I got 'Will & Grace,' and I thought, 'Oh, this is different. I don't know how to handle this. I'm not bright enough; I'm not quick enough, I don't have the DNA to be a spokesperson for any kind of group of people.'
You build a fan base over time, and they will accept you as long as it's good. Nothing matters as long as something's good. If it's bad, nobody will see it.
When I play a gay character, I want to be as believable as possible. And when I'm playing a straight character, I also want to be as believable as possible. So the less that people know about my personal life, the more believable I can be as a character.
Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be, and if you don't know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?
I feel like I've contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it. You're welcome, 'Advocate.'
I have talent crushes on Fred Armisen and Kyle Mooney.
The only thing that's required of an actor for an audition is to memorize your sides with confident choices, and then the rest is not up to you. You're either right for a part or you're not.
I was the music director at a dinner theater called the 'Pheasant Run Theater' in the suburbs of Chicago, and that was my side gig while I acted.
Everybody kind of looks to comedians and comedy for relief and a fresh breath about what is going on in the world.
I come from a completely dysfunctional alcoholic family, so we kind of parented ourselves a little bit.
Knowing you're gay, as a kid in the '80s, is a very scary thing.
I felt like I couldn't fully be myself and accepted in my family, so I would lock myself in my room on a Saturday night and watch 'Saturday Night Live,' and that was, like, the best thing that ever happened to me.
I felt so much pressure to come out on other people's terms, you know? I should have come out.
I didn't want the responsibility, I didn't know how to handle the responsibility of speaking for the gay community. I always felt like I owed them a huge apology for coming out too late.
I am who I am. I was never 'in,' as they say. Never.
I want to make people laugh first, and that's it.
My job was to play my character in the best way that I could, and hopefully people will enjoy that.
You power through it word by word, line by line.
When you don't have an interruption, there's a flow, so it's easier to memorize. Monologues are easier to memorize than dialogue.
I was buttoned up as a kid. I did what I was told and never broke the rules.
