We Love Soaps had the privilege of catching up with Hal Sparks last week at the International Gays of Our Lives Event. Money raised at the event, which included social outings and discussion panels, is going to two great charities: The Trevor Project and Aidshilfe Köln. We Love Soaps: I have been hearing for over 13 years how much we look alike. I don’t see it, do you?
Hal Sparks: I don’t see it. I have a totally different nose, you have an ovular face, I have a square face.
We Love Soaps: You’ve been leading a panels today about gays on German and American soaps. Here at We Love Soaps we often discuss the social relevance of the continuing story format and it’s ability to help others. You were on QUEER AS FOLK for several years. Do you think your role as Michael helped others?
Hal Sparks: No question that socially-politically it was great to have gay characters showing their real relationships and showing their relationships and have ups and downs similar to everyone else’s. I think the exaggerated nature of soap operas and the constant drama aspect, the enforced drama, that is unnatural to human interaction, is not necessarily the most helpful thing. You literally see the dance of people thinking that relationships should be full of that craziness. I don’t think that’s the case. There are legitimate concerns people work out in relationships and the rest of the times things hum along. If they don’t, that’s not a relationship, that’s an argument that just has breaks for food.