Photography, Creative Direction, and Production by: Mike Ruiz @mikeruizone
Editor-in-Chief: Dimitri Vorontsov @dimitrivorontsov
Fashion Stylist: Alison Hernon at Agency Gerard Artists @718blonde
Fashion Assistants: Alexandra York @alexy0rk & Imani Brown
Location: Manhattan, New York

COVER ONE
Suit + Pocket Square by Miranda Kurtishi
Ribbed Polo Sweater by Todd Snyder
Shoes by Magnanni

White Button-Down Shirt by Miranda Kurtishi
Tuxedo Styled Suit by Miranda Kurtishi
Tie & Pin by Miranda Kurtishi

The Boys in the Band, the groundbreaking screenplay by Mart Crowley, how do you feel about it in 2020?

Having performed the play on Broadway in 2018 and now going through the release and reception of the film version in 2020, my feelings about Mart’s play have evolved. This opportunity to live with this material and character for so long has made me realize I carry certain scars from growing up gay that I didn’t know I had or I’d forgotten were there; part of the benefit of living in a more open, accepting society in this day and age (as opposed to the late 1960s, when this story takes place) is that I can choose to not think about some level of homophobia that still exists in the world or was part of my younger days, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there and it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt to live through and, the downside to the less-overt homophobia in 2020 is that perhaps I haven’t processed certain things as much as I would like to.

But I also think all of us living in such a different time than these characters live in has allowed the story to grow and to become more inclusive; what was such a groundbreaking piece in the late 1960s simply because it featured all gay characters and actually showed how they lived, no longer causes quite the same stir – we’ve seen many, many gay characters in our lifetimes (though Mart’s gay character’s are still especially specific and well-drawn); so, instead, we can now view the slings and arrows these men face from their society (and the negative effect it has on them and those they love) through a lens that could easily be talking about any other person in our current society who is being “othered” and made to feel less than worthy of equal status in our world. It’s a real testament to the power of Mart’s words that this story has had such a long life and, I would suspect, will continue to move people for many years.

Turtleneck Sweater & Suit by David Hart

2018 The Boys in the Band 50th Anniversary Broadway revival was a massive success, were you glad to join cast-mates in Netflix film adaptation?

The chance to revisit this material not only with the same cast but the same director (Joe Mantello) and same producers (Ryan Murphy, Ned Martel), was utterly unique; it is a rare thing to have such a long history, such a second-hand language with not just the material and the characters, but with everyone you are working with. I think that shared-history was especially effective to approaching a story such as this that, as we are all gay men in real life, allowed us to bring portions of ourselves to the work that we might have been able to avoid, otherwise. The trust that developed over a two year period with all of us made for a, perhaps, once-in-a-career experience that felt like swimming in the deep waters.

Jacket by Franco Lacosta
Tie & Pin by Miranda Kurtishi
Kevin Shirt by Stella McCartney

Your character Michael is quite a tormented soul, transforming from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde throughout the film, did you enjoy portraying Michael?

I loved playing Michael. He was an exciting puzzle to me that took time to figure out, to get to understand him and, to be frank, he was written with such complications that I know I would still be finding things to understand about him even now if I were still working on him. I developed great empathy for him and the tortured way he lived his life and, at some point in the process, I began to see more and more ways I identified with him – though I am very fortunate to live in a very different time in the world and don’t have to deal with so much overt-shaming.

Suit + Pocket Square by Miranda Kurtishi
Ribbed Polo Sweater by Todd Snyder
Shoes by Magnanni

What thoughts and feelings drove your character and how much of Jim is in those feelings?

I feel like I never consciously allowed myself to make direct parallels between my own life and the character’s while I was working on the role; I know I tried very hard to use what was given to me by Mart (through the words of the play) and base my motivations around what I knew to be true for him, the character. Undeniably, I bring more of myself than I am aware of to any role that I play and for me to portray a gay man at a certain time of his life, well, obviously there is going to be some profound overlap. Michael is a man who has been told by the world he lives in again and again and in a multitude of ways every day that he is not good enough, that he is, in fact, a disgusting freak simply for being a homosexual. This is an enormous part of what drives him to spend money on clothes like he does, drives him to drink like he does and, ultimately, drives him to attempt to hurt the friends around him, other gay men who are his family and protection. Have I ever personally felt the intensity of shame and anger that Michael does from being gay? I am inclined to say no, I have not, if for no other reason than I logically can see that I grew up in and live in a world that has grown kinder to homosexuals in the years since this role was written (never mind the fact that I have never drunkenly tormented a party of my closest friends); but, as I’ve stated, there are echos of a shame and anger within me and my being aware of those feelings now (in a way I wasn’t before) is largely due to my having this opportunity to spend so much time with Mart’s creation – both the character of “Michael” and the whole story of “Boys in the Band.” I’m not much for saying “acting is my therapy” but, in this instance, there is surely a level that this project was therapeutic for me.

Do you prefer the Broadway stage or film production as an actor?

I think even 5 years ago I would have answered “stage” but now, having had opportunities to work in more and more camera-driven genres, like film, I have become terribly enamored of playing scenes in the intimate way a camera allows, I enjoy working on film sets very much. Stage was my first exposure to acting, however, and live theater is a joy and a challenge that no other medium can compare to. I am damn fortunate I’ve been able to do both.

TO BE CONTINUED