From: NewNowNext
Despite being born in Salem, Massachusetts, actor Matthew Risch didn’t miss a beat in clarifying that he is not, in fact, a witch.
He is, however, an actor. Coming of age at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts before being accepted intro the prestigious Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Risch landed on Broadway immediately following graduation, joining the cast of Chicago. He starred in the original cast of Legally Blonde: The Musical and had a starring role opposite Stockard Channing and Martha Plimpton in 2010’s Pal Joey revival at Studio 54. Upping his gay prestige: He co-starred again with Channing as well as Judith Light in Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities.
Risch is perhaps best known for his on-screen work, where he recurred on HBO’s Looking as well as ABC Family’s Switched At Birth. He currently recurs on a show you may have heard of, ABC’s Modern Family.
Below, we chat with Matthew Risch/@matthewrisch_.
To start, tell me a bit about your parents..
My mother was a flight attendant for about 20 years, and she’s still friends with them. They all lives within five miles of each other and they call themselves “The Sluts” [laughs]. They all get together and drink and laugh about the old days. She divorced my father right after I was born, so I was born into that whole structure, but I love my parents dearly and I’m very close with them both.
Who would play your mom in a movie?
Sally Field… with a cigarette in her mouth and after a couple of drinks.
At what age did you start to realize you were gay?
I kind-of always knew. I don’t know exactly know when the moment was, it just sort of just got stronger and stronger as the years progressed. But I think when I consciously was able to say out loud to myself, “I’m gay” was around 14 when I came out to my mother. I’ve always said I was the laziest comer-outer because I never really had to. My father was a bit more difficult, though, because we weren’t as close. We wouldn’t fight, but there was a wall between us. I didn’t come out to him when I was 16 or 17.
Finish this sentence: “Musical theater people are ______”.
F*cking insane. And I know because I’m one of them. To be in musical theater you have to have an energy and be focused. In school it was always, “Musical theater or die.” But then slowly you learn that there are other things happening, and what will help become a better actor is to experience those other things.
How do you feel about dating other actors?
[Laughs] I have only ever dated actors for most of my life, current or former actors. Recently I’ve been with someone for over a year who’s an industrial designer. I’m lucky because we have had similar upbringings – we’re both artists – and have an understanding that we both need to do what we need to do.
When you are someone that puts pictures up and people react, how does it affect the relationship?
I think at first it was weird, but at the end of the day he knows why I’m doing it. It’s always fun when someone is flirty with your partner, like “Yeah that’s mine. I got that.” I think he feels that way, and I feel that way with him too. I went through a huge Instagram moment when Looking came on. I read this article where a casting director remained anonymous, and said, “Honestly, sometimes we just cast someone if they have more Instagram followers. It’s not really about talent.” I got so depressed… but also just went for it. I started posting these sexy pictures of myself, and went a bit overboard. My friend Rightor, who’s also my writing partner, told me, “You went to a dark place for a little bit, but now you’re back and you have a healthy balance.” But that’s life, you have to go to these places sometimes and see what you can get and come back.
What’s your opinion on femme shaming within our community?
It really pisses me off. My boyfriend is very masculine but he can also flip the hair and go to town. I like the balance. I get so mad when there’s femme shaming. If you’re just masc-for-masc I’m not going to shame you for it necessarily, but take a look at the reasons why, try to get to the bottom of it. Why are we gay then? What makes us special? It’s misogynistic and internally homophobic. I get so angry at people who are so rigid with who they are and don’t leave room for questions or acceptance. We have a lot more visibility. Looking, for what it was, was a very good normalized look at gay people, and I loved it for that reason alone. Up until then, it was Queer As Folk, The L Word and Will & Grace, which I loved, but they were all stepping stones to get to, “Oh, now we can have a more normalized show.” But it started to bring, “Oh gay men can be masculine too. They don’t have to be the clown anymore.”
When are you at your gayest?
It was my birthday this year and I was at P-town and it happened to be the same day as the parade, which I had never done before. The theme was candy land so I dressed up as Candace Bergen. I threw on heels and a blouse with my beard and lived my life! I love being able to queen out, and it’s so funny because some people really laugh about it – I laugh about it – but it’s such a real aspect of who I am. I love my femininity.
What was it like coming into this preexisting tight-knit cast on Looking?
It’s hard. You want to so badly be apart of the family. It felt like that on Looking, because there was a lot of queer people and it was all very relaxed. Luckily, they were all very open. I felt more comfortable going there than I had with other TV shows.
Did you have any qualms about getting naked on the show?
I had never been shot in that way. Professionally it’s difficult, and it’s a question you have to wrestle with. “Do I do this now when I’m not well established?” “Am I only going to be a body?” They originally wanted me to do full-frontal, which I said no to. It’s not difficult to actually do it. But with a show like that, it’s such a good quality show and they’re such smart artists, you just have to trust.
What’s a conversation that you wish would’ve happened around the show that didn’t happen?
I think the biggest thing is take a breath, it’s not real life, try and appreciate it for what it is. I say it’s not real life because I think a lot of gay men are like, “If we’re going to have gay shows happening, I better see my life up there being told.” Just be happy it’s happening, this is the writer’s and the creator’s story. If you want your story to be told, take out your pen and paper and write your own god damned story.
Were you surprised to see the lack of support from the LGBT community?
Sadly, I wasn’t surprised. And I’ve experienced that being in theater and making the mistake of reading comments. I don’t know what that is, maybe some of it is self-loathing and rejection, but I do think there is a part of me that understands that. Like, “Why aren’t there more people of color represented?” Yes, we need that. I agree with that. But at the same time, let’s be happy that it’s happening; that we’ve come this far. Because it’s important.
If you were Jonathan Groff’s character, would you have chosen Richie (RaΓΊl Castillo) or Kevin (Russell Tovey)?
They’re both dreamy, but definitely Richie. I love a latino guy.
What was the best piece of LGBT art that you experienced in 2015?
Transparent. I think I really connect with Amy Landecker’s character, Sarah. Every time she’s on screen I’m always smiling. I think she’s a phenomenal actor – they all are – but there’s just something about her. She’s got a confidence.
What’s next for you?
I am writing a script that I’m very excited about, my first foray into writing a screenplay. It’s a vehicle to talk about what really gets to me: As a gay man, what does it really mean to be a man? And how easy it is to get lost in what all that encompasses psychologically.
When Matthew Risch leaves the room, what do you want people to say about you?
I want them to say, “Wow, I want to hear more about what he has to say.”
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