by david vera
It’s a warzone out there. Between cliché plotlines in tired gay cinema and unsympathetic anti-gay campaigns littered throughout the government landscape, the outlook on the LGBT horizon sometimes seems so grim. But once in a great while, a rare type of individual will saddle up and remind us that all we need to take back control is our latent drive—and a little well-channeled ire! Having played a sheriff of a wild-west town, an openly gay detective and a martyred missionary, Chad Allen is well-versed in the art of rescue.
The Rage Monthly recently spoke with the level-headed actor about his refreshing ventures in filmmaking, a few personal morsels of morality and his latest starring role in the universally enjoyable Hollywood, Je T’aime—which releases on DVD December 8.
RAGE: Hi Chad! Thanks for taking this time to fill us in. I’m very glad you were part of Hollywood, Je T’aime. What initially attracted you to it?
CA: It’s a fun film. I play a weed-dealer from the west side of Los Angeles who meets Jerome, the main character. There’s a hint of a romance that never really goes anywhere. I love the film because it’s got a Euro-sensibility that I like. I respect the film’s simplicity a great deal. It’s primarily about finding love, healing on the inside and what happens to all those tiny dreams inside all of us as Jerome moves about Los Angeles—thinking about what comes next and so forth. It’s a very L.A.-centric film. There are a lot of jokes that you really only get if you live in Los Angeles. I was interested to see how it would play outside of L.A. and people still seem to get it.
RAGE: Your character, Ross, is a very real guy—laid-back but vulnerable. What’s your take on him?
CA: I find him very sweet. Some people find him dark, I don’t know why. I think he’s very real. There’s a point in the film where you get to see some of his prejudices and fears. Even if we hide them deeply, we all have fears and judgments that come out—it’s very human and I appreciate that this movie was able to explore all sides. That’s what makes it different from a lot of American movies. It speaks to its heritage as an independent queer film. I think that’s something that we don’t get enough of anymore.
RAGE: The scene where Ross came out to Jerome—and to the viewers, basically—was sobering and authentic.
CA: Well that was the main reason I wanted to do the part. Many of my friends are poz and I haven’t had a chance in my work to explore that. I watch them sometimes struggle either with their own fears or society’s fears about their status. Though it isn’t a major theme of the film, it’s a very important part of who Ross is. He loves himself and therefore he loves that aspect of himself. He’s conscious that other people might have an issue with it, but it’s primarily their issue. I like that about him.
Born and raised in Australia, Tabatha Coffey got the bug for hairdressing at a very young age. Travelling the world apprenticing under the best, Tabatha has been eyed by the high-end hair industry for years—having opened her own salon, become a platform artist for hair care product company Joico International and featured on nearly every major women’s publication. She remembers her first book being French Vogue. 
