I’M WITH THE BAND
ONE LIFE TO LIVE Alum Tuc Watkins Is Ready For His Broadway Debut
Tuc Watkins laughs when asked what he’s been up to lately. “Well, I was in a park with my kids, and [Director] Joe Mantello called my cell phone and said, ‘We’re getting The Boys in the Band back together, want to be in the band?’ so I put my kids in the minivan and drove to rehearsal!” he says cheekily.
The Boys in the Band, by Mart Crowley, tells the story of a group of gay men in the 1960s, pre-AIDS, who meet in a Manhattan apartment for a friend’s birthday. As the booze flows, the atmosphere becomes more and more toxic, and the men are forced to face their own inner turmoil. Watkins portrays Hank, who is divorcing his wife to be with his boyfriend, Larry, played by The Book Of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells.
Crowley’s play is considered a seminal work for its serious themes and unflinching look at gay life. Watkins, who is openly gay, feels that a modern production is very important, even though the drama takes place in the past. “I don’t think we can celebrate how far we’ve come without acknowledging what we overcame to get here,” Watkins says. “We have to own our past; countries have to look at their history in order to not repeat it, and so do we as members of a minority.”
The production stars a talented cast of gay film and TV actors, including Matt Bomer (ex-Ben, GUIDING LIGHT), Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. Watkins notes that the entire company is largely onstage for most of the play, which has helped to quash some of the nerves that would naturally come with a Broadway debut. “Here’s the deal: There’s been this sense of camaraderie from early on and it feels like [the cast is] a collective, so there’s a feeling of safety in numbers,” he explains.
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In The Company Of Men: Watkins with his Boys In The Band co-stars (from l.) Charlie Carver, Michael Benjamin Washington, Brian Hutchison, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer and Robin de Jesús.
Watkins is balancing the show with fatherhood duties to twins Curtis and Catchen. Being a parent, he shares, has changed his world for the better. “In my mid-40s, I was tired of being the most important person in my life,” he muses. “As a gay guy there are a number of options [for having children] and through surrogacy, I have those kiddos.” Parenting has been “a remarkable learning experience. For some reason, I always pictured 5-year-olds, and then they were born and they were babies [laughs]! The first four years were tough to navigate.”
Parenthood: Twins Curtis and Catchen, 5, are Watkins’s pride and joy.
The Boys in the Band marks the first high-profile project Watkins has had the opportunity to work on since OLTL ended. “When I came out, my kids had recently been born and there was this confluence of coming out and being a dad and raising a kid. I was sort of in full raising-twin-infants mode and that took up 110 percent of my time,” he notes. “I inadvertently became unavailable for work. Now that it has smoothed out a little bit, it’s not as anxiety-ridden and there aren’t these unknowns anymore. I think it popped up at the right time.”
The play runs through mid-August, after which Watkins faces his next big project. “My kids start kindergarten right after the show closes!” he says. But for the time being, Watkins is thrilled to be doing what he loves. “I’m really looking forward to an incredible summer.”
Though The Great White Way is his current focus, soaps are still close to his heart, and Watkins stays in touch with many of his OLTL co-stars. “I talk to Kassie [DePaiva, ex-Blair; Eve, DAYS] and Robin [Strasser, ex-Dorian] and John-Paul [Lavoisier, ex-Rex],” he lists. “Nathan Fillion [ex-Joey] and I are still friends. We had a mini-reunion a few years ago. We all met in the mid-’90s; that was the golden era of my time there.”
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LIFE Was Good: Watkins loved playing David on OLTL, especially when he was involved in wacky schemes with Dorian (Robin Strasser).
The actor has fond memories of playing lovable con artist David Vickers. “He thought he knew everything, and he was a complete dodo bird!” Watkins laughs. “My favorite moments were when he thought he was a great con man and he slowly turned into an incompetent con man. Some of the most fun stuff was anything that got under Dorian’s skin.” Watkins delights in recalling some of David’s wackier moments. “I always liked the Buddhist robes. I also liked the stories early on with Dorian and David pretending he was Victor Lord, Jr. and they had to fool Todd and get some information out of him and they were going on this scavenger hunt around Llanview,” he recounts. “Any little plan or scheme that they would hatch … the Bahdra Diamond! Dorian pronounced it [with an accent] ‘bah-dra’ and David pronounced it ‘badra’, ” he chuckles.
Watkins, who also appeared on GH as sleazy doc Pierce Dorman from 1996-97, wouldn’t rule out a return, despite the fact that his character is 6 feet under. “Sean Connery said it best when he said, ‘Never say never!’ Absolutely,” he smiles.
JUST THE FACTS
Birthday: September 2
Full Name: Charles Curtis “Tuc” Watkins III
Hails From: Kansas City, KS
Otherwise Known As:
David Vickers, ONE LIFE TO
LIVE, 1994-96, 2001-2013; Bob Hunter, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, 2007-12;
Dr. Pierce Dorman, GH,
1996-97; Reggie, SANTA BARBARA, 1992
Getting Social: Follow him
@tucwatkins on Twitter
and Instagram.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Watkins is a huge fan of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
• Watkins came out publicly on Hallmark Channel’s MARIE, hosted by Marie Osmond, in 2013.
• Daughter Catchen’s name (“Catch” for short) was inspired by To Kill A Mockingbird’s Scout.
Check out our new podcast, Dishing With Digest!
