Matthew Rhys glad his ‘Brothers & Sisters’ character of Kevin Walker didn’t struggle with being gay

22/03/2016

Matthew Rhys’ current role as an undercover Russian spy on The Americans couldn’t be any more different from his previous TV gig on Brothers & Sisters.

For four seasons he played Kevin Walker on the ABC family drama, a gay attorney who endured romantic ups and downs and infidelity and surrogacy issues with his husband.

One storyline Kevin never had was coming out or struggling with being gay.

For that, Rhys is thankful.

‘There was no coming out story. There was no challenge,’ he tells HuffPost Live. ‘He wasn’t defined by it or identified by it. He was one of the siblings who happened to be gay and he was so clear about that. And in reading that, I just thought “Oh, how refreshing. That’s how it should be.”‘

Kevin always had a robust romantic life and sex life as his journey included relationships with a closeted Hollywood actor (Jason Lewis) and a preacher (Eric Winter).

But his true love was a chef named Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) who he meets early in the show’s run and ends up marrying in a later season.

The show, which also starred Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Dave Annable and Rachel Griffiths, ended in 2011 – a full five years before marriage equality was to take place across the US.

Some credit the show with helping to change hearts and minds on the issue.

‘We owe that to the writers and that they handled that fantastically and they were very conscious of that and strident in trying to achieve that,’ he says. ‘If I’m a small cog in that, which I am, I’m very happy.’

[PHOTO GALLERY] Added Candids from 2008 to 2011

button_enHi. I’ve just added candids of Luke from 2008 to 2011 in the Photo Gallery.
button_spHola. Acabo de añadir fotos espontáneas de Luke desde el 2008 hasta el 2011 en la Galería de Fotos (Photo Gallery).
button_itCiao. Ho appena inserito paparazzate di Luke dal 2008 al 2011 nella Galleria Fotografica (Photo Gallery).
button_frSalut. Je viens d’ajouter candids de Luke de 2008-2011 dans la Galerie de photos (Photo Gallery).

Photo Gallery > Candids > 2008 > A his cousin’s wedding, 2008
Photo Gallery > Candids > 2010 > Luke at St. David’s Day Party hosted by Matthew Rhys at Palihouse Hotel, L.A., 27 February 2010
Photo Gallery > Candids > 2010 > Luke at Mahiki club in London, U.K., 13 June 2010
Photo Gallery > Candids > 2010 > Luke at Luke at sister Rebecca’s Wedding in Ontario, Canada, 21 August 2010
Photo Gallery > Candids > 2010 > Luke at HRC Gala in Chicago 06 October 2010
Photo Gallery > Candids > 2010 > Luke at A Club Called Rhonda in Los Angeles, 27 November 2010
Photo Gallery > Candids > 2011 > Luke leaving a cafe in Hollywood, L.A., 18 November 2011

[PHOTO GALLERY] Added promo stills from “Brothers & Sisters” 1×03, 1×06, 1×07, 1×14

button_enHi. I’ve just added various promo pics from “Brothers & Sisters” episodes 1×03, 1×06, 1×07, 1×14 in the Photo Gallery.
button_spHola. Acabo de añadir fotos promocionales de los episodios 1×03, 1×06, 1×07, 1×14 de “Brothers & Sisters” (“Cinco Hermanos”) en la Galería de Fotos (Photo Gallery).
button_itCiao. Ho appena inserito varie foto promozionali dagli episodi 1×03, 1×06, 1×07, 1×14 di “Brothers & Sisters” nella Galleria Fotografica (Photo Gallery).
button_frSalut. Je viens d’ajouter diverses photos promotionelles des episodés 1×03, 1×06, 1×07, 1×14 de “Brothers & Sisters” dans la Galerie de photos (Photo Gallery).

Photo Gallery > Tv Series > Brothers & Sisters > Season 1 > Promotional Stills > 1×03 “Affairs of State”
Photo Gallery > Tv Series > Brothers & Sisters > Season 1 > Promotional Stills > 1×05 “For the Children”
Photo Gallery > Tv Series > Brothers & Sisters > Season 1 > Promotional Stills > 1×07 “Northern Exposure”
Photo Gallery > Tv Series > Brothers & Sisters > Season 1 > Promotional Stills > 1×14 “Valentine’s Day Massacre”

The Bro Code

27/09/2010

The boys of Brothers & Sisters on the joys of siblinghood

I HAVEN’T got any brothers, but after meeting some of the guys from Brothers & Sisters, who were a barrel of irreverent laughs, I almost wished I did.

I say “almost” because Dave Annable, Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane reminded me that large families are almost inevitably full of conflicts and squabbles. In other words: “God gave us our family; thank God we can choose our friends.”

In fact, in Annable’s dressing room, where a video game system was prominently set up, the 30-year-old, who is getting married to actress Odette Yustman this autumn, joked that he was trying to get co-star Calista Flockhart and her husband, Harrison Ford to adopt him.

For TV’s Walker family, the drama will never die down, especially not as Brothers & Sisters goes into its fifth season.

The new season fast-forwards to a year after the last season’s climatic car-accident ending. Rob Lowe’s character Robert McCallister is dead, which means wife Kitty (Calista Flockhart) is single again; Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) is in a steady relationship with Giles (Luc Laurent); Justin (Annable) comes back from Afghanistan a changed man; Kevin (Rhys) has a new career as a defense attorney and hubby Scotty (Macfarlane) is running his new restaurant together with Saul (Ron Rifkin); and, to top it all off, matriarch Nora (Sally Field) is acting strangely. And you thought your family life was complicated.

If you guys had your way, where would you like the show to go?

Dave Annable: Well, besides (Justin) living in a sorority house … (Laughs) Well, I think what they’re doing with Justin is really great. I’m curious to see where we’ll go next when he’s alone and single.

Matthew Rhys: I think the Walkers should trace their roots back to Wales. There should be a trip. Walkerrrnen was their original Welsh name before they came to Ellis Island.

Matthew, you’re Welsh – what are families like in Wales?

Matthew: They like drinking. They like singing. In that order. They’re pretty much matriarch-led in Wales – like, the world over, really. As much as we (men) like to think we rule the roost, we don’t.

I was just wondering if all families were as complicated as the Walkers.

Luke: (Laughs) Not all families have to turn out a television show every week.

Matthew: And keep it interesting. There is dysfunction, I think, in every family – it’s just varying levels of it. We just seem to have it in abundance. And, you know, having the high number of siblings, you’re sort of guaranteed that someone’s having a problem anywhere at one point, at one time.

But dysfunction’s fashionable now, anyway.

Matthew: It is. I think society’s evolved in some certain way – people are less frightened to talk about the dysfunction. As people become more emotionally articulate, it sort of aired a lot more.

Have the characters become part of you? Have you found yourself taking on any of the quirks?

Matthew: I’ve started taking home a lot of the clothes!

Luke: I borrowed suits for my sister’s wedding.

Fancy dress?

Matthew: “I went as a chef”!

Luke: I’m wearing, actually, Nora Walker’s dress to my sister’s wedding.

Is your mom like Nora?

Matthew: Oh, yeah. And that’s the one thing you hear all the time from people who like the show: (Puts on a squeaky, high-pitched voice) “Oh, my mother’s exactly like Nora. I know exactly how she feels. Why are you so rude to her? Why are you so rude to Sally Field???”

What’s the great Sally Field like in person?

Dave: Uh, she’s terrible! No, don’t write that! She’s the best! It’s a lot of work to wrangle us actors to get ready for a scene and Sally’s the one running the show – and she has been from day one.

Matthew: And it’s no irony that this sort of family’s led by the matriarch, and in our show, it’s sort of the same. She’s a consummate professional and really does lead by example.

So she bosses you around off the set as well?

Dave: Oh, totally. Actually, I have to go get her a coffee right now.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from her?

Dave: I think it’s “be prepared”. She always knows her lines when she comes into work and knows what she’s doing. Clearly she goes home and works. It’s easy to be young and get caught up in the fun nightlife and come to work going, “Woo, whatever, I got lines”, you know. It sort of works a lot easier if you do your homework and go home and study your lines and all that fun stuff, and not play too many video games (looks sheepishly at his console).

Matthew: She comes in early, she’s on time, she’s prepared, she’s thought about what she’s going to do. She never holds anyone up. Sits by the camera while they light, doesn’t go off and drink coffee and chit chat and get on the Internet. Old school.

Luke: No matter where you are in your career, you still have to work hard. Because she really has kind of done it all, but she doesn’t rest on her laurels.

Source: Today Online

Matthew Rhys on Brothers and Sisters

21/01/2010

The Welsh actor discusses moving from Cardiff to California and starring in the hit US drama series.

Luke MacFarlane, Matthew Rhys and Marion Ross in the US drama series Brothers and Sisters.

“I love and embrace the cultural differences,” says Rhys – now almost a California native, after four years’ worth of Brothers & Sisters (shown here on More4). “In some ways, they’re so profoundly different from Britain. In other ways, very similar.”

Rhys plays Kevin Walker, a glossily gay Californian in his mid-thirties, and one of the siblings of the show’s title. He’s sitting in a Disney conference room joshing with actor Luke Macfarlane, who plays his on-screen husband Scotty. Though Rhys’s American accent never slips on-screen, his voice now is straight from the valleys. “When I speak to people from Britain, that’s when I feel like a fake, speaking with an American accent,” he says, slightly sheepishly.

Macfarlane, who hails from Canada, joins in. “Matthew’s also exceptionally talented at all accents,” he says archly.

“Yes. Even neighbourhoods of Canada,” says Rhys.

“Not just neighbourhoods – specific hockey teams,” quips Macfarlane.

The pair’s good-natured off-screen banter is exactly how fans of the show would hope. Brothers & Sisters has no time-travelling cops, no jets crashing on desert islands. It rivets more than 10million American viewers with nothing more than the intertwined stories of one family. Warm, prosperous and sentimental, the show – and its high-octane, often tear-jerking emotion – is kept from descending into soap opera not just by polished scriptwriting, but by a classy cast: Calista Flockhart, Rob Lowe and, crucially, Sally Field as materfamilias Nora Walker. On Facebook, there’s a “Which Walker are you?” quiz – and, quips Macfarlane, “everyone just keeps taking it until they get Nora.”

As British viewers start season four tonight, they will catch up with Kevin and Scotty’s newest storyline: the quest for a baby. “We’re lucky that that storyline is relatively uncharted,” says Rhys. “The whole journey of going about it makes very interesting TV.”

“And so do the different ways one goes about it – adoption versus surrogacy,” adds Macfarlane.

Along with the gay couple on ABC’s new sitcom Modern Family, Kevin and Scotty are blazing a trail for gay parenting on American primetime television. But, says Rhys, he doesn’t feel like a “poster child” for gay rights. “The press we’ve had has been very positive,” he says. “A very healthy, very nice response – that what we’re doing is on the right track.”

Macfarlane agrees. “The cultural significance is always surprising,” he says. “We just show up and do the work, and they tell us it’s groundbreaking – but it doesn’t necessarily feel groundbreaking.” Certainly Brothers & Sisters doesn’t trumpet itself as a genre-altering show. It is executive produced by Ken Olin, who appeared on screen as self-obsessed ad exec Michael Steadman in the Eighties-zeitgeist series thirtysomething. Brothers & Sisters reflects a more mature version of the same sensibility, with enviable suburban houses and beautiful knitwear as much on show as Rhys’s American accent.

Rhys himself is evidently having the time of his life. “I feel comfortable here primarily because I think Los Angeles is made up of people who don’t come from here, so you can find kindred spirits very easily,” he says. “It’s a town of gypsies.”

But Rhys has a more versatile CV than some TV actors, having played Dylan Thomas in the 2008 film The Edge of Love – and opposite Kathleen Turner in the West End version of The Graduate. “I definitely want to go back to the theatre. It is hard work, it is repetitive, but it is intensely rewarding,” he says.

His career as a chameleon extends even to talking to journalists. “You play to whatever publication you’re being interviewed by,” he says cheerily. So who is he being today, for The Daily Telegraph. “Upright Tory. Bring back Maggie!” So… does he hunt and shoot and fish? “I do, yes. I actually do! Well, I don’t hunt on horseback. In Wales, it’s a little more practical. It’s vermin control.” As Rhys is called back to the cavernous sound stage, it’s hard not to think: you can take the boy out of Cardiff…

Brothers & Sisters is on More4 tonight at 9.00pm

Source: The Telegraph

Interview: Luke Macfarlane

20/10/2009

Luke Macfarlane is quickly establishing himself as a leading man in Hollywood by bringing a winning combination of charm, versatility and intelligence to his roles. He plays Scotty Wandell in the critically-acclaimed drama Brothers & Sisters – and with the season three DVD released this week, we bring you an interview with the actor about his role on the show.

You appeared in the first season of ‘Brothers & Sisters’ as a guest star. Did you know back then that you would become a cast regular by the third season?

It’s funny, but I never imagined I would be a cast regular on Brothers & Sisters – especially by way of marriage. I remember riding bikes over to one of the sets a while ago and asking Matthew Rhys [who plays Luke’s lover on the show], “What do they have in store for us?” And he said, “I think we’re getting married.” It was a total surprise to me.

Were you excited about the prospect of becoming a series regular?

Definitely. It’s always really nice when you come into something and your agents tell you, “There’s a possibility for you to become a series regular here.” However, it was a complete surprise because I had no idea where they were going with the storyline. In fact, I continue to have no idea where they’re going with it.

Was there an immediate chemistry between you and Matthew Rhys?

We always got along very, very well and there was never any awkwardness between us. Matthew was ready to jump into the gay love affair with great aplomb, which was fantastic. I don’t think we’ve ever had any tension between us. It’s always been great.

Do you receive much fan mail on the show?

I’ve had a number of letters from the gay community talking about the lack of role models for gay people on television and how happy they are to see Scotty and Kevin together. I really applaud the show’s creators for depicting a real romance for them. I’m glad they didn’t go for any clichés.

Do you receive more letters from women or men?

I’m always surprised that I get as many letters from girls as I do from boys. In fact, I’m always amazed at the care these people put into some of the letters. Sometimes I get drawings and it’s totally flattering. At the end of the day, we wake up really early in the morning and we go to work to do our thing. We sometimes forget that the show gets beamed out into the universe, so it’s always very touching and flattering to receive mail about it.

How long does it take to shoot an episode?

We usually work on nine-day episodes. Hopefully they give us the script about a week in advance, but as you approach the end of a season, it sometimes arrives about two days before we start on an episode. I think we’re very fortunate because we have such terrific writers and terrific actors – and there is a real sense of collaboration on the show.

Do you have much input into your character?

Sure. After the first table read, which they try to do for every episode, the actors can approach the writers and say, “I think I might want to do this.” I love the way it’s open for us to do that. From my experience on other television shows, I haven’t seen as much collaboration between the actors and the writers. We’re very fortunate on Brothers & Sisters.

Can you change the wording in the script if you’re not satisfied with it?

Well, you can talk about it with the writers and change things. With certain producers you have to say every line as it’s written in the script, but there are other producers who let you do your own thing. That’s not to say we don’t respect the scripts tremendously – but the longer the show goes on, the more the actor owns the part. The writers and producers start to encourage us to say what we want to say.

Your character marries Kevin Walker in the show, but that’s something that most gay couples in California cannot do anymore. How did this storyline come about?

I find this a fascinating story because I think the election happened about a week after the show aired in the States – and then Prop 8 didn’t pass. It was amazing that we’d done this thing that was, without foresight, very provocative.

Did you enjoy filming the wedding scene?

It was wonderful. It kind of felt like we were doing something big – and it was all done with great care. The writers spoke with someone who had officiated gay marriages, so the words were very accurate and in line. It was all really beautiful.

How well does the cast get along?

We all get along extremely well. There’s a great camaraderie on our set and everyone is very professional. We all get on with our work, but we also hang out together when we’re not working. It’s a great show in that respect.

What’s it like to work with Matthew Rhys?

It’s great. Matthew is an incredible actor and an incredible guy. We both come from theatre backgrounds, so our approach to the material is very similar. I couldn’t be happier.

And what’s it like to work with Sally Field?

Sally Field is amazing. She really makes you raise your game when you’re on set. She’s like a leader in some ways. I remember one time specifically when we were filming a dinner scene and there was a lot of chatter among the cast. It was late at night and we’d had a really long day, but she just stood up and said, “Everybody be quiet.” Everyone went quiet. She has that kind of effect.

‘Brothers and Sisters: Season 3′ is available to buy on DVD now.

Source: Entertainment Focus

Out of the closet and on to primetime

12/10/2009

Is it me or has everyone on Brothers And Sisters suddenly turned gay? Last week’s episode of the popular M-Net drama series saw an entire episode focus on every gay character in the series and the storylines that pivoted around them were heightened ten-fold.

Fans of the show already know that there’s a focus on gay relationships to the same extent that there’s a focus on straight relationships, and this is one of the first series to depict gay interaction in a way that it actually reflects real life.

When the Brothers and Sisters first emerged three seasons ago, we were introduced to Kevin Walker (played with such ease by straight Irish actor Matthew Rhys), a lawyer and part of the hugely dysfunctional Walker clan. Kevin was also an openly gay character and, for the first time, it wasn’t a gay character dying of Aids or an uber-camp hairdresser flapping his wrists like he was guiding a Boeing into a parking bay.

With the exception of his sexual orientation, Kevin was exactly the same as the rest of his brothers and sisters – flawed, issued, sometimes irritating, always endearing. And as the character developed, Kevin soon met his life-partner, Scotty Wandell, played by Luke MacFarlane, and they eventually got married at the beginning of the third season, which we’re currently watching on M-Net.

I interviewed MacFarlane in Cape Town earlier this year and because he’s actually gay in real life, a lot of our talk turned to this very subject.

The fact is, America has a huge section of its viewership in what is referred to as the Bible Belt, and ratings from this sector often make or break a show.

Apparently, Dirty Sexy Money folded because these viewers believed it to be too focused on materialism and greed, Eli Stone was not re-commissioned because some Earthly being was playing God and Pushing Daisies wilted for much the same reason. The list goes on.

MacFarlane says this was a concern for the producers when they first mulled over the creation of these characters. But because there’s such a large, on-going conversation about same-sex equality in the US, this attempt to show a gay couple in this way meant a lot to American society in terms of finding real role models.

So the characters, MacFarlane says, have been received very well, just because there is this desire for people to have role models specifically in the gay community.

Another interesting fact is that Kevin and Scotty’s wedding was the first gay marriage in a recurring role on US television, so it was a very big deal. It was also the first man-to-man kiss on primetime television, that wasn’t a comedy, so they were breaking ground on so many other levels too.

MacFarlane, who has, in the past, been dogged with rumours that he’s dating Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller, says he brings a lot of himself into this role of Scotty Wandell. He says he admires Scotty’s sense of right and wrong, and his very strong sense of self.

But the thing he’s most pleased about is the fact that they actually get to show a gay relationship through a long process. He admits that very rarely do viewers get to see this kind of relationship in a show – them meeting for the first time, breaking up for the first time, getting back together for the first time and then getting married.

And MacFarlane feels that’s a very accurate portrait of any relationship out there, never mind a gay one, and that’s the due integrity that should always be given to these characters.

But are they milking the concept a little now?

Saul (played by Ron Rifkin), the brother of Sally Field’s character, Nora, has also come out of the closet. Saul is probably in his early 60s and is, for the first time, searching for the kind of relationship he was never allowed to have because of societal dictates earlier on in his life.

While the twist was unexpected, I think this storyline is becoming more about making a point than being dramatic.

I can’t wait to see who else they pull out of this closet next. A lesbian? A black woman? A back woman who’s Tonight, South Africaa lesbian?

I suppose I can live in hope.

Source: Tonight (South Africa)

Greg’s Celebrity Encounters: Rubbing elbows with Scotty and Kevin from “Brothers & Sisters”

26/09/2009

ABC’s Brothers & Sisters has its fourth season premiere tomorrow night and gay couple Kevin (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and word has it that they are considering becoming parents.

Both are such good actors and seem like good guys. I first met Luke at the 2007 LA Gay and Lesbian Center Gala. He was not yet out publicly but could not have been nicer. We spoke the next year at a TV Academy event shortly after he came out publicly as a gay man in an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.

He said of coming out: “I’ll say that I decided to do that interview, I decided to answer those questions in an effort to make my life simpler and that’s going to continue to be my motto.”

Scotty Wandell and Kevin Walker had instant chemistry from the minute the financially struggling waiter-turned-chef walked into his law office on a legal matter. He cut through Kevin’s veneer with quirky humor and charm and you knew he had Kevin’s heart when he bit into a red velvet cupcake and smiled at the end of one of their early episodes..

“My whole experience on the show started off as just a few episodes and it’s just become more and more and more and I’m so grateful for that,” Luke told. “…I do know that the fans had a lot to do with Scotty staying around as long as he has so I’m grateful for them.”

I’ve met Matthew om several occasions and it’s always a little surprising to hear him speak in a Welsh accent since Kevin is so Californian.

It just shows what a damned good actor he is!

In one of our interviews, Matthew talked to me about why Scotty and Kevin make such a good couple: “We do have (chemistry). It’s a real joy to work with him, a pleasure. As much as (Kevin and Scotty’s) drama came from their turbulence and the conflict in their relationship, being now in this (committed) relationship opens up a world of drama for them to play out.  … What’s great is they really have picked two very diverse characters, the two of us compliment us very well as characters. Kevin can be a little bit uptight at times whereas Scotty, is a little bit too much of a free-spirit. So when the two meet, it makes for humorous times.”

Source: Greg in Hollywood