A lot of people are excited about the idea of Neil Patrick Harris starring in the first Broadway production of John Cameron Mitchell’s excellent LGBT-themed rock musical, Hedwig And The Angry Inch, but the actor suggests it hasn’t been plain sailing for him. Indeed it’s been a challenge in ways you might not have expected.
In the musical he plays the East German title character, who was left with an angry inch after a botched sex change operation. Hedwig then starts dating young Tommy Gnosis, who leaves her behind when he takes her music and becomes a rock star.
Talking to Out magazine, Harris says “Hedwig is bringing up a lot of super insecure things within me. I have never thought drag was intoxicating, I’ve never had a fun drunken Halloween in drag, never been in heels, really. I’ve lived my whole life being attracted by masculinity — it’s why I like guys.”
He adds, “I’m not a super effete person, and I have to turn into that, and in doing so it brings up a lot of homophobic insecurities within myself.”
Harris isn’t going to let that affect the in-your-face nature of Hedwig though, as “Part of Hedwig is Iggy Pop in all of his fucked-up glory. So I’m looking forward to squatting down in front of the first row and having people spit in my mouth. It’s that kind of show. I’m anxious, one night, to fall backwards and be led on my back by people with their hands outstretched. I don’t think that will ever happen, but that’s the vibe I’m looking for — that’s the vibe I have to embrace. I don’t fucking care — you gotta go to a nasty place.”
However while he may be dealing with some of his own insecurities, he’s largely been happy with how little most people cared when he came out, saying, “I’ve found that a lot of girls have no issue with me being gay. They still want to marry me. And I love that.”
You can read the full and very interesting interview with Neil Patrick Harris by clicking here. Take a look below for some of the great pics from the Out interview, and there are more here.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch starring Harris premieres in New York next month.
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