“Brian was the most energized, while simultaneously being threatened, character that I have ever played,” Harold says. “Brian knew what he wanted, and he was very good at getting it, but at the same time a lot of people wanted to get him out of the way, including some of his good friends and his father. There’s a parallel there in that Charles is taking what he wants, but what he doesn’t have that Brian had was an almost unflappable self-confidence, at least on the surface.”

“Marc (Cherry, creator of ‘Housewives’) had tried to bring me on before that and it just didn’t work out because of the scheduling,” Harold says. “I really dig the way Marc writes, and to be asked to work on a show that has that kind of profile was very flattering.”

“You have to like your character, because if you don’t, no one else will either.”

“I think it’s good that men are being objectified because since forever women have been objectified. We’re flipping the coin because things have been lopsided on TV and film for so long. Another good point to the show is that it portrays men’s sensuality. They’re not just all about sex and only sex.”

“You are preparing yourself for a scene, and the most important thing is to remain emotionally available and remain in the moment with your scene partner. You don’t want to let your own self-consciousness block the flow of creativity that’s coming out so that you can act and react, and play what the scene is all about.”

“I mean, let’s face it, it’s 2000 and people are beginning to wake up on some level. I think that, as I was saying earlier, there’s just no denying the impact that showing people the truth can have. It allows people to understand themselves, and when you understand yourself you can understand the people around you. And then you can begin to let go of all the bullshit that leads into things like world wars, racism, stereotypes, and bigotry.”

“If anyone can crack the publicity nut and figure out how to not come across hammy and contrived, I’d love to talk to them.”

“I’m more interested in the quality of the work than its medium.”

“Men have been watching women make love to each other in magazines and films, forever. If you’re sexually attracted to men, it stands to reason that you might like to see two men in a sexual situation. It’s a real baseline dynamic! And it changes the power struggle, because women never got to see that. That’s a bizarre sociological result of the show ["Queer as Folk" (2000)]”

“Criticism is a surreal state, like a good drug gone bad. When it’s bad you wish it would stop, and when it’s good, you can’t get enough.”

“There’s a very strong feeling of alienation in a lot of Scott’s work. For anyone growing up with a strong need to create, to express yourself artistically, you experience that same sense of being alienated. If you’re a gay man but you don’t fit into the Abercrombie and Fitch model, or if you’re a straight man who doesn’t fit in with the NASCAR model — and that will be the culmination of everything wrong with American culture, the day Abercrombie and Fitch sponsors a NASCAR team — you feel that sense of alienation, of being an outsider.” – AfterElton.Com (regarding Scott Walker’s music) – 2007

“Like, the United States is the most powerful country in the world and we have all this ideology shoved down our throats. In America the difference between what people are telling you and what’s really going on is quite transparent. It creates a political indifference in people. People become reliant on self-destructive behaviour as a way of feeling alive. That’s true of Brian.” – DNA Magazine, 2004

“For a while, the gay thing seemed like such a big deal. But now, I don’t think it is. It’s just a comedy-drama about people who live in the United States. It’s a slice-of-life. I play a character-that’s it. But I was well aware of the gay lifestyle before the show. I’ve been hit on in a really strong way by gay men who’ve tried to convert me, and a lot of my heroes are gay. William Burroughs, Lou Reed. Well, I guess Lou Reed is bi. The point is, it’s 2002, gay life is no longer that shocking.” – Flaunt Magazine (About his playing a gay character on TV), 2002

“He doesn’t care. An apology never comes into it. So, he has the energy that just drives him forward and I think that that can be really captivating.” – Gale on Brian Kinney

Others on Gale

Dawn and Charles ain’t stopping her: Brit Robertson says it’ll take a lot for them to step in. “[With] all the stuff with Nick being killed, there was no, ‘Maybe we should unbind the circle or maybe we shouldn’t continue this.’ Clearly they’re on a mission [and] I don’t know if that will ever be the case, but it’s possible depending on how dark she actually gets.” Robertson also adds, “But I want some scenes with Gale Harold and Natasha Henstridge!”

Sharon Gless: “My favourite scene that I ever did with any of the boys was with Gale Harold, when the two are smoking pot together. Every week we would do a read through of the script with all the actors around the table and Gale and I read this pot smoking scene together. It was the only time in the 5 years that we got an ovation in the room. I love Gale’s character with Debbie. She was the only one who could get to him. He would get vulnerable with her. And Gale’s very much that way, he was a little more guarded than the rest of the cast were, and I loved to just watch him open up like he did in this particular scene. It was a beautifully written scene. That’s the one that stands out for me.”

Thomas Dekker: Gale is a truly brilliant man, sometimes in a staggering and head turning way. I am stunned by his versatility and fearlessness when it comes to character choices and 100% commitment to performance. I don’t think we’ve shared a single conversation that was not about art, mainly based on music and theater, two areas in which his education is mind blowing. I’ve learned a lot from his beguiling and somewhat confusing dissertation/conversations. Thus I am proud to call him a friend and tutor.

QP (Queer Planet): They claim he’s kinda shy?
PB (Phillip Bloch): On the set we had to have a certain distance to us. Gale stays very in character and I stayed very in character, so we were very…whenever Gale would see me he would sort of be mean to me … GALE wouldn’t be mean to me, HAROLD would be mean to me when he would see me on set, you know what I mean? There was …
QP: Because he was in character.
PB: Yeah, because he stayed in character, and I stayed in character and Gale stayed very removed from everybody on set, whereas others of us hung around more together. Judah and Michelle were very close and they were together all the time. Katherine and I spent a lot of time together. Michelle and Judah and I spent time together. Steve and I spent a bit of time together. But, Gale didn’t spend much time with anybody. Gale kind of kept in character in essence as he was in the movie; he was kind of off to himself. – Phillip Bloch on working with Gale on The Unseen.

“Gale has very strong opinions, and he’s very political. Sometimes I think he’s the smartest person I’ve ever met. I know a lot of smart, well-educated, well-read people. But there’s something about Gale where it takes a leap from education or keen intelligence to some other place. Genius is a cheap word, especially in Hollywood. But he’s really smart.” – Queer as Folk executive producer Ron Cowen (The Advocate, 2002)