Adam Garcia
From the creator of Tap Dogs comes Bootmen, a tale of hunky Aussie steel
men who were born to dance -- in their workboots. PlanetOut's Brandon
Judell talks with rising star Adam Garcia about all those sweaty dance
numbers.
PlanetOut: Now there is one openly gay character in this film and
someone who
is in the closet, and throughout this film the guys keep saying, "Hey,
we're
not poofs! Straight men can dance." Is that because there's lots of
homophobia in Australia, or is it just tied into the dance world?
Adam Garcia: I don't think there is a lot of homophobia. I can't
really speak for
the entire country. Although we do have the gay Mardi Gras in Sydney,
which shows that we are not homophobic. But I think that there is a lot
of stigma with male dancers. You cop some flack for being a dancer. For
some reason it's perceived in Western civilization as a potentially
homosexual activity. I'm not sure if it's like jump rope. If you are a boy
and you do jump rope, it might be seen as doing a girl's thing. In a lot
of other cultures, dancing is seen as something strictly for the men.
PlanetOut: You once said that soccer seems more homoerotic because here you
are rehearsing with 60 women, and those are guys in shorts tapping each
other on the butt.
AG: Well, in a way. In rugby you are tackling a man and hugging and
bringing him to the ground. It's one of those silly perceptions people
sometimes have about dancing.
PlanetOut: So maybe after seeing this film truck drivers around the world will
take up tap dancing.
AG: Perhaps, and I think you might be surprised at how many truck drivers
already do.
PlanetOut: How come all the sexy stars now seem to be coming from Australia?
AG: It's performance-enhancing drugs. There's none in the Olympics. It's
all the dancers and the film actors. I think the media has certainly
caught on to Australian men.
PlanetOut: Since the man who played Crocodile Dundee is way over the hill, have
you been approached for Crocodile Dundee 4 or something?
AG: I think I am in line for 8. I'm not sure what I'm playing.
PlanetOut: But you're good at wrestling alligators?
AG: Yeah, you know that scar [points to chin]? That was from a crocodile.
He looks worse for wear. I don't know. I think they are making a third
one.
PlanetOut: He has to do something other than TV commercials.
AG: Well, he made a pretty good career out of that.
PlanetOut: Well, I want to thank you. It's been a great honor. The highlight of my interviewing life.
AG: Thank you.
* Coming Soon: Watch the entire interview in RealVideo or QuickTime!
* Read the PopcornQ review of Bootmen
|
|
|
Recent Articles
Movies
Television
