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Feb 2011 28

by Fred Topel

“I’m in an interracial marriage, which was illegal not that long ago.”
-Chris Gorham

At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, there were two films in which a religious fundamentalist threatened the lives of gay or gay sympathetic characters. Kevin Smith’s Red State got the most attention with a full on religious protest out side the screening. However, The Ledge also explored a similar idea.

In The Ledge, Gavin (Charlie Hunnam) crosses paths with his neighbor Joe (Patrick Wilson), a Christian who vocally fights against a gay lifestyle. Gavin is an atheist and lives with a gay roommate, so he gets in Joe’s face. Joe ends up forcing Gavin to climb onto a ledge and jump, providing the tension in writer/director Matthew Chapman’s film.

Chris Gorham plays Gavin’s roommate Chris. Joe first reveals his perspective when he thinks both Gavin and Chris are gay. Later in the film, Chris brings home a new boyfriend and tells Gavin about their attempts to be accepted by the Jewish faith. In a film debating the hot button issue of the day, Chris represents those actually living it.

Gorham spent an exhausting Saturday afternoon in interview after interview the day after the Sundance premiere. At least it was warm looking out a window on the snow covered Main St. in Park City, UT. Gorham may be best known to TV audiences from the series Ugly Betty and Covert Affairs. We had 13 minutes to cover the scope of homophobic prejudice, and season two of his hit spy show.

Read our exclusive interview with Chris Gorham on SuicideGirls.com.