"Ugly Betty" star Eric Mabius' big gay following...

The handsome Eric Mabius has found well-deserved success in one of this fall's breakout hits: ABC's "Ugly Betty." He plays Betty's in-over-his-head boss at a high-fashion magazine. Mabius first got our attention as a buffed-out stud in the indie fave "Welcome to my Dollhouse" then played gay in "Cruel Intentions" opposite Joshua Jackson (pictured below). He was on "The L Word" and "The OC" before landing the gig on "Betty" and is featured as a star with a "Big Gay Following" in the next issue of The Advocate. Here is some of what this guy has to say about his gay fans and gay roles.
On playing gay in "Cruel Intentions" all those years ago: "Listen, I went to Sarah Lawrence [College]. I went to high school in Amherst [Mass.], and nearby Northhampton has the largest lesbian population on the Eastern seaboard. So I've been user-gay friendly for a while (laughs).
On gay fan mail: "I was touched during spring break this past year - some of the soldiers in Iraq got their spring vacation, and I was out to dinner in Hollywood. Quite a few soldiers came up to me, obviously some gay and some lesbian, telling me how the DVDs of "The L Word" got them through their tours."
On the latently gay character of Betty's nephew on Ugly Betty: "I've seen some negative response to that character specifically. There are comments about "warping" the youth of today or that it's "immoral." Nobody's making him anything other than who he is. Hopefully, in a year or two that will just be a bump in the road, and there won't be any more of it. It won't be about pointing out ethnicity or orientation; it'll just be part of the fabric. And that's why the show is so good."

From where I stand, you're so good too Eric!