HED: Cheyenne Jackson: Smart, Funny and Downright Sexy PUBLISH DATE: Nov 21, 2011 PERMALINK: http://www.filmbuff.com/blog/cheyenne-jackson-smart-funny-and- downright-sexy FORMAT: Article

Cheyenne Jackson. Some names just sing. And then sometimes the person behind the name happens to sing and well you can see where this is going. Splashing into the mainstream’s consciousness with a regular spot on NBC’s 30 Rock, Cheyenne has been working the Broadway circuit since 2002 and just hasn’t stopped on his quick rise to fame.

After the 9/11 attacks and a death in the family, Cheyenne took a leap and moved to New York City, leaving a successful career in advertising. He and his boyfriend (now husband) packed up their lives in hopes that Cheyenne could take his regional theater experience and become a professional actor. Where most people have fear, Cheyenne manages to maintain confidence and belief within himself. These admirable qualities could very well be the reason he has found success. And possibly a bit of good karma.

With 9/11 serving as one the catalysts for his career change, it seems almost kismet that one of Cheyenne's first major film roles was about the aforementioned tragedy. Playing real life plane passenger Mark Bingham in Paul Greengrass'sUnited 93, he felt an even deeper responsibility to portray his character with integrity. Some may call this a cosmic alignment. Cheyenne agrees.

"I don't think there are any coincidences in life. I feel like everything is as it should be and it really blew my mind all this was happening. I knew it was serendipitous." But like any actor, Cheyenne doesn't always play roles that feel like similar replications of his life. With his first big break playing Elvis in the 2004 Broadway show "All Shook Up" it was the music that connected Cheyenne to this particular role.

Cheyenne Jackson and Jenn Gambatese in "All Shook Up"

"That was a no brainer because I knew all the songs and that whole world already. If something is well written I know right away if I wanna do it. I'm never like 'Ehhh, I don't know.'"

With those kind of instincts, it's not surprising that Cheyenne moves beyond finding personal parallels in the roles he accepts. Cheyenne revealed that as an openly gay actor, he gets sent a lot of screenplays sent to him from the queer cinema space. But for Cheyenne, he looks for movies that go beyond the lifestyle and speak more about the characters and their development. Hence when Paul Marcarelli's script for The Green came to him, Cheyenne was happy to find a role in a humanistic story about a couple that happens to be gay, not a film simply about a gay couple. And he wasn't the only major talent brought in by the script.

Working with Jason Butler Harner, Julia Ormond and Illeana Douglas, Cheyenne said the very talented cast kept themselves professional yet they also kept the set lively. At one point Jason, Ileana and Cheyenne were even making twisted public service announcements to keep the laughs coming. And with The Green's writer Paul (better known as the'Can You Hear Me Now?' Verizon Wireless guy) on set, they continued the laughs there.

"It is impossible to meet Paul and not make a lame 'Can You Hear Me Now' joke. He is so comfortable with himself and that is his bread and butter. They [Verizon and Paul] have a great relationship . He loves them and they love him. He's great about it. We tried to rise above it, but come on. It's too easy."

And perhaps that kind of sensitivity and appreciation of humor is what launched Cheyenne from Broadway star to a TV star to the star of many people's fantasies. Whether you are a gay man checking out pictures of Cheyenne in Out or a straight woman jealous of the fluorescent body paint grope marks 30 Rock's Liz Lemon receives from him, it's hard to not be intrigued by Cheyenne. Mixing his rugged good looks with an indelible sense of humor and a down-to-earth spirit, he easily lands himself the title of "modern day sex symbol."

If people are giving it, it's a label the star will take. "You gotta work with what you have. You can fight the perception of you all you want, but believe me, people are gonna see you as they see you. So a couple of years ago, I just thought, 'Fuck it, own it. If that's what people see me as than that's absolutely great.' It's my job to focus on the work so people don't just focus on that aspect [sex symbol status] of me."

With that kind of attitude, and his dedication to finding great characters to portray, it's no wonder casting directors and casual TV watchers find themselves pulled to him. And while his looks are better than great, we are still putting our money on Cheyenne's talent. We'll just sit back while the public notices his looks first.