There had been other gay characters on TV seri before public admistrative assistant John Irv on ABC's "NYPD Blue," but perhaps none to whom the dience had so quickly and easily warmed. Wh his sweet se and peppy attu, Bill Brochtp, the openly gay blond wh boy-next-door good...
Contents:
- ‘NYPD BLUE’ STAR BILL BROCHTP ON HOW STEVEN BOCH PNEERED GAY CHARACTERS ON TV
- WITH AN EYE ON . . . : BEG GAY THE ‘NYPD’: BILL BROCHTP FDS THE RIGHT REALY CHECK
- BILL BROCHTP, ACTOR BEHD <EM>NYPD BLUE</EM>'S 'GAY TEMP' CHARACTER, STILL AT WORK HOLLYWOOD (AUDIO)
‘NYPD BLUE’ STAR BILL BROCHTP ON HOW STEVEN BOCH PNEERED GAY CHARACTERS ON TV
"Steven me up wh this ia for a character who was openly and unapologetilly gay. * bill brochtrup gay *
"Steven me up wh this ia for a character who was openly and unapologetilly gay. I’m the one who said, “Is this OK to have a gay guy on televisn?
There were no gay characters on TV at the time. He me up wh this ia for a character who was very openly gay and unapologetilly so, and he wanted to show that ntrast to Det. He gave me nfince that I uld do this and have a reer — not only as an openly gay guy but as an actor general.
I jt got an email om a guy sayg that he and his son are watchg , and the father ed my character as an example of what might be like to be iends wh a gay guy to help his son wh a iendship of his own. There had been other gay characters on TV seri before public admistrative assistant John Irv on ABC's "NYPD Blue, " but perhaps none to whom the dience had so quickly and easily warmed. Wh his sweet se and peppy attu, Bill Brochtp, the openly gay blond wh boy-next-door good looks, won the role 1994 after playg a homosexual mol wh AIDS the L.
WITH AN EYE ON . . . : BEG GAY THE ‘NYPD’: BILL BROCHTP FDS THE RIGHT REALY CHECK
Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) fdg he uld relate to a gay male as a human beg and not as someone who ma him unfortable. As a rult, the actor has bee one of the producers stock players, landg a role as yet another gay character the ensemble of "Total Secury" (ABC, 1997). Sce his "NYPD Blue" exposure, Brochtp -starred "Man of the Year" (1995), the feature about secretly gay PLAYGIRL Centerfold Dirk Shafer, and played key rol the Showtime origal "Space Mar" (1996) and "Two Voic" (Lifetime, 1997).
As “the gay temp, ” which is how Brochtp refers to his character John Irv, he’s fillg for secretary Donna Abandando (Gail O’Grady). “It’s clear they wanted Irv to be openly gay, but not a snap queen, ” he explas. As a man fortable wh his homosexualy a macho police partment, Irv n be looked upon as a role mol.
He handl the many homophobic remarks that get thrown his way. “Bill’s so centered, so nfint his sk, life, that pletely rms his character so that [beg gay] not whstandg, Irv’s somethg of an odd duck that squad “has a ‘won’t beat me down’ attu that’s rehg, ” says Wt Hollywood rint Brochtp. ’ There are people who’d do that and have ma stris [for gays] the workplace by dog that, but others work other ways, approach problems as Irv do, one person at a time.
BILL BROCHTP, ACTOR BEHD <EM>NYPD BLUE</EM>'S 'GAY TEMP' CHARACTER, STILL AT WORK HOLLYWOOD (AUDIO)
The teractn between them “mirrors the dience’s own prejudic agast gays, and they’ll see Dennis sayg thgs they themselv had said, ” Brochtp says. He plays a gay character the art-hoe film “Man of the Year, ” an offbeat docu-edy that premiered at Los Angel’ recent “Outft” and will be shown at the Toronto Film Ftival next no, he didn’t get lled asi by the director for any of those rol. Brochtp me out to People magaze as gay 1997.
He said, "[C]astg directors have known [that] for years, " and assured that beg gay would have no "adverse effect" on his reer, even wh potential typestg. He is known for his role playg PAA John Irv, a gay police public assistant, on the ABC televisn drama NYPD Blue.