I always thought I'd be good at musicals, and it turns out I make up for my lack of skill with enthusiasm.
My theater professor once said to me 'Leslie, you are capable of genuine artistry but you're the laziest actor I know. And yes, you can make people laugh, but you're going to become a parody of yourself and end up in Hollywood if you're not careful.' And he's right, I did all of that.
I've never been known for being a team player, but I've adjusted to being part of a big cast and it has worked out beautifully.
Beverley Leslie was closeted. I'm not closeted. He was a little homophobic. He's a social climber. I'm nothing like that. He had a mean streak. I don't think I'm mean at all.
I have a standup I do in gay bars, and it's filthy. I have to assess the crowd. If it's an all-gay crowd, I'll dip into the stories of my sordid past.
I do so many cruises out of Miami, all the RSVP ones. And I'm on the cruises out of Fort Lauderdale all the time. I'm always doing cruise after cruise out of there.
I've always sang a little like a 16-year-old girl, but even Ann-Margret stopped after a while and brought it down a bit.
I'm one of the most popular cabaret performers, and I don't sing a note. And nobody expects me to sing.
My success on the road is predicated on my success in Hollywood.
I wasn't what you would envision for the son of an Army man. I liked doll baby clothes and twirled a baton. But my aunts and uncles tell me how much he loved me.
One of the main reasons I started writing these one-man shows was that this really evil casting director once said to me, 'you're peripheral and you'll always be peripheral. You'll come in with the zingers and have very little to do, so just accept that and take the money.'
What's been interesting is that the more famous the person is, the less they seem to care if I talk about them.
I love, love, love South Florida.
I feel as if I've been to Miami a million times because I do so many cruises out of Miami.
I had an awful experience where I went to the U.K. and did reality. I can't even get into it - it was called 'Celebrity Big Brother U.K.'
I really was in jail with Robert Downey Jr.
I don't sing. I don't dance.
I've done every series that had gone down the toilet.
I'm Southern, I'm gay, I'm little - I get Ma'am'd a lot on the phone.
The fact that I had a gay agent was good because he could say: 'Honey, you've got an audition today. Keep your feet on the ground, O.K.?'
