If you’re reading this, then there’s pretty much one thing you want to know upfront - is he or isn’t he? To which I’d like to pose the question: does it really matter?
At the end of our conversation, he asks me what I honestly thought when I saw him on TV. I told him that based on subtle mannerisms, yes, I assumed he had to be gay.
“Thank you,” he says, “I know it sounds weird, but that’s what I want to hear. It means I’ve done my job.”
Don’t worry - this isn’t one of those pieces where we allude to revealing his sexuality and then ultimately wimp out with a “does it really matter?”
So is he? No. Ashish Gangapersad is a happily involved heterosexual male. But he’s also acutely aware of the consequences of taking on the role of Prada on Isidingo. After all, many soap stars still find themselves typecast by their characters years after they’ve left the show.
Ashish, having been in the acting industry for just a year, is a newbie, and Prada is his first major role. So is he at all afraid of being typecast or being publicly identified as gay?
“Yes and no,” he says, with a pause. “I didn’t have an issue with playing a gay guy, but when I got the part, I did have to sit down and ask myself if I was ready for this.
"Not for fear of being associated or stereotyped, but because if I took this role and messed it up, that would be the end for me, as an actor. But the upside was the opposite. If I could make people believe it, then I’d be doing my job as an actor.”
He’s not talking out of his ass, either. His understated portrayal of the sensitive and somewhat outspoken Prada is a lesson in restraint. Prada is not blatantly gay. He is also not effeminate, fashion-obsessed or limp-wristed. He never ogles men, openly flirts or talks about them as if they were meat. But the signs are there and, at the same time, he never hides who he is.
I ask him what influenced his portrayal. Did he do a lot of research, and if so what kind?
“With Prada, I thought, you know what, the character is based on me, the only things that’s changed, okay, the only two things that changed, were his sexuality and fashion sense. And that’s where I started.
"Why does Prada have to be a concoction, why can’t he just be a regular guy - just like me - who simply happens to be gay? In terms of research, I watched a lot of Will & Grace - and observed the differences between Jack and Will”.
Ashish was born in Newcastle, KZN in 1984, making him 25. He says he was “an average, not too naughty kid”. But something about the question or his answer triggers something and he reveals quite a shocking secret. “I have never smoked a single cigarette or drank any alcohol in my life.”
I’m momentarily stymied. Here’s a good-looking actor in his prime on a popular national soapie - and he has never indulged? “But why?” is all I can manage. “You never know when you may need to donate an organ” he replies.
It’s an odd joke, at best, but it does shine some light on Ashish. He simply is one of those old-fashioned good boys your mother always told you about.
Case in point: when I ask him what scares him, this is his answer: “Failure. It goes beyond acting, though. My parents have worked so hard and supported me and my dream, never once saying my dream was too big. And I’d hate to fail them, or disappoint them.”
I ask him whether he ever thought his dream was too big.“You know, it’s a difficult industry. If you’re not prepared for it, you can get really hurt. I mean, when you go to auditions every day, giving it your best shot over and over again, and then get rejected over and over again, it’s hard not to doubt yourself.
"But it also taught me that you can’t win everything, and that that’s okay. It taught me that it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, what matters is that you keep picking yourself up.”
You can only talk about something for so long without actually acknowledging it, so I ask him just what his dream is.
“I want to be in an X-Men type of film, but as someone cool like Wolverine. Not get stuck with Prof X,” he laughs and continues: “I like emotionally hard-hitting dramatic roles that challenge you in every way. I obviously haven’t had them yet, but that’s my goal. I also would love to do action films. I’m an athletic type, so maybe something like Bond?”
Prada couldn’t be further away from Bond, and coming from a small community myself, I wonder how his friends and family have responded to his high-profile role as a gay man.
“Um, most of them are just excited to see me on TV! They’re like: ‘Ooh, you’re a celeb now.’ But I don’t see myself as one. As for the public, I haven’t had a single negative reaction yet. I did think about it, and I did almost expect some sort of negative reaction, maybe someone saying: ‘How can you go on TV and embarrass Indians like that?’
"That’s why I wanted to show off Prada’s sense of humour and energy - so that you almost don’t even notice he’s gay because of the funny things he’s saying. But I mean, what if I am? Are you not going to watch the show?”
| "The first day, I rocked up to the change rooms, and I was starstruck." |
I ask him about where he’d like to see Prada’s story go, and about the possibility of a love interest.
“That’s a difficult question, because (a) Prada was just meant to be a small once-off role, and (b) because I do still want to do movies… I mean, I don’t want to knock soapies at all, but the longer you’re on a soap, the more people put you in a box… so I don’t know.
“I would like to see him grow, though, because there is a lot of room for him. And I’m pleased to tell you that Prada will be getting a bit more screen time. I just shot a few extra scenes where he has his own storyline.”
I’m still waiting for him to talk about a potential love interest on the show. “I don’t know what would ever happen - I’ve never done it. But you know, whenever I’ve had to play the love interest or do a scene with someone playing my wife or girlfriend, I think of my girlfriend, and I suppose if I had a male love interest, I would probably do the same.”
If he ever needs help, I suppose he could ask any one of his numerous colleagues on the show, actors he’s looked up to for years. I ask him who he was most nervous/excited to meet.
“Oh wow, the first day, I rocked up to the change rooms, and I was starstruck. I mean, there’s Robert Whitehead (Barker) and Jack Dee (Jack Devnarain, Rajesh) right there. These are people I’ve seen on TV for years!
"But the person I was most excited about was Leeanda Reddy (who plays his on-screen cousin) - mainly because I knew I’d be sharing most of my scenes with her. And she’s amazingly talented and has become a sister to me. And Karen van der Laag (Maggie) is really the sweetest person.”
I want some real skinner, so I ask him what surprised him most about the Isidingo set. “You know, you see it on TV and then you see it in real life, and you’re weirdly familiar with everything, like you know where things are, the lounge or the bedroom, or where the TV is, but you shouldn’t.
"It’s weird. But I’d say the most surprising thing, really, was how good the food was. You know how they’re always eating or nibbling on TV? It’s all real, and the food is surprisingly good… Maybe just a little too good.”
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GAY FOR PAY
TV has had many gay characters and, in recent years, many more high profile ones have come out, so to speak. But how many actors are actually gay? And how many are playing straight roles so convincingly we wouldn't suspect?
Will & Grace is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you put "gay" and "TV" together. But did you know that only Sean Hayes (Jack) was actually gay? Eric McCormack (Will) is straight and happily married.
Queer As Folk: This series was notorious for its graphic sex scenes - and its protagonist Brian (Gale Harold) was probably the most promiscuous character, gay or straight, ever seen on TV. But did you know the actor is actually straight? In fact, only three of the cast members are gay: Justin (Randy Harrison), Ben (Robert Gant) and Emmet (Peter Page).
Grey's Anatomy: No this is not about Sara Ramirez (Callie Torress), who has not yet revealed her sexuality. Instead it's about T.R. Knight - George O'Malley. On the show he slept with Meredith, Izzie, Rose and married Callie. In reality he's opening gay, dated Luke MacFarlane (Scotty on Brothers & Sisters) and is currently in a longterm relationship with a man.
Sex and the City: No not Samantha, but rather Miranda. Actress Cynthia Nixon is in a longterm relationship with her partner, with whom she has kids.
How I Met Your Mother: Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) may be the show's most notorious womaniser, but in reality, he's in a longterm committed relationship with fellow actor David Burtka.
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