From Queerty

[Source]

Michael Urie On His 9/11 Movie, ‘Ugly Betty' Reunion And How Coming Out Publicly Changed His Life

For many of his fans, Michael Urie is still synonymous with scheming fashion assistant Marc St. James, the character he indelibly played for four years on Ugly Betty. However, the 34-year-old actor first came to the attention of LGBT audiences with his widely-praised performance in WTC View (now available on iTunes), the 2005 film in which he starred as Eric, a young New Yorker seeking a roommate for his apartment and genuine connection in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks on the city. Since Ugly Betty went off the air in 2010, Urie, who came out publicly as queer that same year, has proven his versatility with several projects including the 2012 sitcom Partners and a number of acclaimed turns on stage including The Temperamentals, Angels in America, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Buyer & Cellar, an uproarious crowd-pleaser in which he plays a struggling actor working in Barbra Streisand's basement shopping mall. He's also making a transition to directing by helming the witty new workplace web series What's Your Emergency? Urie chatted with Queerty about the making of WTC View, the rumors of an Ugly Betty reunion, and whether Streisand has seen his imitation of her.

It's been a decade now since WTC View was first released. Why do you think the film holds up so well and remains so relevant?

I think it's now a period piece, for sure. But it also captures a time that those of us who were in New York remember very vividly, which was the weeks following the attack. It's very easy to remember what happened on that day through YouTube and all the images out there. For those people who don't remember 9/11 because they were too young, they definitely know what the day was like. But the weeks following was when strangers really came together and people really took care of each other. It was a beautiful thing. Of course, the reason people were taking care of each other came from a terrible tragedy, but it's important to remember that when the shit hits the fan as it did on that day we've got each other's backs and will take take care of each other. I was in New York on 9/11 and there have been no other times quite like that when we as New Yorkers we came together and talked to each other and listened to each other. New Yorkers get a bad rap for being rude, but I don't think we are. I think we're busy. [Laughs] Maybe we're not friendly, but if engaged we'll gladly be part of one another's lives. After 9/11 it was different. We were all on the same page. It was very therapeutic. To do the play two years after 9/11 and we shot the movie nine months later, it's continued to live at festivals and DVDs and now digital. I feel it's a great catharsis. God forbid something like this happens again, but we'll know how to deal with it. We as humans will have the right instincts to take care of each other.

What are your own memories of 9/11?

I was in New York. I think it was my second day of my third year at Julliard. I was heading to school and I happened to catch on TV that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. As we all did, I thought it was strange and bizarre. Everyone who heard about the first plane thought it was a freak accident. I went to school knowing that when I got to the subway station above ground I'd be able to see the World Trade Center. By the time I got there both buildings were on fire. Between leaving the house and getting to the train the second plane had hit. As I watched confused someone said to me, “They got the other one.” The whole train ride there everyone was silent. I went to school and class was canceled and I was offered to an office and all the students watched it play out on TV together. After that they took us to the theater and the dean spoke to us. Some of my classmates and I tried to volunteer but we were turned away. There was so much going on. I found my way home somehow.

How did you relate this to playing Eric?

I didn't have Eric's experience and I was only 23 at the time. I wasn't afraid of anything. I thought I was invincible. In a lot of ways I understand Eric more now. When I look back at the movie I understand why it was such a terrifying time. The character is actually 33 in the movie and I was only 23 when I played him. Things had to be explained to me. I didn't always know why he was doing some of the things he was doing, but looking back now I understand. I'm more like Eric now than I was then.

Obviously a lot of progress for gay actors has been made in the 10 years since the film. Back then did you feel any trepidation about playing a gay character at the beginning of your career?

This part was just way too good to pass up. I had no doubts. When Ugly Betty came around there was definitely trepidation about playing another gay character after that because it made such a splash and was so popular. I was told not to and was encouraged to stay in the closet and all that stuff. I always felt I wasn't going to get typecast as a gay character as long as I played gay characters who differed. You can't even come close to comparing Eric in WTC View to Marc St. James in Ugly Betty. Nor could you compare Marc to Rudy Geinrich in The Temperamentals or Prior Walter in Angels in America or my character in Partners. Even though that was a broad comedy, he was still a different guy. I'm sure there was a period of time when you could get typecast as a gay character. I've been really lucky because I've been able to work in different genres. I wanted to work and if I stopped playing gay characters no one would know me anymore. [Laughs]

Ugly Betty had a huge impact on queer audiences and is still very popular.  There are always rumors of a reunion. What are the chances of this actually happening?

What's great about the digital world is that people are still discovering it every day. I get tweets from people who have just watched it for the first time, which is really cool. I'm happy that people still like it. I know that everyone in the cast still has great fondness for the show. So if it were real we'd all jump on board, That said, it's nothing more than a rumor right now.

You officially came out as a non-hetero five years ago. What affect did that have on your career?

It certainly opened doors for me. Once I was open and out, people had more respect for me. I didn't have to speak to people through any kind of veil. I could just be honest. They could be honest with me and didn't have to dance around. Conversations are so much easier when you're open. I think I got more work. I know that actors are supposed to be mysterious and that's all well and good, but actors also need to be understood. I never lied. I never pretended. I never said I was straight. I just never said anything. I think once it was out in the open and I was honest and upfront, I think people liked me better and I liked myself better and I liked everyone else better.

I appreciated that you identified as queer, which is more of a sexually-fluid umbrella term that is embraced by a lot of non-gay and lesbian people.

As we continue to evolve as a species, we'll see there are a lot of people who identify as straight who are actually queer and we'll be OK with that. Even though I've been with the same guy for six and half years, I certainly live my life as a gay man. These labels are good for us to understand how to communicate with each other but eventually things will be far more fluid.

Do you get offered straight characters?

Yeah, not manly guys or romantic characters, but they're out there. They come my way. They're characters who have an ambivalent sexuality or the fact that they're straight isn't part of the character or quirkier comic characters. Obviously, I get way more interesting gay characters, but it happens.

Besides your work in film and TV, you have a solid stage resume. What's appealing to you about appearing in front of a live audience?

What's great about a live audience is you know how you're doing. So often in film and TV you're at the mercy of your collaborators, which can be incredible and you can wind up way better than you should thanks to great directors and editors and DPs. But sometimes they can use the wrong take or angle and you can look bad or it can mess up the timing of something. Doing a play you have more control over your work but you can also tell how a performance is going. You can feel them, even in a drama. You can't really get that in any other medium in which we work. Multi-camera sitcoms come close, but those people are instructed to laugh.

Your performance in Buyer & Cellar last year was met with wide acclaim from critics and audiences and, personally, I found your interpretation of Barbra Streisand to be very respectful. There was talk that she might see the show in L.A. Did that happen?

She did not come, although many people close to her came. I think the only way she could see it would be on tape or in a private performance with her friends. If anyone knew she was in the audience it would ruin the whole show. If no one knew she was in the audience it wouldn't be fair to her. The play only works because she's not in the room. I feel the play is quite respectful of her entirely. Of course, we have fun at her expense but ultimately we tell the truth about her. She comes off great. But the audience does laugh at her and I think that would be hard for her. If the audience laughing at her was all her friends it would be very different because they'd be laughing with her. If she ever saw it, she'd need to be sitting right next to Donna Karan and James Brolin.

Did anyone in her inner circle ever comment on your performance?

Yes, her manager and publicist saw the show and came backstage and said hello and they were lovely. Richard Jay Alexander, the guy who directed her concerts, was really complementary about it. I think they told Barbra that she comes off great but she shouldn't come to the theater to watch it though because it would be weird.

You're taking the show to London. How do expect it will be received there?

I go to London this week and will do it for two months at the Menier Chocolate Factory. She's totally universal but if they don't know her, I think within the first few minutes of the play they'll have an idea of what she's like. Jonathan Tollins did such a good job of creating her within the play. I think what's going to resonate so wonderfully in the U.K. is the class system, this idea of the haves and have-nots. That's what the play is really about. Los Angeles, Hollywood and show business has such a class system to it that it really comes to life ? when you put someone who's at the top of the heap like Barbra Streisand in a room with and in a relationship, really, with someone at the bottom of the show business barrel. London, specifically, has such bold lines between the classes and I think they're going to get a huge kick out of it and understand what John is saying with the play and how it deals with the isolation and loneliness of the class system. Watch the trailer for WTC View below.



"WTC View" Trailer from Brian Sloan on Vimeo.

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By:           Jeremy Kinser
On:           Mar 3, 2015

Michael Urie & Ryan Spahn

[Source]

The Set-Up
1.16.2014
By Out Contributor

Actors Michael Urie & Ryan Spahn share the story of how they met and fell in love

Photography by Rob Howard

Michael, Actor: We first met at a karaoke bar in Burbank. I noticed him and thought he was interesting and cute, but Ryan says he doesn’t remember meeting me. Our mutual friend tried to set us up, but I cancelled because a good friend of mine died. He’d had some unlucky dating experiences, so my excuse?my friend died?was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The ball was in my court, I guess, and I never rescheduled. Part of that was me being a flake. Part of it was, I was on TV. I was never a “man-whore,” but I enjoyed dating; I was enjoying the attention of being on Ugly Betty. A year later, a friend mentioned Ryan, and I told her to set something up. She said Ryan wasn’t interested. That’s when I felt bad.

The show moved to New York, and Ryan did, too. We supposedly kept crossing paths, but I didn’t realize it because by this time I didn’t remember what he looked like. It was sort of cruel. One night we were both supposed to meet a mutual friend, and she never showed up, so Ryan and I ended up getting a drink together. Of course, once he finally met me, I was completely irresistible!

At this point, everything in the apartment makes me think of Ryan. He moved in around the same time that the show was ending, and our apartment is decorated with stuff from Ugly Betty, from Partners, from Angels in America. He has this chandelier from a show he just did. We acquire and steal. It’s cool! It’s “showbiz eclectic.”

We’re the same age, 33, and could be considered the same type. I dated people who weren’t actors before, and it can be complicated for people who aren’t in show business; it can be really boring. He gets it, but sometimes we get sick of it. Then we have to tell ourselves: “OK, let’s not talk about this anymore. You have an audition tomorrow; I have an audition. Now let’s watch a bad action movie.”

Auditioning is such an awful thing; it’s so painful and tricky, and you’re so vulnerable. Occasionally, when I’m desperately trying to remember the lines, he just gives me that look and says, “Do you want me to tell you if you’re not perfect?” I just want to strangle him! But, of course, I do want him to tell me. I just don’t want to be not perfect.

Ryan, Actor: I had dated actors before, so that wasn’t what kept me from wanting to date him. But after he landed on Ugly Betty, I became really aware of who he was in a way that he wouldn’t be aware of me, because I’m not on TV. On the occasions we ran into each other, I didn’t feel like I should go up to him and be like, “Hey, remember when we were supposed to go on a date?” It had to be somewhat of an equal playing field before we could actually start talking for real.

He’s worked on different projects that take him out of the city, and I’ve been at school at Julliard, so we’ve been busy. We have a free relationship in that way, which helps us stay strong and fresh. It’s not something I worry about. We don’t have any rules that make it work; we have patterns. We text “Hi” to each other 30 times a day. That’s our way to say we’re thinking of each other. When we talk on the phone, he usually answers with, “What’s wrong?” If it’s three hours after I usually get up and haven’t texted something, he’ll text: “Are you alive? Do you hate me?” Something super dramatic and funny.

“We don’t have any rules that make it work; we have patterns. We text ‘Hi’ to each other 30 times a day. That’s our way to say we’re thinking of each other.”

DIFF 2013 Red Carpet: Michael Urie

DIFF 2013 Red Carpet: HE'S WAY MORE FAMOUS THAN YOU

Selig Film News

Published on 5 Jan 2014

Andy Warhol famously said that in the future, everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame. But for lots of people, simply being famous isn't enough; you've got to be more and more famous, "way more famous" even.

Enter indie starlet Halley Feiffer, who plays an exaggerated version of herself in this increasingly meta commentary on fame and filmmaking. Feiffer is best known for her role in the 2005 film THE SQUID AND WHALE, but when she suddenly loses her boyfriend, career and agent all at once, she embarks on a shameless mission to become as famous as she possibly can.

Fueled by sangria and desperation, Feiffer ropes her brother Ryan (co-writer Ryan Spahn) and his boyfriend Michael Urie (the film's actual director) into making a movie that will project them all into a higher level of stardom. What ensues is an over-the-top, star-speckled romp through the sweet highs and gritty lows of the quest for modern day fame.

Partial articles from The Backlot

[Source]

Briefs: Area 51 Declassified, That Russian Pole Vaulter Was “Misunderstood,” and Is The Question “Are You Gay” Offensive?

by snicks | August 16, 2013

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We’ll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay celebs who deserve more recognition. This week we give a ShoutOUT to … Michael Urie. Wrapping up our week with Michael, last years he returned to TV in the ill-fated CBS sitcom Partners. Here’s an extended trailer to refresh your memory.

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[Source]

Briefs: Ryan Murphy Gives More Finn Clues, Chris Hayes Taken To Task, and Reaction to Darren Young Coming Out

by snicks | August 15, 2013

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We’ll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay celebs who deserve more recognition. This week we give a ShoutOUT to … Michael Urie. In 2012, Michael starred as Bud in the second Broadway revival of How To Succeed In Business. Below you can see him with co-star Nick Jonas

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[Source]

Briefs: Russian Newscaster Comes Out On Air, Zesty Guy Returns, and “Drag Race” Stars Inhabit Cher’s “Woman’s World”

by snicks | August 14, 2013

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We’ll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay celebs who deserve more recognition. This week we give a ShoutOUT to … Michael Urie. In 2009, Michael starred on stage in The Temperamentals, playing Rudi Gernreich, one of the founding members of the Mattachine Society. Below you can see Frank Decaro talk to Michael and Cheyenne Jackson about being out in show business.

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[Source]

Briefs: Lady Gaga and Cher Are “The Greatest,” Who Are “The Almighty Johnsons,” and “Comics Undressed”

by snicks | August 13, 2013

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We’ll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay celebs who deserve more recognition. This week we give a ShoutOUT to … Michael Urie. Michael landed his biggest role to date in 2006 in Ugly Betty. His Marc character was supposed to be a one-shot deal, but he clicked so well with co-star Vanessa Williams, they decided to keep the character, and Michael would become an integral part of the ensemble cast through it’s four seasons.

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[Source]

Briefs: Harry Styles Twerks For Darren Criss, Archie Boycotts Russia, and Is This Zachary Quinto’s New Guy?

by snicks | August 12, 2013

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We’ll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay celebs who deserve more recognition. This week we give a ShoutOUT to … Michael Urie. 33-year-old Michael got his start with bit parts in film and TV before scoring his big break in 2005 in the stage and feature version of WTC View, playing a man who spends the weeks after 9/11 looking for a someone to share his 2 bedroom apartment in NYC.

Michael guested in Hot in Cleveland

Data from IMDb

Hot in Cleveland (2010– ) Comedy

Three 40-something best friends from Los Angeles are flying to Paris when their plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland. Realizing that all the norms from Los Angeles don't apply anymore, they decide to celebrate a city that values real women and stay where they're still considered hot.

Creator: Suzanne Martin

Stars:
Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick

A partial article from The Backlot

[Source]



A Very Gay “Hot in Cleveland” with Michael Urie and an Emotional “Furturama” Reunion

by Lyle Masaki | August 14, 2013

Hot in Cleveland (TV Land) 10:00 PM ET
If Robert Gant made this a good night for gay comedy, things get even gayer with both Michael Urie and Parvesh Cheena. Joy weaves a web of deception in order to get Cleveland’s hottest pediatrician to treat Wilbur. It leaves her presenting a local chef’s (Cheena) cooking as her own and agreeing to date the pediatrician’s son (Shameless‘ Pej Vahdat). Meanwhile, Victoria‘s wedding planner (Urie) has decided the dinner is a great opportunity to plan an Indian wedding.

 

Michael Urie tweets

#suchgooddoggies RT “@SuchGoodPeople:most adorable picture ever! @RandyHarrison01 & @MichaelUrie & Labradoodles! pic.twitter.com/iNoU6raKGG”
— Michael Urie (@michaelurie) May 25, 2013

He's Way More Famous Than You

[Source]

WATCH: He's Way More Famous Than You

5.10.2013

By Jerry Portwood

Ryan Spahn explains why he and Halley Feiffer (and boyfriend Michael Urie) created this kooky comedy

Pictured: Halley Feiffer and Ryan Spahn

"It has such a heightened cartoonish feel," Spahn says, referring to He's Way More Famous Than You, the film he cowrote and stars in and is also directed by his boyfriend, Michael Urie. "It almost feels like Muppets Take Manhattan-meets-Woody Allen."

The fun on-screen chemistry between Spahn and Halley Feiffer, who co-wrote the film together and play brother and sister in the quirky comedy, makes one imagine they are longtime friends who concocted a meta-story one night over too-many drinks, while confessing horror stories about their acting careers. But Spahn says it all happened a few summers ago in Martha's Vineyard when they met and realized they had a similar sense of humor. They later became friends over Facebook and started urging one another to come up with a script.

But what about Mamie Gummer, who's also featured in the film and has fun poking fun at her own perceived privilege as the daughter of Meryl Streep? She must be an old pal?

"I've spent two summers on Martha's Vineyard with all these wealthy, WASPy families," Spahn explains. "We're all kinda friends with Mamie, and we wanted to make a joke about what sort of person we'd assume Mamie Gummer would be. "

It's only one of the spot-on scenarios that plays off perceptions of actors' baggage that will ellicit a giggle. Natasha Lyonne is also featured and offers commentary on her own acting ups and down. As does Ralph Maccio, who at 51 (it's almost impossible to believe!), plays a sleazy version of himself (watch this hilarious clip).

"We wrote him as this nice guy, which he is, and he gave us this massive note that he wanted to be weasly," so Spahn and Feiffer changed gears and gave him the role he wanted.

In fact, the take away of this kooky meta-comedy is that if you don't like the roles you're being offered, write the ones that you want. Spahn, who is currently finishing his third year at Julliard?and is currently sporting a scruffy beard for the "fat, drunk" role he's playing in a college production of Twelfth Night?wrote three films prior to beginning school and has managed to get each of them made (the next, Grantham & Rose, is in post-production).

It can be tough being a gay male acting couple-the competition for auditioning for the same roles, the potential for jealousy-Spahn, however, says they've been lucky not to have such problems so far. "Michael is at a completely different place in his career," Spahn says. "Plus, we're not the same 'type.' We've also both been completely busy and occupied. There's never been a time when one of us was sitting at home doing nothing. I think that's maybe when jealousy could pop in."

But this was the first time they'd worked together in this capacity: What was it like working with his boyfriend (who's currently receiving raves for his one-man Off-Broadway show Buyer & Cellar) as a director?

"Most of the time when couples, or even writers, collaborate, there's usually tension," he says. "I thought it was going to be weird, but it never came up with us; we work really well together. Michael has such a respect for the script and us as actors that we never had a problem-not between us." But Spahn admits that when they turned their apartment where they live together into their production office things got a little crazy. Or the time early on when they got booted from the planned filming location (Feiffer's parents apartment) and had to find a new place to shoot.

"It was the day of the earthquake in Manhattan," he says. "And the doormen would not let us up. So Michael called up Vanessa Williams?she has an 'estate' up in Chappaqua?and he asked if we could film up at her house for the next five days. She said, 'Ok, great.' So we literally packed up the trucks and drove up there. When you see that gorgeous house when we're filming the film within a film, it's Vanessa's."

So have they had any strange responses to them playing hyped-up, fictional versions of themselves on screen? "It's only seems weird to people who don't know us and think that's what we're like," Spahn says. "Our friends get really uncomfortable at times, because it has a documentary feel. But we wanted to push the boundaries, and it's what we wanted to do."

Watch Halley perform an over-the-top scene from The Outsiders below:

From AfterElton

[Source]

Briefs: Michael Urie's "He's Way More Famous Than You," A Big "Vampire Diaries" Spoiler, and Darren Criss is a Triple Threat

Posted by snicks on April 5, 2013

• Below you can see the trailer for He's Way More Famous Than You, directed by and co-starring Michael Urie, with his Ugly Betty co-stars Vanessa Williams and Ralph Macchio as "themselves."

CBS Cancels "Partners."

[Source]

'Partners' cancelled by CBS

November 18, 2012 | By: Hector Cruz

CBS announced Friday (Nov. 16) that it has cancelled its first-year comedy "Partners" after airing just six episodes.

The low-rated series will be replaced with comedy repeats, starting with "Two and a Half Men" on Nov. 19. Veteran player "Rules of Engagement" or new comedy "Friend Me" will likely take the slot starting sometime next year.

The sitcom, which starred Michael Urie, David Krumholtz, Sophia Bush and Brandon Routh, averaged 6.3 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49, lagging far behind the rest of the network's Monday night comedy block.

The most recent episode drew a series low of 5.5 million viewers and a 1.8 rating in the adults 18-49 demo.

"Partners" becomes the third straight short-lived series for "Will & Grace" creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan following the cancellations of NBC's "Four Kings" in 2006 and the William Shatner-starrer "$#*! My Dad Says," which lasted one season on CBS.

Reactions from the cast (via The Futon Critic):

@BrandonJRouth: "Well, that's it folks. Our run of #Partners is over. Thanks so much for your love, support, & dedication 2 our show. Much love from us 2 u."

@SophiaBush: "Sadly, it is so. What a fun run it has been. I love @michaelurie @DaveKrumholtz @BrandonJRouth so much. Our producers. Our crew. Thank u all"

@DaveKrumholtz: "Thanks for all the support."

@michaelurie: "Thanks for the love and support! #Partners will have a special place in my heart, and the best part was how much y'all liked it. #bestfans"

CBS recently cancelled fellow newcomer "Made in Jersey," while giving full-season orders to new dramas "Elementary" and "Vegas."

Other series that have gotten the ax so far this season include "Animal Practice" on NBC and ABC's "666 Park Avenue" and "Last Resort."

Michael Urie interview on ENTV

Michael Ausiello and Matt Mitovich (TVLine.com) get "Partners" scoop from special guest Michael Urie.

Michael Urie on Partners - NBC

It's been a long time since I saw a trailer of Partners in May. Finally it's aired, and I love it!
I missed Michael. I love his way of talking. He is such a cutie. I can't wait next episode already.
Here is critics from AfterElton. What do you think?

[Source]

TV Critics Roundtable: "Partners"

Jim Halterman, Entertainment Reporter on September 25, 2012

Partners stars (l-r) Sophia Bush, David Krumholtz, Brandon Routh and Michael Urie.

Now that NBC’s The New Normal is off and running, it’s time to turn our attention to the other gay-centric sitcom offering in the new Fall TV season, which premiered last night on CBS. Partners focuses on the long friendship between straight guy Joe (David Krumholtz) and gay Louis (Michael Urie) and mirrors that relationship between creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, who also created the groundbreaking sitcom Will & Grace. The series also stars Sophia Bush as the girlfriend to Joe and Brandon Routh as boyfriend to Louis.

Is Partners progressive? Do the actors have the kind of chemistry that can make the show last many seasons? And, most importantly, is the show funny? Like the roundtable we did for the premiere of The New Normal, AfterElton gathered together a group of TV critics to get their take on Partners. Weighing in this time are Matt Richenthal (Editor-in-Chief, TVFanatic.com) and Matt Fowler (Writer/Critic, IGN.com), both of whom are straight, and Jethro Nededog (Senior TV Editor, Celebuzz.com), Trish Bendix (Managing Editor for our sister site, AfterEllen.com) and our own Entertainment Reporter, Jim Halterman, all of whom are gay.

AE: Overall, what did you think of Partners as compared to other sitcoms?

Trish Bendix: I think it is a different kind of premise with two likable male stars that I'd give it a shot. Having only seen the pilot, I am intrigued enough to watch at least one more and see how invested I get in the characters and their relationships.

Jethro Nededog: During pilot season, I'm just happy when I can get through the first five minutes. I did that with Partners, so mission accomplished. Everything about it -- from writing to acting -- are just so so. But, after watching the first two episodes, I'm not finding myself caring about what's next.

Matt Fowler: I applaud the fact that, after receiving a failing grade from GLAAD back in 2010, CBS is delivering a series with a gay lead, but Partners just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t find it all that funny and was baffled by the fact that the premiere episode went right for the ‘we’re not partners anymore!’ story.

Matt Richenthal: For a multi-camera comedy with obvious jokes and one-dimensional characters, it wasn't the worst half hour I've ever spent in front of a television.

Jim Halterman: While I found myself liking the characters in the series, I had a hard time feeling like this was anything fresh. Granted there’s only so much you can do with the first 22 minutes but it failed at the one thing a pilot should do – make me want to see more.

Is Partners a show you'll want to watch for 5-7 seasons?

AE: What did you think of the chemistry between the actors?

Jethro Nededog: I was pleasantly surprised by Michael Urie and David Krumholtz's rapport. It's believable that they could find some connection as two awkward neighbors who are thrown together by vicinity and quirkiness then grow into adult best friends.

Matt Fowler: The chemistry between Urie and Krumholtz is lively. Which is a good thing considering that the show relies heavily on the fact that Louis and Joe have been besties since childhood and have that whole ‘I know you better than you know yourself’ vibe. But their relationship and history isn’t the only one we have to absorb right off the bat. Both of them are also in committed relationships, which is actually a harder, and less funny, sell. And Brandon Routh’s Wyatt kind of sticks out like a dry, sore thumb in the pilot. And from him we even get the dreaded comedy pilot callback joke. Ugh. By the second episode, it appears as though they discovered a direction to take his character, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re being asked not just to accept the entirely of Louis and Joe’s decades-long friendship, but their own deep romantic commitments as well.

Jim Halterman: There’s definitely a nice, relaxed feeling between the actors and I really enjoyed the scenes with Michael Urie and Sophia Bush. The scenes between Krumholtz and Routh seemed a tad more forced but there wasn’t a true clunker in the bunch.

AE: Do you buy the two romantic couplings?

Trish Bendix: So far, I think the only true connection I see is between Michael and David's characters. I do have to say that I enjoy Sophia Bush's scenes with Michael and thought she could hold her own. I'm still not sold on Michael's relationship with Brandon, but that could change over a few episodes of development. For instance, on TNN’s second episode, the story of how Bryan (Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha) met gave me a better understanding of them as a couple and how their relationship began. I'd enjoy knowing more about Louis and Wyatt's.

Jethro Nededog: Well, I can see why Louis likes Brandon Routh's Wyatt -- wink, wink. Seriously, though, we don't know much about either, but we're thrust right into a pivotal moment in Joe and Ali's relationship. That's good for a pilot and makes things feel very urgent but maybe it didn't have to be wrapped up so nicely and topped with a bow?

Matt Richenthal: Wyatt and Louis make sense, sure. Each is simply a stereotype: the dim-witted male nurse and the self-centered, flamboyant gay man. Why not just put them together? Ali seems a bit out of Joe's league, but at least the show acknowledges that and both appear to be hard-working, successful business people.

AE: Both Michael Urie's Louis and Andrew Rannells' Bryan on The New Normal are self absorbed gay men. Is this a lazy use of stereotypes or is it actually a good thing for these sitcoms?

Matt Fowler: I think so, yeah. Especially when, after a few minutes in we’re already hit with cliched Bette Midler and Clay Aiken jokes followed by Louis proclaiming, ‘I am my shtick.’ If you were defining lazy as ‘nothing new,’ then yes.

Matt Richenthal: It's a lazy use of the stereotype, especially considering how David Kohan and Max Mutchnick have already used it on Will & Grace. Change the sexuality of one character and Joe and Louis are basically Will and Jack.

Jim Halterman: I’d say it’s lazy and just too easy to have the gay man fall into a stereotype but, then again, sitcoms are based on archtypes and this one is no different.

AE: Whereas The New Normal has a lot of controversy, there doesn't seem to be any with Partners and yet both shows have gay relationships at their base. Why do you think that is?

Trish Bendix: First, babies are involved. The idea of a child and who will be raising it makes people go nuts on how gays will ruin civilization. Second, Ellen Barkin's homophobic/racist statements on The New Normal automatically brings up the offense factor.

Jethro Nededog: Clearly, there has always been an irrational fear of gay people recruiting others to the lifestyle. So, the fact that The New Normal's couple is having babies touches on that fear. And, let's face it, breeding is supposedly the heterosexuals' domain. So, The New Normal goes a lot farther over the boundary of simply showing two people with differences becoming friends.

Matt Fowler: CBS is behind. Plain and simple. But, to their credit, their audience might be too. This show, at its heart, is Will & Grace. But Jack actually has a career this time and Grace, well, has a penis. Happy Endings, Political Animals, Shameless and even The New Normal are more progressive offerings.

Jim Halterman: I feel like Partners is a throwback to the more traditional sitcom format from the 80s and 90s and, in this case, it doesn’t help it. While it’s nice we’re at a time when having a gay lead isn’t such a shock having the format seem so traditional only, again, makes it seem like something we’ve seen before.

AE: Having a gay and straight man at the core of a sitcom would have been progressive in the past but it doesn't feel that way. Is that a societal thing or does the show itself just not seem progressive in tone?

Trish Bendix: You're right, it isn't necessarily progressive just because of its premise. I have a feeling that, if it does well it could easily become a show that subtly becomes so, like how Roseanne wasn't just about a lower-class family, but brought up other themes along the way, including homosexuality. (Gays, we live in small towns, too!)

Jethro Nededog: The show is not progressive -- in concept or style. It's just a situation comedy that saw some conflict and a launching off point in having a gay man and a straight man be best friends. Some would say that The Odd Couple did it in the 70s.

Matt Fowler: My guess is that it’s because The New Normal involves gay men wanting to be parents and that the show’s title can be construed as being a bit confrontational if, you know, you’re a bigot. Also, TNN comes with a built-in hater in Ellen Barkin’s character who I suppose they feel balances out the show in some manner. Partners, for those analyzing these shows based on abrasiveness or controversy, comes in a more easily digestible format. Especially for the CBS demo.

Will creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick (l-r) strike sitcom gold like they did with Will & Grace?

AE: Do you think PARTNERS is a good fit with HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, which it follows on Monday night?

Trish Bendix: I do. I think they could easily have a similar fan base and a lot of HIMYM fans are well aware Neil Patrick Harris is a gay dad and the world hasn't ended. It's mostly male-driven but something women could easily enjoy too.

Matt Richenthal: Sure. How I Met Your Mother focuses on relationships and love and friendships and misunderstandings. It even stars a real-life gay man in Neil Patrick Harris. It's certainly not a bad fit. If Partners fails, it won't have its time slot to blame.

Jim Halterman: I don’t know that it’s the perfect fit but it does seem like it needs to bump up the energy in order to carry the momentum and snap of HIMYM and, it’s lead-out, 2 Broke Girls. Hopefully it will get snappier over time and not feel so traditional.

AE: What is your prognosis? Will Partners succeed or fail?

Trish Bendix: I hope that it does well and I'm rooting for it to get better. But if every episode is about Louis f**king up and having to apologize, then it will fail.

Jethro Nededog: I don't believe this show will find an audience. Its on-the-nose writing and lack of real dynamics between the characters just doesn't pull you in. And in its effort to appeal broadly, it doesn't create a reason for the viewer to come back.

Matt Fowler: Fail. It wouldn’t normally make sense to bet against a standard CBS sitcom, but given the fates of Rob and S*** My Dad Says, I feel like this might fall by the wayside.

Matt Richenthal: Succeed. Sophia Bush and Michael Urie have built-in fan bases and, come on, if 2 Broke Girls can be a hit on CBS - or anywhere in the universe - there simply has to be room for Partners.

Jim Halterman: I feel like it will succeed more because of the timeslot than because it’s worth succeeding.

Partners airs Mondays at 8:30pm on CBS.

Michael Urie, Brandon Routh, Sophia Bush and Mutchnick/Kohan Talk "Partners"

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Michael Urie, Brandon Routh, Sophia Bush and Mutchnick/Kohan Talk "Partners"

Posted by Jim Halterman, Entertainment Reporter on September 7, 2012

(L-R) Actress Sophia Bush, actor David Krumholtz, Executive Producers David Kohan
and Max Mutchnick and actors Michael Urie and Brandon Routh
(Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

Last night, the annual PaleyFest: Fall TV Preview Parties continued on a gay roll after Wednesday night's The New Normal event (check out our coverage) when the cast and creators of the new CBS sitcom Partners gathered at the Paley Center For Media in Beverly Hills.

Before the pilot screening and panel to talk up the new series, stars Michael Urie, Brandon Routh, David Krumholtz, Sophia Bush and creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan stopped to chat with AfterElton on the red carpet about getting that first man-on-man smooch out of the way, what movie Urie and Krumholtz ventured to watch together (it was not Magic Mike) and how they feel about their plum Monday night timeslot.

Michael Urie

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Brandon Routh

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Creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan

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Sophia Bush

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David Krumholtz

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Partners premieres September 24th at 8:30pm on CBS.

Michael Urie on Partners

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Michael Urie on "Partners" and Celebrity Sexuality

Posted by Jim Halterman, Entertainment Reporter on August 14, 2012

Take some established TV actors with impressive track records, borrow generously from the real-life gay/straight alliance of the creators (who just happened to create a long-running ground-breaking sitcom), throw a hunky former Superman into the mix and you’ve got the ingredients of CBS’s new sitcom Partners.

In the series, which premieres on September 24th, Louis (Michael Urie, Ugly Betty) is the lifelong best friend of Joe (David Krumholtz, Numbers) and the two are partners in an architecture firm. Louis has a boyfriend in Wyatt (Brandon Routh, Superman Returns and Chuck) and Ali (Sophia Bush, One Tree Hill) is Joe’s girlfriend. The lines between all these relationships cross and get tangled providing (hopefully) enough laughs to be on the air for a long time. The series is created and inspired by the real-life friendship of Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, who created Will & Grace.

At the recent Television Critics Association press tour, AfterElton sat down with the uber-friendly and super cute Urie to talk about his return to series television, how he’d like see the love life of Louis and Wyatt portrayed, and the line between public and private in regards to a celebrity’s sexuality.

AfterElton: I’m so happy to see you back on TV.
Michael Urie: Thank you so much.

AE: I’m guessing that there were a lot of different things and offers that have come your way, and I know that you’ve done a lot of theater since Betty. Why was Partners the right project to commit to?
MU: Well, I have been casually looking for a TV job, but not actively. I like LA. I love working in LA, but I love living in New York. I love doing theater. So, I was very happy there. I wasn’t actively seeking a new TV job, but I was certainly reading pilots and letting them come my way, things like that. There’s not a part for me in every show, there’s just not. So I’m selective, but so are they. Do you know what I mean? But when this show came up I read i,t and I was like okay…well first of all the players, Max, David, Jimmy Burrows [TV director extraordinaire]. Yes, yes, yes.

AE: Their shows tend to run a long time.

Urie and on-screen BF Brandon Routh laugh during the recent TCA panel for Partners.

MU: [nods] Also, CBS…multi camera…all of those things are good. Then I read the script and the part is so good, I figured out that I was playing Max Mutchnick. It’s the best part I’ve ever read for a TV show that I actually could have gotten. I was like, ‘I’ve got to make this happen. I’ve got to get this job. This is going to work. I can hear myself saying these words. I can see myself playing the part.’ I can’t imagine a better role for me in a show.

AE: Is it safe to say that you know Louis pretty well?
MU: I get this guy. It’s a good fit. Yeah.

AE: And you have Brandon as Wyatt, Louis’s boyfriend. Not too shabby.
MU: He’s so wonderful and dreamy.

AE: Did you have any say in that casting? Chemistry reads or anything like that?
MU: No, I did not. I was cast first, but I remember hearing about him being in the mix. I am a big fan of Superman Returns, especially him as Clark Kent. He is a funny actor. He would be funny in this kind of a part and handsome, guileless…I was really into it. Of course he’s handsome as hell. I love that. I love who he is. I love the kind of work he’s done. I think it’s a great story, and he’s a great actor. He’s easy on the eyes. Doesn’t hurt…

AE: We have a lot of gay characters on TV now, but sex still isn’t something we go into all that much at least in sitcoms. Will we see Louis and Wyatt’s sex life? Is that something that you want to be a part of the show?
MU: I want that to be a part of the show in as much as sex is a part of any sitcom. There is a certain wholesomeness to a situational comedy. We’re on at eight-thirty. We want young people to watch the show. I think we should see us in bed together. I think we should be adults. I think we should be portrayed as adults. I don’t know how racy it should get. We should definitely keep our demographic skewing young. Part of what is so great about this show is that people of all ages will enjoy it. Regardless of who it is that’s having sex, we wouldn’t ever want anybody to get scared away by sex. But I feel like we’re playing adults. We should act like adults.

The Partners cast: Routh, Urie, Krumholtz and Sophia Bush.

AE: The whole cast seems to have really good chemistry from what I saw in the pilot. Even your scenes with Sophia are so cute. She’s adorable.
MU: I love her too. You know, four is a great number of core actors because it’s easy to get to know each other right away. David [Krumholtz] and I have spent a lot of time together, obviously. Sophia and I have spent a lot of time together. Brandon and I have gotten to spend one-on-one time together. We’re getting to know each other personally, which makes it so much easier once you’re working. You have a common emotional language, even a common physical language, which makes it a lot easier.

I also think David and Max did such a good job of creating a pilot that really picked up in the middle as opposed to like ‘Diane walks into this bar called Cheers.’ Obviously that pilot was fantastic but…

AE: I see what you mean.
MU: [Partners] starts as lives in progress rather than people who just met and now they have to get to know each other. That’s all exposition, exposition, exposition. Our show feels like it could be the third or fourth episode. Obviously David and Max know what the hell they are doing, and they are so smart about creating story, but also managing to find all of these jokes to put in it because the story is really good. The story in the first episode is really strong.

David Krumholtz and Michael Urie as Joe and Louis in Partners.

AE: Yeah, even the foundation of the show, the fact that this is their friendship from the time they were kids and one happens to be straight and one happens to be gay.
MU: Some of my best friends are straight and always have been. We don’t necessarily talk about football, but I like doing things like that. Most of my straight guy friends are also going to see musicals. So, there are stereotypes of straight and gay people, but there is also a broken rule for every stereotype about that. I enjoy going to football games. I don’t necessarily know who’s playing or all the rules but…

[Mamie Gummer, also doing interviews for her new show, Emily Owens MD stops by to say hello to Michael]

Urie on Broadway in How To Succeed In Business... earlier this year.

AE: You mentioned you were directing a movie? Tell me about that.
MU: My boyfriend (Ryan Spahn) co-wrote it with Halley Feiffer. They are the stars and I directed it. Everyone plays themselves. It’s called, He’s Way More Famous Than You. We’re shopping it right now.

AE: Is directing a new area for you?
MU: It is. I co-directed a documentary that has been in the festival circuit and hopefully will be available to you very soon, and that was my first time directing. I shot it a year ago, almost a year ago.

AE: How does directing influence acting and back and forth? Does it make you think of things differently?
MU: Absolutely. I learned when I was directing. I was also in the movie, and I learned when I was directing on days when I was also acting…I feel like I’ve had a director’s mind forever, but it wasn’t until I had to direct myself that I realized why actors are pampered. I always thought, why are we so pampered? I don’t need this. But one day I was directing and acting and I got frustrated about something and it became impossible to act. So, now I have a very keen understanding of why actors are special on a set and how to keep them in it, not necessarily happy, but in it. One day somebody pissed me off about something that didn’t have anything to do with the scene, and I could not concentrate.

AE: Wow, I guess that was a good lesson?
MU: It was a good lesson. The scene worked out.

AE: I was looking at some past interviews that you’ve done and the whole sexuality thing comes up with actors and actresses and people always seem to want to know what to label people. I’m curious, why do you think everybody is so curious and obsessive about it? I know if I don’t ask – and sometimes I know I can’t depending on who I’m talking to – readers will comment with ‘Why didn’t you ask that?!’ So, what I want to ask is, why do you think we’re so fascinated with an actor’s sexuality?
MU: I don’t know. That’s a good question. I guess…well, I think it’s easy. It’s an easy question. It’s easy when somebody is known for playing straight roles but they are not romantically linked for whatever reason, it becomes a big question. You can Google almost anyone’s name and their name with ‘gay’ comes up. George Clooney, George Clooney Gay will come up. Which is weird to me. I think that there are some people that I think insist that anyone in the public eye must put their private life in the public eye…

AE: Like it’s part of the package.
MU: As part of the package, which I get, some people don’t. I struggle with whether or not sexual identity is private or public because, if we are to say that it is not a choice like being left or right handed, why would it be private? So, I don’t know. Honestly I don’t know.

I know that there was a period when I was being told and I wondered if my sexuality was public, would it affect my work? Then I realized that my sexuality being public would help my work actually. I’ve gotten to play so many great parts that are gay men. I wouldn’t give that up for the world at all. I certainly would never give up a great gay part for a lousy straight part So, I’m perfectly happy with where things are for me right now. But I wonder if certain other actors who might be known for their heterosexual sex appeal, if they were to come out as gay, if that would hurt them. The only times you see great actors who are known for their heterosexual sex appeal to come out as gay, they’ve already got a great heterosexual job.

AE: Interesting.
MU: It’s like this Chick-Fil-A thing, eventually we all are going to look back on this time in the same way that we’ve looked at all of the generations before us who have had inequality with shame. You know, we’re going to be ashamed that anybody ever was not equal the way that we look back and can’t believe women couldn’t vote, can’t believe…

AE: Oh yeah. I can’t wait for that day.
MU: …the holocaust and slavery and all the way back to anytime that anybody was oppressed. Obviously ours is far less violent than many have been, but it’s the same thing. Eventually it’s going to be ridiculous for anyone in a seat of power, like the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, to come out against any minority. There was an interesting article that my sister-in-law’s brother wrote, I don’t know who he wrote it for, but I read it on The Daily Beast. It was about the politicians who have changed their stance on…

AE: Equality and gay marriage.
MU: …and all of them changed their stance because they know somebody or they’ve met somebody and they’ve gotten to know somebody and they’ve come to realize, ‘Oh yeah, they’re nice.’

AE: Yeah, we’re not scary.
MU: We’re not scary. And nobody has ever changed their mind the other way. Nobody has ever been in favor of equality and then changed their mind.

Partners airs Mondays at 8:30pm beginning September 24th on CBS.

Michael Urie - Partners on CBS

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Michael Urie in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

[Source]
PLAYBILL BRIEF ENCOUNTER With How to Succeed and "Ugly Betty" Star Michael Urie
By Michael Gioia
28 Jan 2012

Michael Urie

Michael Urie, also known as Marc St. James from the ABC sitcom "Ugly Betty," takes on his first musical — not to mention, his first Broadway credit — by stepping into the shoes of office brown-noser Bud Frump in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

At the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, big-name stars have been shuffling in and out of the stage door to take part in the Rob Ashford-directed revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. ("Harry Potter" and Equus star Daniel Radcliffe, "Glee" actor Darren Criss, Tony winner John Larroquette, Emmy Award winner Beau Bridges and singer-songwriter Nick Jonas have all been part of the run so far.) A recent new-hire at the World Wide Wicket Corporation is stage and screen actor Michael Urie, who was recently seen in the Off-Broadway production of The Cherry Orchard at Classic Stage Company.

Following his first performance at the Al Hirschfeld on Jan. 24, we caught a few minutes with the musical's newest Bud Frump, the role previously played by Christopher J. Hanke (Cry-Baby, In My Life, Rent). Urie, who was also seen in the Off-Broadway productions of Tony Kusher's Angels in America and Jon Marans' The Temperamentals, chats about the challenges of taking on a musical and rehearsing with Jonas, his newest comrade on and off the stage.

You're making your Broadway debut. Congrats! How does it feel?
Michael Urie: Thank you so much. It feels great, and it was an incredible night. It was so much fun.

How did your first performance go?
MU: I felt really good about it. It was the first time doing it full-out for [me and Nick Jonas]. Not that we haven't done a run-through — Nick and I did it on Friday in costume, with all the sets and everything like that — but it's the first time that we've done it with everyone else in costume. It was the first 100-percent show for us, and it was extremely thrilling — not to mention, all of the red things on the other side of the stage were filled with people watching. [Laughs.] Those things that are usually empty suddenly have bodies in them! You learn so much from an audience, especially in a comedy, and they taught me quite a bit tonight. There are a lot of things that I was very happy with, [but there are] things that need a little tweaking or changing, and that's what's amazing about doing a play. I get to do it again — twice — tomorrow.

Urie takes a a first-night bow
photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

I know you've done other stage work, but is this your first musical?
MU: First musical. First time on Broadway. I did a musical in community college, but I was terrible in it. It was a pretty good show though — Gypsy. We did Gypsy in my community college.

What role did you play?
MU: They made up a farmboy for me — Omaha.

What are the challenges you face in taking on a musical?
MU: I've mostly done plays, and in plays, you sort of speak when you feel like it. In a musical, you have to speak when you speak or else it derails the rest of the show. I've never done a show that was so regimented like this. There's a lot of freedom within the scenes, and there's a lot of freedom within the interpretation, but the pace is set. The conductor sets it, and you have to go with that. I've never had that before. I just finished doing Chekhov [The Cherry Orchard]. That's like lazy acting — you speak when you feel like it. It's Chekhov! It's all about how you feel. [Laughs.] It's very different.

Did you have the chance to see Christopher J. Hanke's performance as Bud Frump?
MU: Oh, yeah. I saw Christopher a lot.

Did you talk to him? Did he offer any advice?
MU: Well, I got advice about what it's like to be on a big Broadway stage — like, how [to] get to the numbers. I don't know if you know this, but on the lip of the Broadway stage, there are all these numbers. I had never worked with anything like that before. [In rehearsal, I'm told], "Go to 8."… I'm like, "Where's 8? How do I see that?" So, Hanke was really good about helping me learn about that and about what it's like to be in an eight-shows-a-week Broadway show because I've never done anything like that before.

Urie at the first-night party
photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Most times, replacements rehearse by themselves before beginning performances. You had the opportunity to rehearse with Nick Jonas before being put into the show, correct?
MU: That's right.

Can you tell me about the rehearsal process with him?
MU: I'm so relieved that Nick and I were able to rehearse together because everything between us is all ours. We created that together. In the rehearsal room, we were really able to work on [our characters], and we didn't have to be loyal to anything that came before us. It's also… You need a comrade in a rehearsal room. You need somebody to feed off of, and he was bringing such good stuff, and I was able to feed off of him. If I had been alone — if I had been the only actor put-in — it would have just been me and the awesome associate director and the awesome dance captain, but I wouldn't have been able to create something with another actor. I really feel like having Nick in the rehearsal room was quite a boon for us — for both of us.

What new light will you bring to the character of Bud Frump?
MU: What Hanke did was so brilliant, and he really set out this amazing map. I could sort of see the journey of Bud Frump. It made it so easy for me to say, "Okay, this is the perfect journey of Bud Frump, and I'll let my instincts take over." What Hanke does that's hilarious won't necessarily work if I do it. There were little things that I was able to make my own, but if he hadn't already created such a great arc — a strong arc — I would have had to really hustle in three weeks to figure out what I was doing. I definitely stole some stuff, and I definitely took a cue from him and said, "Oh, that's really great. I'm going to try it this way [to make it] my own." I've only done [the show] once now. I've learned a lot tonight. A lot will change over the next few performances. It's very exciting.

 Read Playbill.com's Leading Men column with Jonas, How to Succeed's newest Finch.

Michael Gioia's work frequently appears in the news, feature and video sections of Playbill.com. Write to him at mgioia@playbill.com.

Watch Playbill Video’s interviews with Urie and Jonas following their first performance: