Meet Marco Dapper...

One of my funner side gigs is writing pieces for LA's Frontiers Magazine. I have the cover story of the current issue - a light-hearted Q&A with the impossibly gorgeous Marco Dapper whose first feature film, "Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds" opened in theaters on Friday (Dec. 8). A sequel to 2004’s raunchy comedy with a heart of gold, the movie stars Dapper, Brett Chukerman, and returning cast members Jim Verraros, Emily Brooke Hands, and Rebekah Kochan.

The 23-year-old Dapper is from Oakland, but has been in L.A. for several years. He takes acting classes, models, goes on auditions, and works for a company that does setup for Hollywood parties. Here is much of my interview with him:

Q. So what landed you the role in Eating Out 2—your acting or your abs?
A. Probably both! [Laughs] It was a combination of those two things: a person who could act with the abs. There were a lot of good looking, ripped-up guys auditioning. I walked in and said, “Oh crap.� So I think it had something to do with my acting, because there were a lot of hunky men there, like 15 guys with that top-model look. But I knew I had something to offer.

Q. Tell me about your character in the film.
A. He’s Troy from Illinois who comes out west. He’s curious, doesn’t know if he’s straight or gay. He meets Jim’s character and Brett’s character, and Rebekah and Emily, and they all scheme in trying to get me to swing either way. Here I am trying to figure out myself and they are taking advantage of me. Bastards.

Q.Your character goes to a sort of reformed gay group. What do you think about that? Can gay people be “rehabilitated�?
A. I don’t believe it personally. I guess you could be bisexual. If you like a dude, that’s who you are. If I like a woman, that’s who I am. Overall, you know when you are kid that you are gay. I think you are born with it.

Q. Did playing a gay man in the movie affect your views?
A. It was actually a real eye-opener for me. I wasn’t involved in the gay community at all. I wasn’t homophobic—I used to go to the Castro District for Halloween—but it was a touchy subject. I didn’t really know many gay people at all except for a few teachers. But I stated talking to the cast and getting to know everyone, and it opened my eyes to what the community is.

Q. Since you are straight, did you have any concerns about playing a gay sex scene?
A. I knew wouldn’t have a problem. I was comfortable with it. I was a little nervous at first, but he’s an actor, I’m an actor, get over it. We’re both actors here.

Q. Did you enjoy it?
A. I’m not gay and I don’t have tendencies, but I do make it believable. I’ve had guys say, “You’re gay, right? You looked like you were enjoying it.� I try to act and have the audience buy that. I learn the lines then throw them away so I can live in the moment, take in other people. I want to live in the moment and go off the other character.

Q. What’s it like to be the fantasy of both men and women?
A. I’m having fun. If you gotta be a piece of meat, you gotta be.

Q. In the movie, your body is jaw-droppingly chiseled. Just how often do you work out?
A. About five days a week. After I graduated from high school, I started seriously working out. I was a smaller kid in high school. I decided to get in shape and turn it around.

Q. Besides getting to see you naked, why should people buy a ticket to this movie?
A. It’s very funny. I laughed more than I thought I would. With the first [Eating Out] movie, I didn’t think it was funny at all, because a lot of the jokes were gay-oriented. The second one I think will appeal to both gay and straight audiences. It has universal appeal.