Cheyenne Jackson MAD MAN NO MORE by joel martens
“SMITTEN” IS THE WORD THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN I THINK OF CHEYENNE JACKSON. With his striking baby-blues, handsome face and smoldering good looks, I mean really, who wouldn’t be? Top that off with a kind heart and genuine sense of humanity and you have a complete package—Santa, I want one.
He has had his share of ups and downs over the last few years, a painful divorce and some demons that he has had to wrestle with and hits to his good-boy image. But like he said, “Who is perfect really?” The point in life is not that you fall down; it is whether or not you get back up. Jackson shared openly and honestly about his ride; challenging the assumptions many have held and laughing about its absurdities.
It’s always a good idea to start with the beginning; you grew up in Washingtin State correct? I did; well actually it’s a little tricky. I was born in Spokane, but I lived in a little
town called Newport in Washington, just an hour away. The Pend Oreille River separates the states, so I went to school in Idaho and was raised in Washington. It was a beautiful little town of 1,200 people, very rural; it looks pretty much the same now as it did then. Man, I can relate; my hometown was even smaller. So when did you leave the area? I left as soon as I could. (Laughs) Growing up rural is fantastic because you can
pretty much roam free. But at the same time growing up a gay kid in a small town like that can be challenging. Fortunately I did play sports, so I did somewhat fit in. But you just know that you are fundamentally different on some level. I knew when I graduated in ’93 at seventeen that I needed to get the f**k out. (Laughs) So I moved to Spokane, which was the biggest town around and I lived there for
four or five years. Then I met a boy, followed him to Seattle and we were together there for a few years. It’s there that I later met my ex-husband, man—that is still so weird to say… We stayed there for a couple years, then in 2002 we moved to New York and lived there until our divorce. One chapter closes... Another one opens, right? Absolutely. I’ve been in L.A. for nine months now and man I so love it! I’d come
out here for Glee guest spots, things like that and loved the weather, but it wasn’t until I actually planted roots that I understood what living here was like. I have always been an apartment dweller, now I wake up to the sun and my beautiful back yard, in my first home in 15 years. And for the first time my sister, my brother, mom and dad all live in California too, I am so diggin’ it! So tell me a bit more about your experiences in New York, what was your first big role on Broadway? I was actually in sales until I was about 27 or thereabouts, so I started kind of
late. I was working at For Rent Magazine, one of those free periodicals you find in grocery stores and the like. I was really good at it and loved it. In many ways it was good training ground as an actor, you learn to “sell it” and at this point, I could
24 RAGE monthly | APRIL 2014
probably sell ice to an Eskimo (laughs). During that time, two unrelated things occurred that totally rocked my world.
My brother’s little girl passed away at 3-years-old and then 9/11 happened. It changed everything for me. It really changed the face of the United States. Perfectly said. So many people migrated away from New York and I remember
realizing that I didn’t want to be an old man thinking, “why the hell didn’t I move to New York to pursue my dreams?” I didn’t know anybody there and hadn’t gone to college, but I had to go. I knew I had talent and something to offer, so I moved. I managed to get an agent right away and my first audition was for Thoroughly Modern Millie, which I was lucky enough to book! Talk about being meant to be. I used to have some shame around it because I “didn’t pay my dues,” things like
that. But I’m just living like everybody else and the fact of the matter is that it just happened. I managed to get in right away. So I did Thoroughly Modern Millie for about a year and learned the ropes so to
speak and then I decided to leave the show while it was still open. People said I was nuts, “you never leave a Broadway show before it closes.” But I was bored. I don’t seem to be able to do the same thing for more than a year—actually it seems to be down to around six months now (laughs). Then I got All Shook Up, which really changed the course for me.
I had a few things in between and after that did Damn Yankees with Jane Krakowski and Sean Hayes. Tina Fay saw me in it and said after, “I have a part that I’m writing for30 Rock and I like your big Midwestern face (laughs) and your timing. I just want to gauge your interest.” Seriously, what do you say when Tina Fay asks you some- thing like that? I think my exact words were, “well my inter- est is kinda high!” (Laughs) It was really the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64