Seven Questions for Alec Mapa

By Stephen R. Lang

Please note that Alec Mapa is appearing in Fort Lauderdale again Fortitude Weekend

Alec Mapa has Guest Starred in well over forty television shows and movies and most recently played an uber-gay fashionista reporter Suzuki St. Pierre and Byron Won on ABC’s Ugly Betty.  I personally became an instant fan of Alec when he played Lee (or N’ Cream) in Nia Vardalos’ Connie and Carla and actually have his Wisecrack special on my TiVo as a permanent Green Dot.     

Stephen: I know that with every character the actor leaves at least a little part of themselves with them.  Who was/is your favorite television character? 

Alec: Ugly Betty has kept me very busy, especially now that Suzuki/Byron has stepped out of the hetero closet.  They're pretty good at keeping all of us in the dark until the day before we read the new scripts at the studio. Often times we're the ones the most surprised by all the twists and turns. 

Stephen: I know your character was short lived on Desperate Housewives.  Now that things are turning around for Gabby and Carlos financially, do you think they may bring you back as a Coach for their daughters?  If Vern were to return, how would you handle the delicate situation of their weight? 

Alec: I'm hoping I can return to DH very soon!  Gaby is in serious need of a makeover, and I know that Vern would be more than willing to help.  It's time to bring back her personal shopper now that she and Carlos are in the chips!  I cornered Marc Cherry at a Xmas party recently and asked if I had died in last season's tornado, he said that no, Vern is alive and well, and at some point he'd try to bring me back. I think that Vern would probably handle the girl's delicate weight situation by buying them a trampoline.  

Stephen: The first movie that I remember seeing you in was Connie and Carla where you played Lee or N’ Cream.  How much drag research did you have to do to and what personal creative freedom did you have creating a character that, when excited, was inaudible and incomprehensible? 

Alec: My part in Connie and Carla was originally two lines, but the minute Nia Vardalos heard the Filipino accent she incorporated it into the film more and more. I was just doing an impression of my gramma and she thought that was hysterical because she told me whenever she had to do an ethnic character she would imitate her gramma too.  The research was exhaustive; Drag Queens are the unsung heroes of our community.  They are the biggest fundraisers in the country and some of the most politically astute activists we have. What I learned most about doing drag is although it seems like an art form based on artifice; it's really all about truth. There's no creature more real than a drag queen. 

Stephen: Currently, you have been closeted teacher Mr. Bushnell in Tru Loved and was told by the legendary Lesbian Actress Jane Lynch, “If you were doused in kerosene and set on fire you still couldn’t be more flaming.”  What actresses have you worked with that you, from a comedic actor, love and which ones would you almost kill to work with in the near future? 

Alec: I once did a pilot presentation with Bette Midler and that almost made my head explode. I'm always meeting my heroes in professional environments where it'd be completely inappropriate for me to fall to my knees and scream 'I FUCKING LOVE YOU'.  I sat next to Bernadette Peters at an Ugly Betty table read, inside I was shaking and crying, outside I barely managed a "it's very nice to meet you". Dixie Carter once told me she enjoyed my work and I nearly pooped myself.  Every actor's pie in the sky acting partner is Meryl Streep, especially after Mamma Mia. I mean c'mon. 

Stephen: You are having an intimate VIP dinner party at an exclusive restaurant.  What actors and actresses, living or dead, would you have show up?   

Alec: If I were having an exclusive dinner party I would invite Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, and Anderson Cooper. We'd play spin the bottle, play Truth or Dare and the evening would most likely end in a game of Naked Twister. 

Stephen: Sensitive question, now that you are a little older and wiser, the publicity machine made a big thing ten years ago when Madonna turned 40 and popped out Ray of Light and made ties to her faith and practice of Kabbalah and that 40 is a sign of wisdom and such.  What nuggets of wisdom would you want to convey?   

Alec: I'm 43. I know I'm supposed to be all weird about aging but I'm not. I partied like a beast for years. It's a miracle I'm alive and I'm grateful. My twenties were filled with nonstop drama - horrible boyfriends, financial ruin, etc.  I didn’t like myself very much. I spent my 30's cleaning up the mess I made in my 20's. Now I'm married, have two dogs, and I love my husband as well as my work.  I would never trade 43 for who I was at 23.  That'd be horrible. The only thing I'm nostalgic for is my old metabolism!  

Stephen: And finally, who’s the best kept celebrity phone number in your phone?   

Alec: I could tell you all the juicy celebrity names in my iphone but then I would have to kill you! 

Alec Mapa will take the stage at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts on February 13^th.  The official After Party/Meet & Greet will be at Georgie’s Alibi in the Manchester Room with a $10 donation that will benefit The Broward House charities.