Jason T. Gaffney Interview

Photo cred: Shirin Tinati

Hey folks! I'm super excited to publish this week's interview with writer and actor Jason T. Gaffney! Mr. Gaffney wrote, produced, and stars as a lead in the upcoming movie The Perfect Wedding. Read the interview to learn more about him and the movie (and of course, his views on underwear), take some time to appreciate his handsome pictures at the end of the interview, and then check out all of his wonderful media sites! You can follow Jason T. Gaffney and all his epic acting adventures on his Website, Twitter, Facebook. To learn even more about The Perfect Wedding and to keep up with updates on the movie, check out the official site, Twitter, and Facebook page.  

1. Age: 27

2. Where are you from?

I was born in New York, I grew up outside of Boston, went to school in New York City, but now I live in Los Angeles.

3. Favorite superhero?

Easily Iceman from X-Men – although Kitty Pride would be a close second. Back when I was a kid I remember buying an edition of X-men that featured Iceman, and I remembered thinking how cool he was (no pun intended) and how I wanted to be him. As for Kitty Pride (AKA Shadowcat) I always thought that she was someone that I could be best friends with.

4. Who or what inspired you to become involved in acting and writing?

I always wanted to be an actor, and I started acting when I was seven. I was born wanting to put on a show, and I had supportive parents who encouraged me to go after my dreams!

As far as the writing, both of my parents are published novelists, so I come by that naturally.

5. Can you tell me a little bit about The Perfect Wedding and how you thought of/ decided on the story line?

I love movies. But the majority of mainstream movies don’t have realistic gay characters. Most of them don’t have ANY gay characters!

When I came out, I wanted to see characters like me in movies, so I started watching LGBT films. But despite the fact that I loved them, they still weren’t an accurate reflection of my own life.

Many of the movies were angsty coming out stories – but my coming out was met with high fives and a Pride parade in my living room.

Other movies were comedies where the humor came from people being forced back into the closet – I’ve never been in the closet except to get my jacket.

So one day I was thinking to myself how much I would love to see a romantic comedy where the two leads just happened to be gay. No one’s in the closet, and the drama comes from situations you’d find in straight romances.

I remember calling my dad with the idea for the story, which is essentially “boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy wins boy.” Kind of classic rom-com right? That was the whole idea. But I remember telling him, “Here’s the best part! They’re gay but no one cares! They’re loved for who they are!”

THE PERFECT WEDDING is the story of two young gay men (Paul and Gavin) who meet and fall in love when they spend a holiday weekend at Paul’s parents’ house, where they all gather to help plan Paul’s sister’s wedding. (As in most romantic comedies, hijinx ensue.)

There’s a subplot with the sister and her fiancé, and a subplot with Paul’s parents – played by the amazing James Rebhorn (Homeland, Independence Day) and fabulous Kristine Sutherland (You may know her best as Joyce Summers, Buffy’s mom, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

One thing remained a mission statement throughout the various stages of production. The leads would be gay. No one would care about them being gay. No jokes would be made about them being gay. They would live in a world where they were loved unconditionally for who they were.

6. What do you identify most with about your character in The Perfect Wedding? 

Gavin is very loyal and will do almost anything to help out the people he loves. I relate to that.

7. What have you learned about yourself after writing, producing, and acting in a full length movie?

That you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

I remember thinking when I called up my parents to collaborate on this story that we had to write this screenplay. Then as we were writing the script I found myself thinking that we had to produce this movie ourselves and keep control of the story. And THEN as we were shooting the film, I got really excited, because as the pieces fell into place, I realized that we had a shot at getting distribution. And sure enough we did!

8. What’s the one thing you hope viewers take away from The Perfect Wedding?

That times really are changing.

We are entering a new era where the LGBT community is accepted and valued.

Don’t get me wrong; we still have a huge fight left. But if you look around, things are getting better and people are seeing that love is love. I hope that when people see this film and see characters who are loved by their families and friends, that they can imagine the bright future we are all heading toward.

9. What would you say the biggest struggle was with creating the movie?

I have to say that making this film was actually quite easy. The cast and crew were amazingly talented and we all became a family. The hardest part for me was post-production. Everything took longer than I hoped it would. It was frustrating, because I wanted to see the finished movie!

10. What’s been the most rewarding experience as an actor?

It’s incredibly rewarding to be involved in a movie project that has the ability to reach a huge audience. And when that movie is something like THE PERFECT WEDDING, a romantic comedy about a modern American family with a well-loved gay son, I have the opportunity to help redefine normal.

If one kid watches this movie and sees a reflection of himself, it’s worth it.

11. What would you say is the toughest aspect of being an actor or writer?

So often in Hollywood, the actor is controlled by the writer, and the writer is controlled by the producer. And sometimes the story that the actor or the writer thinks they are telling gets lost in translation.

By acting, writing, and producing THE PERFECT WEDDING, I made sure that my story got told the way I wanted it to be told. But this is the exception instead of the rule!

           

12. Which do you prefer: boxers, briefs, or boxer briefs? Why?

I’m a fan of all kinds of underwear for different situations, but my personal favorite are briefs. Especially when I’m doing an acting scene or dancing I want to know where everything is!

13. Do you favor any underwear brands? If so, which and why?

I’m a huge fan of Addicted and Diesel. I love the colors and how they hug me and show of my “assets.” ;-)

14. You’re in a public place and you get a natural wedgie -- how do you handle it?

I used to be discreet about it when I was younger. You know slowly wiggling around and hoping my pants would help un-lodge it, or putting my hands in my pockets to try and fiddle with it. But now I tend to just grab it and fix it as fast as possible to get rid of any discomfort quickly. Because let’s be honest, I was way more obvious when I tried to fix it discretely!

15. What would someone find if they went through your underwear drawer?

An overstocked underwear drawer filled with every kind from dance-belts for dance to skimpy briefs for feeling sexy and fun to loose grandpa underpants for comfort after a long day on set.

16. Do you have a lucky or favorite pair of underwear? If so, what style/color?

I do! I have both a lucky and a favorite pair. It’s a pair of Addicted briefs that are kind of nautically themed with blue and white stripes and a number 20 on the bum. They’re one of my favorites because they fit really nicely, but they’re also lucky because I met my boyfriend while I was wearing them. Because they make me feel sexy, they boost my confidence which made my first date with my now boyfriend go much more smoothly then it could have gone! I’m a huge fan of if you feel sexy and confident on the inside (underwear included) then you’ll become sexy and confident on the outside.

17. GQ wrote an article a few months ago stating that “tighty-whities” are stylish now. How do you feel about tighty-whities, & do you agree with GQ?

I feel like tighty-whities are always in style as long as the guy wearing them is confident. I’m a huge fan of them if they fit right.

18. Do you have any funny or memorable underwear stories?

I was working on a production of the tap dance show 42^nd Street. When I dance I wear a dance-belt, which is like a male thong and a jockstrap combined. (Not my hottest pair of underpants but essential for dancing!) Well, there was a park with a playground nearby that the cast would go hangout during our lunch break. We started taking silly photos for Facebook and to remember our 42^nd Street journey, and someone told me to go down the slide for an action shot. So I did. And there was a nail sticking out from the side of the slide, which caught onto my shorts and ripped them straight up the side. I was able to cling to them and keep them from being ripped off me, and I was lucky because otherwise I would have mooned the whole cast! Needless to say I had to run home to grab another pair of shorts to wear for the rest of rehearsal.

19. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

You’re the only person who can be you. Too often we try to be someone else to please others at the expense of our own happiness. Don’t do that! Be yourself! 

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Our distributor is Wolfe Releasing, and THE PERFECT WEDDING is coming out later this year via VOD on November 5^th, and via DVD and streaming on December 3^rd – just in time for the holidays. (DVDs make a great stocking stuffer, haha!) Pre-orders start on September 15^th.

For more information or to see our awesome trailer go to www.theperfectweddingmovie.com!