Chris Salvatore Beauty, Brains and a Voice for the Airwaves

“I started off in acting doing the musicals in elementary school. I was in the choir and they were doing Bye Bye Birdie and in-between scene changes, they would have the chorus stand up and sing a few songs. I thought, ‘I actually want to be in the show!’ So I started acting, if that’s what you would call it…but it was so stupid, elementary school plays,” says Chris Salvatore.

 

That was his introduction and a fateful beginning to his career aspirations as a singer and actor. Our cover boy is in full bloom for spring and in a recent in-person interview, Chris speaks of his acting debut in the film Eating Out 3, the excitement over finishing and releasing his second CD titled Dirty Love and his dedication and time to an organization recognizing those lost to hate crimes called Gay American Heroes.

 

It’s hard to believe he considered himself a nerd as a child but The Rage Monthly lets him explain and why he is now the spokesperson for Gay American Heroes. “I was the biggest nerd! I was really shy and all my friends were all girls. I was really made fun of a lot. I was really bullied. That’s one of the reasons why I’m doing the whole Gay American Heroes thing is because it comes from a place that I’m passionate about.

 

I know first hand what it’s like to be made fun of because you’re gay. I can’t stand it. Even when I hear my little sister…when she tells me stories that some kid has picked on her, it really hits home with me. I really want to use that platform to help end the bullying in school and end people being murdered for being gay.”

 

The founder of Gay American Heroes, Scott Hall, contacted Chris Salvatore about representing the organization. Chris explains, “I guess he saw some of my YouTube videos actually and some of my music. He asked me if I would do a public service announcement. I said, ‘sure.’

 

He told me a little about his organization and I went to the website [gayamericanheroes.com]. I was looking at some of the other PSAs and I just kind of knew that I had to help this cause because it hits home to me. Being put down for just being who you are…that shouldn’t happen. I did my PSA and it ended up getting pushed out to all the gay blogs. I think it’s up to 25,000 views on YouTube right now. So it helped get Scott’s foundation a lot of exposure I think.”

 

Chris’s work with Gay American Heroes doesn’t end there. He continues, “Scott decided to bring me out to Florida to do a ‘Hearts for Heroes’ tour, where we went to 11 different clubs and bars where I performed and talked about the cause. We raised $5,000 over a span of nine days or something.”

 

The primary goal of Gay American Heroes Foundation is to build a memorial to honor the people who have lost their life for being who they are. This would be a traveling memorial. On gayamericanheroes.com, visitors to the site can take a virtual tour of what the organization is attempting to create as a memorial.

 

Another thing that people might not know about Chris Salvatore is not only is he a strikingly handsome man, Chris also loves to sing and is releasing his second CD on April 27.

 

He describes the overall vibe of the new material, “It’s a little more pop with a dance-type feel to it. On my last album, I wrote and recorded everything myself on my laptop…(laughter) actually. This definitely has a different feel recording it in a studio.

 

The quality is better for one and the songs…I feel like I’ve finally found my niche in music. It’s a Top 40 kind of a sound that is basically radio-friendly. The title track, “Dirty Love” is the first single.”

 

Chris was only in Hollywood two weeks when he auditioned for the role of Zack in Eating Out: All You Can Eat. He landed it and made his feature film debut in 2009. Although it is not official yet, word is that he will be in the upcoming fourth edition of this gay comedy series. Chris still is honing his acting skills and says, “Definitely. I still take acting classes.

 

I feel like you can never know everything in acting because a lot of it comes from knowing yourself. In class you are always learning and in life you are always learning and it kind of reflects your acting. I’m still growing and hopefully I book more roles!” 

 

There is someone Chris has a crush on and it’s not who you think. Laughing, he replies, “Britney Spears. Just a little crush, she’s definitely one of my inspirations for music. I don’t think I’m going to be the next male Britney Spears by any means (laughter). Like some people think that I think.

 

I remember when I was 15; I had a big collage or poster of her over my bed. So, if my parents didn’t know I was gay with that…I’m not sure what else I could have done. I really respect her. I think that she is just…Britney Spears, what can you say? She was the first artist I ever saw live in concert.”

 

Before we finished talking, I asked about that tattoo on his right hip, thinking it looked like a pegasus in flight. Correcting me and laughing Chris says, “That would be a tree. I got that with my best friend Cherisse. She got the same one. We got it to stand for being strong and grounded because roots of trees are strong and grounded. It also represents change because trees are always growing and changing.

 

I think change is good. If nothing ever changed in life, I would be really bored so I feel like I’m constantly changing things. But never forget where you came from. I think is the motto for it.”