alec mapa in half share
Alec Mapa discusses his role on the burgeoning internet web series about a soul-searcher on gay Fire Island
It's a typical "jobless" day in Los Angeles for American-television actor Alec Mapa, likely best known for his ongoing role as gay-faking, TV fashion reporter Suzuki St. Pierre on ABC's Ugly Betty. He feeds his 6-year-old son breakfast before taking him to summer gymnastics class—"where all gay dads send their little boys," he says. Then it's business most of the morning with his agent, a trip to the gym, lunch, more work and some conference calls before retrieving his son and having dinner. After which, he watches So You Think You Can Dance before going to bed. "Of course, none of this would take place if I had a job right now," he adds.
In kind with his Ugly Betty tenure, gay-ing it up on camera is not new for Mapa. From Atlantic Cruise Lines, to the LGBT-geared Logo channel and three seasons on Desperate Housewives, the characters he plays of late tend to fall more on the homo side of the Kinsey scale. Yet, unlike his roles on TV and film, his recent work on the set of the independent, Half-Share internet-tv series—-following a handful of gay men navigating their Fire Island-based social lives-—is somewhat of a different and appeasing experience for him.
"It's like not getting paid," he explains. "But here's the thing: I did this because, one, I wanted a free trip to Fire Island. And two, I really wanted to be a part of this ensemble. This cast is the smartest, funniest and fastest, and this entire experience was totally worth the trip.
"The other difference is freedom. Network TV is business. There's a million people to answer to and it's nearly impossible to be creative and please everybody, but that's pretty much the gig. In indie work, there's absolutely no one to answer to, and that makes everything fun as hell."
Mapa describes his role in Half-Share as something of a house mother to a Fire Island Fraternity. "I just want everyone to get along and get the most out of the season on the island, because it really is fleeting," he explains. "I'm totally into older gentlemen, like 60 and up. But anytime I come on to anyone they think I'm a hooker." Mapa received the part by way of the show's creators, who sent him the script and immediately offered him the role. "That hardly ever happens," he attests, and then corrects: "Actually it's happened quite a bit, but if I say that I sound like I'm full of myself which I'm totally not. I audition for everything. The point is: they didn't make me audition which is a lovely thing because that meant they trusted me. That's a nice feeling."
Half Share debuts at the 2011 International Television Festival, screening for audiences in Los Angeles August 9. Production information and the show's trailer is posted to the series' website, www.half-share.com, as of press time.
In kind with his Ugly Betty tenure, gay-ing it up on camera is not new for Mapa. From Atlantic Cruise Lines, to the LGBT-geared Logo channel and three seasons on Desperate Housewives, the characters he plays of late tend to fall more on the homo side of the Kinsey scale. Yet, unlike his roles on TV and film, his recent work on the set of the independent, Half-Share internet-tv series—-following a handful of gay men navigating their Fire Island-based social lives-—is somewhat of a different and appeasing experience for him.
"It's like not getting paid," he explains. "But here's the thing: I did this because, one, I wanted a free trip to Fire Island. And two, I really wanted to be a part of this ensemble. This cast is the smartest, funniest and fastest, and this entire experience was totally worth the trip.
"The other difference is freedom. Network TV is business. There's a million people to answer to and it's nearly impossible to be creative and please everybody, but that's pretty much the gig. In indie work, there's absolutely no one to answer to, and that makes everything fun as hell."
Mapa describes his role in Half-Share as something of a house mother to a Fire Island Fraternity. "I just want everyone to get along and get the most out of the season on the island, because it really is fleeting," he explains. "I'm totally into older gentlemen, like 60 and up. But anytime I come on to anyone they think I'm a hooker." Mapa received the part by way of the show's creators, who sent him the script and immediately offered him the role. "That hardly ever happens," he attests, and then corrects: "Actually it's happened quite a bit, but if I say that I sound like I'm full of myself which I'm totally not. I audition for everything. The point is: they didn't make me audition which is a lovely thing because that meant they trusted me. That's a nice feeling."
Half Share debuts at the 2011 International Television Festival, screening for audiences in Los Angeles August 9. Production information and the show's trailer is posted to the series' website, www.half-share.com, as of press time.
