ALLEN’S ANNALS

Where is you favorite place to disappear to?  Where do you go to recharge your batteries?

Costa Rica. I’m an ocean guy. I always feel like the ocean is what restores my soul quicker than anything else. I fantasize when things get stressful here that when I’m done, I will cash in, [clears his throat], and go live in a hut on the beach in Nicaragua or Costa Rica. Then I can raise my toe-headed little beach bum kids on the sand and teach them to surf.

What is under your bed right now?

I know about feng shui, though I’m not very good about it. I do know you’re not supposed to keep stuff under your bed. But I think there is still an old roll of Christmas wrapping that never got put away and is still under there.

Out of the many people you have worked with thus far, is there one in particular who stands out who impressed you orinspired you the most? 

A literature teacher in high school named James Cross. At a time when I really needed to hear it, he taught me more than anybody in my whole life. He told me that my own job was to go inside myself and find out what God had put there and bring it out at whatever cost.  And I learned that in a Catholic High School, which isn’t a place you’d expect me to get it.

Any tattoos? Any piercings?

Four tattoos.  [He shows them, which includes one directly above his butt]. I’ve had my tongue pierced, my ears pierced all over the place, my eyebrow, my navel, and I have none of them now. They were fun for a little while and then they’re not. The tattoos are important to me, as they are symbolic of specific periods of my life.

Name one of your bad habits.

Smoking, though I don’t smoke all the time. Also, I don’t cut my fingernails enough. They grow too fast, so I’m always gnawing and picking at them.

What are you most proud of?

My twin sister. I’m not sure why that popped into my head, but I’m proud of her. I’m proud of my whole family. We’re all close now.

Tell me something your fans may not know about you

For better or worse, I’m a pretty open book. When I’m going on TV and they announce, “Chad Allen , actor and activist,” I sort’a get annoyed with that because I don’t understand what that means. Why am I an activist? Except to say that I answer truthfully when I’m asked a question. Other than that I don’t feel  like I’ve done much more than anybody would do. I just don’t live well not telling the truth, so I tell the truth. [He laughs.]

Complete this sentence.  The best thing about being famous is...

I guess access. Access to an audience, in a way, to people who want to listen what you have to say. A dear friend of mine and I were talking about what I’ve been walking through recently with the Christian Right. He felt a bit jealous because he doesn’t have an access; no one really cares about what he has to say because he works in a tanning salon.  I take being famous as a responsibility. So I listen to what he has to say, and I realize that I become a mouthpiece for him and for so many people that wanna have access to a larger group who truly have something to say from their heart. I have that access.

A TAD OF CHAD

Chad tags his favorite things.

Color: Green

Name: Jeremy [his boyfriend]

Clothing to wear: Flip-flops

TV sitcom: Square Pegs

Movie of all time: The Dead Poet’s Society

Food: Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs

City: Seattle in the summer

Classic actor: James Dean

Contemporary actor: Ian McKellan

Classic actress: Myrna Loy

Contemporary actress: Heather Tom

Moment: When I realized that I could stay sober

Physical asset above the waist : My goofy grin

Physical asset below the waist: My knees

iPod artist: Lightnin' Hopkins

CHARTING CHAD

In a few words, Chad describes his experience with these people who have touched his life

Carroll O’Connor: Thank you

Jane Seymour: Mom

Helen Hunt: Sex [my first on-screen love scene. I was sixteen]

Jennifer Aniston: My screwed-up summer vacation  [referring to the film he made in 1990, Camp Cucamonga]. This is the kind of goofy child I was. I wanted to go to Catalina Island Marine Institute, where I could study oceanography for the summer and there was only a year that I was eligible to do it. I was all set to go and so excited then I got the damn movie. It was fun, but it wasn’t my summer camp!

Wilfred Brimley: Two words come to mind for Wilfred: Grandpa and snow ski. Because we used to go to his ranch in Utah all the time in winter and snow ski.

Rosie O’Donnell: Gratitude. When I was outed, she called me at home and said, ‘This is Rosie O’Donnell.’ And I thought someone was playing a trick on me. She continued, ‘I saw The Globe, it happened to me, and I understand. Don’t you worry, you’re gonna be just fine. Why don’t you come on my show and we won’t talk about that? We’ll just talk about stuff.’ And I thought that was so loving, and I was so grateful for that. It showed me the kind of role model I want to be.

Greg Louganis: My friend, a good friend. He’s my TeddyBear. Greg is a man with a beautiful heart. But those silly dogs….[he laughs]

Bruce Vilanch: [He giggles] I get a big smile when I think of him. Not just because he’s so damn funny, but because he’s such a good friend. I love him so much. The first interview I did to out myself  was for The Advocate and I asked that Bruce be the writer, and he did it. I felt safe with him.

David Duchovny: The way out

Judith Light: My soul mate. We’re family.

Robert Gant: Ah, my brother.

He names one word to describe himself: [In two beats he responds] Blessed

You can help Chad spin faster in the AIDS/LifeCycle by donating on his Web site:
www.chadallenonline.com.

Dann Dulin interviewed actress Lisa Edelstein for the May issue.

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