Actor Bruce L. Hart “Unfiltered”

Bruce L Hart is an indie film, stage and TV actor sometimes dubbed an “Internet Phenomenon” due to the number of projects on streaming platforms. He’s worked with numerous celebrities on the stage, screen, television and streaming platforms—and in this interview apparently dated a few too.  

Hello and it’s great to be chatting with you again! Loving that photo! So you’re looking for work?

Always! But the photo is intended to be a humorous homage to the days when actors would put their photos in the Hollywood Reporter or Variety seeking work. Even Bette Davis did it once. I have some tentative projects lined up for 2022 but this year has been SPARSE!!  I’m auditioning though!

I loved the Best Actor Award in 7th grade. Surely, you’ve won some awards during your career besides that one?

Actually, as a performer no I haven’t. So, I guess you could say I “peaked” in 7th grade. Some of the films I’ve been in and produced have won awards and as an actor I’ve been nominated a few times. Once I even shared the ballot with the brilliant Alan Cummings for a daytime award but sadly neither of us won.

The last time we chatted was in the midst of the worst of the pandemic. Have things improved for you since then.?

: Honestly I think I have PTSD! A delayed reaction from 2020. Last year so many of us were hiding in our homes with absolutely terrible guidance on the virus coming from the White House. Food and water shortages. I was trying to stay active, calling all my single friends to check on them and honestly working out so much I’m in better shape than I was in 2019.  Now in 2021 when things are stabilizing, I’m finding it difficult to reassimilate into the world. Covid has brought back every one of my worst memories of the AIDS epidemic. And Covid is vastly more contagious than AIDS. I read recently that deaths in the United States from AIDS are now surpassed by the deaths from COVID. And of course the shocking thing is that the deaths from COVID happened in just two short years as compared to AIDS which took years.  

You mentioned that you and your brother (Paul A. Hart) were able to write film scripts during the lockdown.  Anything in production?

I wish!  We’ve written FIVE scripts during the pandemic. And all of them are “camera ready”.  And since we have better information about the virus and more (sane) people are vaccinated we’ve been able to hold some readings to test the scripts out.  We’re partial to a Halloween themed LGBTQ script which has heavy special effects. We had a reading with some great actors including Rebekah Kochan, Comedian Dante, Amanda Gari, Matt Montgomery and Steve Callahan. I was really humbled they all participated.  We hope to be in production next year. Fingers crossed. But I’ve done interviews before about a film project only have it morph into something entirely different!! So we shall see!

So no acting gigs as of yet?

Nope nothing solid. Several encouraging auditions though. Hey folks I’m available! Many artists and industry people suffered because of this plague. A few even got out of the business altogether. Such a horrible senseless and preventable tragedy. All of it can be laid at the feet of the Republican party and the previous president and yes Fox News who seems determined to misinform as many people as possible. I never post about my auditions on social media. I’m superstitious.  I either book the role or I don’t. Actress Julia Duffy (Newhart series) has a Twitter handle “My bad auditions”. I absolutely love that moniker!  

Bad Auditions care to spill?

 Yes I’ve had some hella bad auditions among the good ones. A hilarious one was for a series on YouTube.  I could do a comedy routine on how that one went. At one point the casting person (using the term loosely) was asking me to scream my lines—just because he wanted to hear me scream—on Zoom no less. Needless to say it wasn’t my best work. And frankly after watching the show I think I dodged a bullet!

Tell us about that amazing animated cartoon you and your brother produced?  “The Little Kid Goes for a Drive”

It WAS amazing wasn’t it??  When we were very little but very ambitious, we decided we wanted to draw cartoons for the newspaper. Well that didn’t work out so we decided to take our Super 8 camera and tape recorder and make an animated cartoon about the comic strip. It even played a few film festivals. It’s particularly sentimental for me that we were able to restore it and preserve the sound because our late mother did one of the voices. A real family affair!

Speaking of politics we’ve heard you say that you’re not an activist.  Is this accurate?

I prefer to be called an advocate. For LGBTQ rights and human rights. Looking back I may have once been an activist. I marched in parades, circulated petitions against the Moral Majority (remember them?) and even helped establish the first information hotline for Lesbian and Gay people (with state funding no less) in Michigan. But I don’t call myself an activist because that’s something a person does as a profession like George Takei or Dan Savage. They’ve labelled themselves as such (or maybe the public has) but the label sticks. I’m a performer who is also gay. Tiny memory when I was in undergrad getting a degree in theatre (what else) I was completely “out” at a time when perhaps it wasn’t as socially acceptable. I was shunned by other (closeted) theatre majors. Fast forward and some of the closeted folks are now “out and married” enjoying fruits of the heavy lifting that others have done for LGBTQ rights. In a few instances some have reached out to me to make a connection. And yes I was friendly. We’re all in this together. Gotta let go of the past—well usually anyway—we all have exceptions to that rule!

 Why aren’t you writing a book about your experiences? You even mentioned awhile ago that you were gay bashed. Surely this could be a great material for a book. You’ve also worked with a lot of famous people including Greg Louganis. Many of your contemporaries have written books.

Any story I tell would have to include the gay bashing. Not sure I want to revisit that memory. I’ve loved reading my friends’ books. Leon Acord who produced and starred in the series “Old Dogs and New Tricks” wrote “Sublebrity” and comedian Jason Stuart wrote an engaging book and actor David Pevsner has a book in development which I believe relates to material in his amazing one man show about his life as a young gay man coming out in NYC. One of my favourite books is “The Mommie Dearest Diary” by Rutanya Alda who played Carol Ann in the film. Her diary of life on the set and working with a diva (Faye Dunaway) is incredible. For the record, I’ve had some “romances” with celebrities—including a well-known Broadway performer and a closeted TV actor to mention a few. But I would never write about them. I’m not a fan of “chain smoking” other people’s fame. I think I shouldn’t write a book until something really extraordinary happens in my own life—like robbing a bank or getting abducted into the Symbionese Liberation Army! 

The gay bashing? I can’t even imagine. But don’t you think that would be a good story to share? 

Let’s put it this way. Here’s how that narrative would go: “I was hit over the head with a pipe in front of my apartment when returning from an audition. Then I was beaten until my right arm was shattered at the elbow. The damage was so severe it required an experimental surgery to restore movement to my right arm and hand. I suffered blows to the head—later diagnosed with a bruised brain. As I lay on the ground, they threatened to cut my face, and I heard a whining sound of someone begging them to leave me alone. Later I realized that voice was me”. Now tell me would you rather read a story like that or the tale of a young gay actor coming out and trying to make it on Broadway?  That’s the story of someone else’s book. I find the latter more interesting. 

What about Only Fans? Some of your contemporaries are doing that?  Ever consider that?

 No. I’m a performer. I’m not a performance artist. Though some of the people doing that are making bank. To quote Cher they’ve “Turned it around and made it work for them”. But I already know what would happen if I tried it. It would turn around and bite me in the butt! I have done some flirtatious shirtless pics on Instagram because I was bored (maybe drunk) and wanted to show off. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go. But I do look pretty decent naked (for my age). 

 So you’re a performer not a performance artist and an advocate not an activist. You’re also a screenwriter, producer and an actor. A triple threat. Out of all the films you’ve produced or appeared in do you have a favourite?

All these tough questions! I loved playing Nelson on the digital series “Old Dogs and New Tricks”. And I had a blast appearing on the broadcast TV series “Boystown” and the web series “Where the Bears Are”. I think my film “Homewrecker” will always have a special place in my heart. It was based on a stage show I co-wrote and produced. And then it became a film. And in 2020 it was deemed one of the most popular LGBTQ films on streaming. It was initially (over my objections) marketed as a sex farce by the distributor with artwork emulating the “Eating Out” films which was a HUGE mistake. It absolutely BOMBED. Incorrect marketing is the kiss of death. Later on I got the rights to the film back and restored the original Lifetime stalker spoof concept with new artwork and a trailer and the film took off. I was vindicated—ten years later. Better late than never eh?

Thanks for your time today. One last question are there any celebrities you admire and to whom you want to give a shout out?

 I admire so many—what if I forget someone? I’ll start with Morgan Fairchild who continues to post inspirational posts to Twitter and who we forget was one of the pioneers for AIDS advocacy long before Liz Taylor. Morgan is amazing. Quite honestly, she helped me keep my sanity during 2020 with her posts (and occasional engagements with me) on Twitter. Maureen McCormick (yes Marcia Brady) for her kindness and humanity and her commitment to the Special Olympics. Greg Louganis and Rutanya Alda for their amazing resiliency and simply being touch stones for me. Shout outs to Drew Droege and Jack Plotnick both who continue to amaze us on social media with their comedy content. And my pal Leon Acord (Old Dogs) for always being there and his great life insights.  And thank YOU for your time!!  Maybe next time we connect I’ll have a film in production!!

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2415250/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

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