The Queer As Folk alum takes on the bad guys with Shannen Doherty and goes gay bar hopping with Chelsea Clinton

BY JEFF KATZ

A gay James Bond or Jason Bourne? Sure, we've all wished (and likely fantasized) that one of these action heroes played on our team, but soon the small screen will have a new butt-kicking spy... and he just happens to be gay. Not to mention charming and pretty easy on the eyes.

But there are no cheesy tuxedos or dirty martinis for actor Robert Gant, who slips into the role of Jacob Keane in here!’s Kiss Me Deadly, which premiered May 2. The TV movie follows a tumultuous few days across Europe as former spy Keane is pulled back into the game when his old partner (played by Shannen Doherty) drags her trouble into his backyard. Hardly a comedy, yet that's often people's first thought when Gant talks about his new project. “Whenever I mention that it is a gay spy film, immediately people laugh and assume it must be a comedy,” Gant says. “So we're clearly doing something different here ... it's one of the things that most appealed to me.”

The difference lies in the fact that Gant's character dismisses conventional stereotypes of how a gay man acts and looks. Keane is a masculine, rather macho guy, who also happens to be a father; a gay character Gant feels isn't seen enough in the media. “He's just as far from any stereotype that one might come up with. He's actually just like many gay men, who tend to be far away from stereotypes,” Gant says. “He's a gay guy who kicks ass!”

The movie is a perfect fit for the self-professed Bourne series fan. And while there wasn't an overbearing amount of stunt work to learn—Kiss Me Deadly serves much more to set up the story—Gant is excited about getting his hands dirty in the future, as there are plans to turn the Jacob Keane storyline into a series of films.

But defying stereotypes and expectations is nothing new for the actor, who is probably best known for his work on Queer As Folk. His role on that show as Professor Ben Bruckner, was seen as a rare, positive representation of an HIV-positive character, altering the more common image of the sickly patient. Gant still stays in contact with many of the QAF cast, and most recently even teamed up with some of the ladies from the show to work on his other passion right now outside of acting: politics.

“I was just stumping in Pennsylvania with Michelle [Clunie] and Sharon [Gless]. We were there stumping for Hillary, and I [was] very happy and proud to do so,” Gant says. “One night, I was in Philadelphia with Chelsea and Gov. Rendell, going bar hopping at the gay bars. It was great. ... She is really sharp.”

Aside from stumping for Clinton—who Gant says he was so impressed with upon meeting for the first time—it's been a busy time for the L.A. actor, who has been literally all over the world working on various projects. After the month-long shoot in New Zealand for Kiss Me Deadly, it was off to the luxury ship QM2, where Gant was invited to cruise across the Atlantic to screen his other new film, Save Me. The indie flick, which takes a dramatic look at the controversial ex-gay movement, was a hit at Sundance and the opening night feature at last year's Outfest, and will finally get a wide release this summer.

There was also some time in Hawaii for a new Lifetime movie, where Gant once again took on a different role for him, that of the straight romantic lead. “It came very naturally to me,” Gant says of playing opposite actress Lisa Edelstein. “I think there is a real fluidity to sexuality anyway, and it flowed wonderfully. And I think it was that much easier because I am open. Back in the day I would be much more in my head about it.”

But regardless of the specific project, the ability for both actors and films to cross sexual identity boundaries is something that Gant sees as an important evolution in LGBT representation in media.

“I think it's about time that we get to have characters and entertainment that is inclusive of us, but not necessarily in a commenting way. Where it is really threaded into life more. It has the effect of creating inclusion,” Gant says. “I certainly don't feel the need to do only gay parts. I'm actually really happy that I'm now being able to diversify these things. That said, I love playing a gay character. There is obviously a closeness to who I am on some level.”