Where there’s a Will...
What effect did Will & Grace have on acceptance of gay people? It was just a goofy-ass sitcom, so [we didn’t] want to talk like ‘we’re changing the world!’, because we had no proof we were at the time. But I mean, think of the 12-year-old boys that were pretty sure they might be gay – how do they tell their parents? And then they look into the living room and there’s their mom screaming with laughter at something that’s on the television. And maybe they think, “If mom likes those guys, maybe it won’t be so hard.” I think that’s the effect that we ultimately had.
Do you feel typecast as a gay man? Not at all, no. Being gay is not the issue, it’s more to do with a character on a very-liked show. Will & Grace was ultimately a sitcom and it’s overcoming that stigma as much as anything else.
Who’s your most famous fan? The Vice President [Joe Biden] was talking about it [in 2013]. It was over gay marriage, and it was at that point Obama had not officially come out for it. Days before he did do, the Vice President said, “I think that Will & Grace did more to open the hearts and minds of the American public” with regards to this issue. It was amazing because, first of all… Joe Biden watched Will & Grace?! OK! Are you a gay icon? I guess so, yeah! And that’s awesome.