'Will & Grace' Broke Ground for Gay Reprentatn—Can It Do It Aga? | GQ

Contents:

• 'I WOULDN'T GET THIS ROLE TODAY': WILL & GRACE'S STRAIGHT 'GAY' STAR
• ‘WILL & GRACE’ FANS ARE STILL UNSURE IF ERIC MCCORMACK IS GAY REAL LIFE
• WILL AND GRACE STAR CONFIRMS HE’S GAY
• JACK EXPLAS HOW HE IS A "PLATUM-STAR GAY" IN EXCLIVE NEW CLIP FROM "WILL & GRACE""IT'S ALL HIS BOOK, 'MEN ARE FROM MARS, WHO CAR WHERE WOMEN CAME FROM.'"{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}TVBY CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPHOCTOBER 9, 2017/11:10 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}NBCBY CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPHOCTOBER 9, 2017 / 11:10 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"JACK EXPLAS HOW HE IS A \"PLATUM-STAR GAY\" IN EXCLIVE NEW CLIP FROM \"WILL & GRACE\"","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-10-09T15:10:28.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-10-09T15:10:28.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPH","ARTICLESECTN":"TV"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WILL (ERIC MCCORMACK) AND GRACE (DEBRA MSG) HAVE BEEN LIVG TOGETHER OFF AND ON FOR YEARS, AND EVEN THOUGH GRACE ISN'T A NEWER TO THE GAY SCENE, SHE STILL DON'T KNOW EVERY TERM THE GAY HANDBOOK™.{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN AN EXCLIVE NEW CLIP OM THIS WEEK'S EPISO, "EMERGENCY CONTACT," GRACE FORC WILL TO "GAYSPLA" THE TERM "PLATUM-STAR GAY" TO HER. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, A "GOLD-STAR GAY" IS A GAY MAN WHO HAS NEVER HAD SEX WH A WOMAN—BUT A "PLATUM-STAR GAY," LIKE JACK (SEAN HAY), IS A GAY MAN WHO HAS NEVER EVEN E NTACT WH A VAGA BEE THEY WERE BORN VIA C-SECTN.CHRIS HASTON/NBCWILL & GRACE -- "EMERGENCY CONTACT" EPISO 103 -- PICTURED: (L-R) DEBRA MSG AS GRACE ADLER, HARRY CONNICK JR. AS LEO -- (PHOTO BY CHRIS HASTON/NBC){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE NEW EPISO IS NOTEWORTHY NOT ONLY BEE OF JACK'S REVEAL, BUT ALSO BEE 'S THE RETURN OF GRACE'S EX-HBAND, LEO (HARRY CONNICK JR.), WHO GRACE IS SURPRISED TO LEARN IS STILL HER MEDIL EMERGENCY NTACT. ACRDG TO PHOTOS RELEASED OM THE EPISO, ADDN TO THE RETURN OF LEO, LRA KIGHTLGER IS ALSO BACK AS FAN FAVORE SASSY NURSE SHEILA.CHRIS HASTON/NBCWILL & GRACE -- "EMERGENCY CONTACT" EPISO 103 -- PICTURED: (L-R) LRA KIGHTLGER AS NURSE SHEILA, HARRY CONNICK JR. AS LEO, DEBRA MSG AS GRACE ADLER -- (PHOTO BY CHRIS HASTON/NBC){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HOW DO GRACE HANDLE HER RNN WH LEO AND WILL JACK EVER E NTACT WH A VAGA? WE ARE PRETTY SURE WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE SEND QUTN, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO TUNE TO WILL & GRACE THIS THURSDAY TO FD OUT WHAT GO DOWN WHEN LEO BACK TO GRACE'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WATCH THE EXCLIVE NEW CLIP {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
• WILL & GRACE BROKE GROUND FOR GAY REPRENTATN—CAN IT DO IT AGA?

'I WOULDN'T GET THIS ROLE TODAY': WILL & GRACE'S STRAIGHT 'GAY' STAR

If Will & Grace were beg st for the first time today, Eric McCormack nces, "I probably wouldn't get anywhere near this role"'s bee McCormack is straight, and this era of diversy and thenticy stg would be a bold, perhaps even foolish, cisn to st anyone but a gay actor a seri that puts the character's sexualy ont and he'd be out of a job this hypothetil scenar, the first "gay" man many middle Amerins weled to their hom is OK wh that. "I thk wasn't a terrible thg 1998 that a straight guy played the role, but I'm glad that tim are changg, and I'm glad that nowadays a Will Tman would probably be st wh someone who is gay, " he says. "But do that mean that now when you walk to a stg room you have to state whether you are straight or gay?

"The show has given me a chance to give back, " he says, cg some recent gay-related chary events at which he has appeared. Is Eric McCormack gay? Bee Eric do play a gay man on TV many people believe that means he is gay real life.

And Eric is faiar wh what means to play such a public and beloved gay character on the screen. In fact, when the show was first pched, the ia was that would revolve around three sets of upl, one of whom was a gay man and a straight woman who lived together.

‘WILL & GRACE’ FANS ARE STILL UNSURE IF ERIC MCCORMACK IS GAY REAL LIFE

Like Will and Grace, Max and Ja were an em their younger years, only for him to e out as gay when they were both at universy.

WILL AND GRACE STAR CONFIRMS HE’S GAY

A lot of actors were the nng for the tle charactersAmong them, apparently, were John Barrowman, who claimed he was turned down for the role for not beg gay enough.

Several big nam appeared on the show before they land their biggt TV rolNeil Patrick Harris and Sean Hay Will & GraceNBC via Getty ImagYears before How I Met Your Mother me along, Neil Patrick Harris appeared as an “ex-gay” Will & Grace, while a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Patrick Dempsie played a love tert of Will’s an early season. While other gut stars were already A-list gay insMadonna and Megan Mullally Will & GraceNBC via Getty ImagJa Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Sir Elton John and, of urse, Cher (twice! ”Debra Msg then tweeted: “I’m thrilled Bin has e out support of gay marriage and am beyond proud of what he said #PROUD”20.

JACK EXPLAS HOW HE IS A "PLATUM-STAR GAY" IN EXCLIVE NEW CLIP FROM "WILL & GRACE""IT'S ALL HIS BOOK, 'MEN ARE FROM MARS, WHO CAR WHERE WOMEN CAME FROM.'"{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}TVBY CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPHOCTOBER 9, 2017/11:10 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}NBCBY CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPHOCTOBER 9, 2017 / 11:10 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"JACK EXPLAS HOW HE IS A \"PLATUM-STAR GAY\" IN EXCLIVE NEW CLIP FROM \"WILL & GRACE\"","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-10-09T15:10:28.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-10-09T15:10:28.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPH","ARTICLESECTN":"TV"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WILL (ERIC MCCORMACK) AND GRACE (DEBRA MSG) HAVE BEEN LIVG TOGETHER OFF AND ON FOR YEARS, AND EVEN THOUGH GRACE ISN'T A NEWER TO THE GAY SCENE, SHE STILL DON'T KNOW EVERY TERM THE GAY HANDBOOK™.{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN AN EXCLIVE NEW CLIP OM THIS WEEK'S EPISO, "EMERGENCY CONTACT," GRACE FORC WILL TO "GAYSPLA" THE TERM "PLATUM-STAR GAY" TO HER. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, A "GOLD-STAR GAY" IS A GAY MAN WHO HAS NEVER HAD SEX WH A WOMAN—BUT A "PLATUM-STAR GAY," LIKE JACK (SEAN HAY), IS A GAY MAN WHO HAS NEVER EVEN E NTACT WH A VAGA BEE THEY WERE BORN VIA C-SECTN.CHRIS HASTON/NBCWILL & GRACE -- "EMERGENCY CONTACT" EPISO 103 -- PICTURED: (L-R) DEBRA MSG AS GRACE ADLER, HARRY CONNICK JR. AS LEO -- (PHOTO BY CHRIS HASTON/NBC){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE NEW EPISO IS NOTEWORTHY NOT ONLY BEE OF JACK'S REVEAL, BUT ALSO BEE 'S THE RETURN OF GRACE'S EX-HBAND, LEO (HARRY CONNICK JR.), WHO GRACE IS SURPRISED TO LEARN IS STILL HER MEDIL EMERGENCY NTACT. ACRDG TO PHOTOS RELEASED OM THE EPISO, ADDN TO THE RETURN OF LEO, LRA KIGHTLGER IS ALSO BACK AS FAN FAVORE SASSY NURSE SHEILA.CHRIS HASTON/NBCWILL & GRACE -- "EMERGENCY CONTACT" EPISO 103 -- PICTURED: (L-R) LRA KIGHTLGER AS NURSE SHEILA, HARRY CONNICK JR. AS LEO, DEBRA MSG AS GRACE ADLER -- (PHOTO BY CHRIS HASTON/NBC){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HOW DO GRACE HANDLE HER RNN WH LEO AND WILL JACK EVER E NTACT WH A VAGA? WE ARE PRETTY SURE WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE SEND QUTN, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO TUNE TO WILL & GRACE THIS THURSDAY TO FD OUT WHAT GO DOWN WHEN LEO BACK TO GRACE'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WATCH THE EXCLIVE NEW CLIP {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

Everyone remembers the basics: bt iends Will, a gay man, and Grace, a straight woman, live and love Manhattan wh their quirkier iends Jack and Karen.

Mutchnick and Eisenberg dated real life, and then beme close iends after Mutchnick revealed he was gay. She also told Kg that McCormack didn't origally want to play a gay character.

Actor Sean Hay, who portrayed openly gay character Jack on Will & Grace, didn't e out real life until five years after the show end. More recently, Hay has revealed that he's "ashamed and embarrassed" he stayed the closet for so long when he might have ma a difference young gay people's liv by g out sooner.

WILL & GRACE BROKE GROUND FOR GAY REPRENTATN—CAN IT DO IT AGA?

Fellow executive producer David Kohan and producer-director Jam Burrows agreed, notg that the show had troduced and normalized gay people for a swath of the public. Yup, he's gay real life, too.

The rolutely private actor recently gave his first terview to gay newsmagaze The Advote after many nied requts. You're gonna shoot the gay guy down? The star of the popular, Emmy-wng gay s adds, "I feel like I've ntributed monumentally to the succs of the gay movement Ameri, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to .

Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Msg) have been livg together off and on for years, and even though Grace isn't a newer to the gay scene, she still don't know every term The Gay Handbook™ an exclive new clip om this week's episo, "Emergency Contact, " Grace forc Will to "gayspla" the term "Platum-Star Gay" to her. For those of you who don't know, a "Gold-Star Gay" is a gay man who has never had sex wh a woman—but a "Platum-Star Gay, " like Jack (Sean Hay), is a gay man who has never even e ntact wh a vaga bee they were born via new episo is noteworthy not only bee of Jack's reveal, but also bee 's the return of Grace's ex-hband, Leo (Harry Connick Jr. The ensemble edy seri featured two gay characters—lawyer Will Tman (Eric McCormack) and aspirg actor Jack McFarland (Sean Hay)—and their bt iends, terr signer Grace Adler (Debra Msg) and eccentric sociale Karen Walker (Megan Mullally), whose fun-filled antics were enjoyed by lns of viewers for eight seasons on NBC.