "There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."
The interview coincides with the ABC drama's episode that focuses on Farlane's character Scotty Wandell and his marriage to one of the "brothers" Kevin Walker, played by Matthew Rhys. However, although his revelation may seem just like a rating stunt for the series, the actor hopes that the focus will be on his on-screen relationship.
He continues, "It's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. Hopefully, the more that becomes part of the cultural awareness it won't be, a spectacular Sunday episode."

Just Jared - 15/Apr/2008

[Source]

Tue, 15 April 2008 at 4:57 pm
Luke MacFarlane: I'm Gay

Canadian actor Luke MacFarlane reveals that he is gay in an exclusive interview with Canadian paper Globe and Mail.

“I don’t know what will happen professionally,”
MacFarlane said. “That is the fear, but I guess I can’t really be concerned about what will happen, because it’s my truth. … There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what’s been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way.”

In next month’s season finale of Brothers & Sisters, Luke, 28, will suit up and say his vows as his character, Scotty Wandell, marries his partner, Kevin Walker.

“From a standing outside perspective, and also as someone who is gay, I think that it’s a very exciting time,” MacFarlane said. “How exciting that we’re saying, ‘This can be part of the cultural fabric, now,’ because it is two series regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you see every week. It’s telling of the beginning of more waves and I’m very proud of that.”

When asked whether or not he was currently dating anyone, Luke declined to comment. And although Luke is not a paparazzi favorite, photogs did catch him hanging out with Prison Break hottie Wentworth Miller last summer.