Windy City Times: Let’s start with a general question: What are some lessons you’ve learned about celebrity and show business?
Colton Ford: I really think that if any kind of celebrity—when that person gets in the public eye—buys into it, [he or she] will be fucked up. It’s based on the superficial. I think we’ve seen it in the mainstream, and I’ve seen it in the porn industry: People will buy into all the press and the hype—and those people will become twisted.
It’s funny: I was watching a documentary on Judy Garland, and she said that once she signed on to MGM that the publicity department was spinning everything. She said that she would read these things and say, ‘Is that me? That’s not me!’ But she didn’t want to say anything because these people were working hard to make her a star. The residual effect was that she started to question herself. [You need] to separate yourself from the part that needs to self-promote.
WCT: Have you questioned who you are?
CF: Well, I’ve definitely done the work. I’ve had 14 years of therapy, so if I don’t know who I am by now, I need a serious refund. [Laughs]
I got in there when I was in my late 20s and stayed with it, and dragged some of my partners in it. … I have done a lot of self-exploration, and I encourage everyone to do it because I think it’s absolutely fabulous, and it’s the way to go.
WCT: You mentioned documentaries before, and I want to make a quick comment about Naked Fame [the Colton Ford documentary that came out in 2004]. I personally cherish my privacy, and there could never be a documentary [starring myself] —at least not while I was alive.
CF: [Laughs] I get that, totally. But I think if you’re someone who has a passion for anything in the entertainment world, then you’re going to have to be OK with giving up a piece of that. Market awareness is very important. You have to weigh if you want [fame] enough to give up that piece of your life. It never stops. You’ve seen it: As people climb the ladder, they see how things are and have to change the way they view things. A really good example is J. Lo [Jennifer Lopez] : She [realized] after the whole Ben Affleck thing that she had to pull back.
Who knows? I deal with it. Hopefully, I’ll go where I envision myself, and I will change and adapt accordingly. But the documentary wasn’t the experience we anticipated going into it. I think we had a very Pollyanna attitude going into it, and it was really intrusive and, after a while, you want them to fucking get out of your face. But it was a great marketing and promotion tool. [Laughs] You need to capitalize on anything that helps get you out there in a greater way.
WCT: Let’s talk about ‘The Lair’ a bit. It seems like your role [as Sheriff Trout] has been greatly expanded this second season.
CF: Yeah; I was pleasantly surprised. There are more layers [to the character] : He was temporarily blind and, in so doing, he was emasculated. Then he befriends someone who reminds him of someone he wronged in the past.
Doing the blind thing was fun, but the sheriff got his sight back. In that situation, it was stimulating. Plus, everybody in the cast is just wonderful.
WCT: Something I found interesting is that your character is one of the very few who is not nude in the show. Was that a conscious choice on your part?
CF: No, but I must [say] that [not being nude] served me well—people were looking at my acting, and not assuming that I was cast because I’m comfortable taking my clothes off. But I know that Fred [Olen Ray, the director] was really adamant about me not going there because [my character] is the voice of reason and the rock. It’s more interesting to not have that part of my character exposed.
Now, this season I do have a scene where I’m sitting with my shirt off, so there’s a little bit of skin. I think it’s more interesting [not being nude], though.
WCT: If and when there’s a third season, what direction would you like to see your character go?
CF: I don’t really know. I’m kind of interested to see where they’re going to take it. I don’t think it would be out of the realm of possibility to have someone come into his life—a love interest. In terms of him becoming a vampire or werewolf, that’s been done. [Laughs] Maybe he gets picked up by aliens, who knows? [Interviewer laughs]
WCT: Would you call ‘The Lair’ a guilty pleasure?
CF: I know they’ve been using that term, but what’s so guilty about it? It’s a great form of escapism, which is why we go to the movies and watch TV. Should we feel guilty about it? Hell no. Do we enjoy it for what it is? Absolutely.
Sometimes, people [promote] something as guilty because it’s ‘naughty.’ You know that we’re still ass-backwards when it comes to sex in this country.
WCT: Also on the acting front, you were in the movie Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild. What was that experience like?
CF: It was fun. It was another ‘guilty pleasure’-type of thing. I felt like I was able to poke fun at the whole porn persona, and be silly. It was really a lot of fun.
WCT: And I take it that you see yourself making more movies in the future?
CF: Yes; I really enjoy acting—I did it a lot when I was younger, especially theater. To me, it’s just another outlet for creative expression. One of the fun things I enjoy with ‘The Lair’ is making the campy lines feel real. I’ve been getting some scripts and I’m working with someone who’s putting together a musical for Broadway. [Also,] I’m in the studio working on two new albums, so I’m keeping myself busy, creatively. And the more you cross-pollinate, the better.
WCT: What can you tell me about your albums?
CF: Well, there is the current one, Tug of War. I collaborated with Quentin Harris on the whole album, with the exception of the last track, which I wrote in 1992 when I was signed to Denise Rich. This new album of originals has stuff I’ve written [as well as] stuff other people have written; I’m collaborating with several different producers, so it’ll have a different flavor from the first record. The other album will be [one] of covers that will be out before my follow-up of Tug.
WCT: October is LGBT History Month. Do you have an LGBT icon?
CF: She’s not LGBT, but Cyndi Lauper is as gay-friendly as they come, and she’s a crusader for our rights. [Editor’s note: Ford met Lauper when he performed on the ‘True Colors’ tour this year.] She definitely walks the walk, and [does it] brilliantly. She’s someone I really admire and respect for the work she’s done for the community.
Colton Ford will be part of ‘The Lair Tour’ that will stop by Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, on Friday, Oct. 3, at 10 p.m. Regarding the show, it’s SVOD (subscriber video on-demand) service; every two weeks, two new episodes premiere. See more at www.heretv.com.