Todd Holland has directed three feature films and more than 250 episodes of televison and has been honored with three Emmy Awards, five CableAce Awards, eight Emmy nominations, a DGA award and a WGA nomination. As a producer/director, he was a key creative force behind "The Larry Sanders Show," "Malcom in the Middle" and the critically acclaimed "Wonderfalls." He most recently executive produced and directed the 2009-2010 mid-season Fox comedy, "Sons of Tucson" and is currently nominated for a 2009 Emmy for directing "30 Rock."
A week ago, I participated in a panel discussion at Outfest: “Taking It to the Streets: Directors Get Political."
I confessed at the start that I felt I was the least political person there. Also I should explain, I’m a blogosphere virgin. I don’t read blogs. Blogs feels like they’re a dime a bushel. They’re endless. Like cockroaches, if you see one, you know there’s a hundred more behind your firewall. Who has time for that?
So when talking to the meager audience of 30 or so people in attendance, I was not guarded. And when asked a question about gay actors coming out in Hollywood, I answered, as I do most anything, honestly. I was not politic -- I was honest.
And for the past week, my response has been twisted and shoved back into my mouth over and over -- so that I appear to be a gay director telling all actors to “stay in the closet.” There are only a few things I allow to be shoved in my mouth -- my mangled words are not one of them.
"60 Minutes" journalist Morley Safer said in 2009, “I would trust citizen journalism as much as I would trust citizen surgery.” I now know what he means. And I feel an obligation to “citizen journalists” everywhere to muddy the record with a few facts.
I’m an out gay director and producer.
Coming out is the single most important event in my life. I came out in 1992 while directing and producing on "The Larry Sanders Show." I was scared, sure. But I did it -- because I needed to live authentically.
My parents were slow to come around. Being Republicans and big-time Christians, they love me, I know. But I think they still have a hard time accepting the gay me. That hurts but, hey, that’s the real world.
And for me, living authentically means living in the real world. And maybe that’s how I came to be the anti-queer poster child of the week.
See, I work in this factory called Hollywood. It’s a strange place. (But remember, we make dreams here -- so it’s bound to have a few quirks.) And here are a few of the things I’ve learned.
One: No one cares that I’m gay. Like ... no one.
Two: there are still prominent creative people living in the closet. No one cares that they’re gay, either.
