Mark the date: August 28*- and make sure your nearest newsstand carries reFRESH Magazine! The September/October issue of this UK magazine has something for you: A photospread and extensive interview with our boys! Who could have foreseen the global phenomenon the two would become when Christian said 'Und du hast hier auch mal gekellnert?' (So, you used to work here?) and Olli answered: 'Uh-huh, da sah der Laden aber noch komplett anders aus.' (Yep, the place looked completely different back then, though.) when the two met in the episode that aired November 8, 2007? THE GAYS OF DAYTIME can already give you a little sneak preview!
This is the one you want, darlings: reFRESH #52 is available August 28.
Verbotene Liebe's Jo Weil and Thore Scholermann chat to reFRESH Magazine about their life on the soap, being the world's most popular gay couple, dealing with fame and what they think of each other off set.
Jo on Fans"When I played Olli for the first time for example there was an older male fan who wrote me long letters and wanted to invite me to go on holidays with him. I always politely declined. But he didn’t want to hear it and kept on inviting me. In one letter he even asked me if I wanted to marry him and asked me where I live, because he wanted to move close. That was a little bit too much for me and so I stopped answering the letters."
Jo on Media Attention
"Of course it’s brilliant that our story now becomes known all over the world. It’s not the case though that I cannot go outside without being ‘attacked’ from some paparazzi. In Cologne, people are used to meeting ‘actors from TV’, so in this respect I can live here comparatively undisturbed.."
Thore on Gay Characters"I gained inspiration from the movie Brokeback Mountain. I know that might be a little exaggerated but I try to aim high. After watching that movie I was surprised in a positive way. The movie showed how realistically and beautifully you can portray the love between two men, without making prejudiced viewers... “I’m not gay” – that was one of the most beautiful sentences in the whole movie. The two characters love each other and it doesn’t matter what they call it."
Thore on Playing It Gay
"A very important question was if I could make it convincing....I considered the storyline as a challenge and a big chance to learn and grow as an actor."
*In the UK- international availability may vary.
(C) 2008 Wild Publishing Ltd. / Photos (C) Stefan Menne
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33 comments:
Hmmm.... I'll be interested to read more of Thore's take on Brokeback. While he's totally entitled to his view, of coure, I saw Ennis' "you know I 'aint queer" line as a sad expression of shame and internalized homophobia, not anything remotely beautiful....
Cool.
And hee. =P
I've have never seen Jo hotter.. damn. The way he's shot.. he totally comes across as hotter than Thore and Thore's a real stud. I wonder if this magazine is sold in the U.S...hmmmm
At least here in the Bay Area I have seen both BORDERS and BARNES & NOBLE carry it.
Jo = IT Getter
Thore = probably nice bloke, but not an IT Getter
/Colbert Report reference
Thank you so much for sharing.
ok.. I'll go to my Borders or Barnes in the Palm Springs area then... cool....
Pardon my French, mon MERDE!!
OMG - Jo looks FANTASTIC in that photo with Thore. There's a reason why, I like my man, tall, dark and handsome as fuck.
Not to say that Thore looks like a troll, because he's also gorgeous, but I love me some Jo.
Jo-tugging-down-his-waistband-so-seductively-in-that-photo is too much to bear! Yikes! He certainly knows how to play to his fanbase.
i guess the comment on brokeback mountain depends on how you yourself take on definitions of sexuality and their use today.. for example i would not like being viewed as solely gay, even when i am in a long term monogynous relationship with a man, i don't like the connotations of the word 'gay' when i apply my understanding of that word to my life.. but i have been in sexual relationships with men and i have loved a man (as well as women, although thats sort of irrelevant here).. i don't see that as internalized homophobia. or better still if i did view it that way i would see the fact that i cling so resolutely to the self-held truth "I AM NOT GAY" whilst being able to love a man in a sexual/romantic way IS beautiful, because then there is the concept that love does not discriminate and can bring together two completely different concepts when two people fall in love.. at least that's what i think, or what i think i think... ahh!! i don't know what i'm trying to say anymore! - anyway they both look hot, jo esp so thanks for that
the pic with the two of them is so gay :) they are in character even in photos ;) love this guys
Afterellen had a great article on discussion where they suggests that it's mostly younger people who prefer to say "no labels" and actively want a society where there are no labels or labels don't matter.
While it's maybe mostly older gays and lesbians who dislike this POV or feel that it will have a negative effect on the community.
They talk the pros and cons (pro: opening the movement and community up to more people, con: lose the sense of community).
Read it here: http://www.afterellen.com/notesandqueeries/08-14-08
I remember a similar news item on afterelton too about how times are changing. And that older gay üepüöe for example were friends only with other gay people and lived in the big cities, while younger gay people often have equal amounts of gay and straight friends, willingly move to the suburbs and imagine themselves as married to their partners at one point.
Dude, this is unbelievable! I'm in heaven. Thanks so much for sharing! I bet this is the magazine spread Jo was referring to on his MySpace, but I had no idea Thore would be in it, too. Just when I was looking for a poster to print. :D
@ anonymous, "a long term monogynous relationship with a man": I think that the word you want is "monogamous..."
@ anonymous who discusses the differences in attitudes towards the "no labels" stance between older and younger gays and lesbians: there is definitely a cultural divide. I myself am on the younger end of older (30), and I've often remarked that gays and lesbians even a few years younger than I often am (at least, those coming from liberal, urban areas) have quite different experiences and worldviews. When *Brokeback Mountain* came out, I ended up in a huge discussion with a younger friend, who simply did not get the film and dismissed it as inauthentic and precious, because it was so alien to her experience. For me, it cut a bit too close to the bone...
Wow! That picture is 'wow'! I love it... Looking forward to the rest of the article and pictures!
Thanks for showing us a preview!! xx
hey Peter--- Jo knows how to play to his fanbase because he's gay himself,,,,he has plenty of practice.....LOL
Another Anonymous wrote - " When *Brokeback Mountain* came out, I ended up in a huge discussion with a younger friend, who simply did not get the film and dismissed it as inauthentic and precious, because it was so alien to her experience. For me, it cut a bit too close to the bone... "
I'm two years shy of sixty and I've encountered this younger view and it both heartens and saddens me. Makes me glad because maybe the world is changing for real. Whoever in my generation could imagine gay marriage, for example? Or two men kissing on a television screen . . . it would be like science fiction. So I know it's changing but I'm not sure how deep the changes run. We've been reviled for seemingly forever.
I just don't want these coming generations to be ignorant and "dismiss it as "inauthentic." These things happened. Or to forget and discount the bravery and fight and pain that came before. Cliche but true. To forget history is to repeat it. Sorry for what might be perceived as melodrama. This cuts close to the bone, for me, as well. I guess you had to be there.
anon at 1025.. thanks for the tip my computer auto spell checks as i am chronically dyslexic.. got lost at mono.. so would not have noticed! ta for that
to all those who feel a divide with the younger generation.. i am def younger generation and i appreciate so much that i can express my sexuality relatively freely without harassment or oppression.. but i firmly stand by the belief that if one looks backwards all the time it is easy to feel victimized in situations where that is not necessarily the case.. i was reading toni morrison recently and it struck me how the gay movement could learn a lot from the struggles of the civil rights activists after various reforms.. it is hard to forgive and sometimes i think some people feel that forgive = forgetting so are even more unwilling to give up what some might term (and i use this very carefully, cause i now how flammable this topic is but i can't think of a more suitable term) 'vicitim' status, but to truly move forward and make changes that aren't going to be easily reversed, we shouldn't constantly be glancing over our shoulders, suspicious of all the positives.. my mum used to say if you expect the worst of people they usually deliever.. i want to remember all the things i am thankful for, even little things like holding my bfs hand when i walk down the street, but i will not spend my life looking back...
Anyone in NYC know where you can buy this mag?
@Duskysoda
"Jo knows how to play to his fanbase because he's gay himself,,,,"
Did I miss something? Is Jo officially out? I admit I haven't had a chance to read all the accompanying articles/interviews a propos of Jo and Thore. Where was this stated?
I'd love to find out more on Thore's take on Brokeback Mountain too!
@ Peter... Jo's never officially come out, he's said he won't answer the question (which I totally respect) but obvs the gay community's like "that's cause you're gay and you don't want to admit it because it might ruin your career or stereotype you to certain roles". personally I'm guessing he is, but for all we know he isn't, and that's the beauty of not answering the question!
one of them is putting lots of efforts to build a fanbase. the other one is... so quiet. if you go to gaypride, you have to be ready to receive some "strange" message.
@anon 5:07:
One of them also has almost a decade of experience in the industry ;-).
And already some experience with international exposure through his time on MEDICOPTER 117.
As for the other one: Think about it for a moment... it's your first job, you're on a German soap with an average of 2 million viewers a day and out of nowhere you turn into an international gay icon. That's a lot to process...
Well said GayTime. I remember thinking how awkward Thore looked in the bathing costume photo shoot, whereas Jo was enjoying every minute. His experience and perhaps his theatrical education made him much less self-conscious.
(But he does look quite gay in this photo. ;D)
i try to explain better my point of view: you can't make complaints (and to say it in an interview, it sounds a bit not respectful or naive) if you receive some intrusive message from fans. you can't if you walk in the borderline (i don't want to say if i'm gay) but putting lot of efforts to build a gay fanbase (for example with a public presence in gaypride or pushing in that way the personal page on myspace). you started the "flirt" because you need/want it: be ready to manage every kind of feedback without complaints. anyway i like, i respect, i appreciate both of them.
@ anon (7:16) - I don't think Jo was complaining about his fans in general. He was probably asked for an example of an outrageous fan reaction and the near-stalker was the one that came to mind. He was simply saying that this fan's replies started stepping more and more over the line, making him feeling so uncomfortable that he stopped responding to this person.
I don't think that he complained about getting love letters from a male fan. After all he is saying to politely decline to go on vacation with him. He only stopped writing back when the guy said he wanted to move close to him. Which I can understand. It's not unheard of soap actors to get stalkers. The most well known case in the US is Andrea Evans (Tina Lord on OLTL, Tawny on B&B, Rebecca on Passions), but there are more.
And no, I don't really believe in the short skirt theory. She wasn't inviting people to stalk her just because she was playing a soap character. Same for Jo or Thore or anybody else. I often get creeped out by some of the posters on youtube who seem to act like VL is their personal dating service. It's not. It's a professional business like any other and one day these actors will move on and act in other shows.
If people write Thore creep ass love letters that can't distinguish between reality and fiction then they only have themselves to blame if he is quiet or maybe doesn't prolong his contract or becomes less physical on screen. Like gaytime said, Thore is a young and inexperienced actor. If he decides that it's not for him then it would be a pity, but it would still make sense at this stage of his career. At least Jo had made the experience with this kind of soap opera fan attention before and still chose to come back to play the role again. Why does everybody assume that it's about fanwhoring? Maybe he really cares about gay representation on tv, regardless of whether he is gay himself or just a friendly straight or bi.
Many people have said that it is not that rare for VL actors to represent on cologne pride. The actors for Carla and Tom and Ulli did it and all these were vocal about being straight.
Hi Peter--- Nope... As you heard by "anonymous" Jo has not come out but Please,, haha I didn't meant to suggest that he did. I'm just so convinced that he is I've decided to make it a fact until proven otherwise...LOL
Thore's young...in his 20s... part of a different generation. I think that's the reason he missed out on the meaning of Ennis' " I'm not gay" statement. It wasn't as Thore suggested a rejection of labels and affirmation of love regardless of gender. But instead it was a statement that was a product of the times.. early 1960's America and the need to be seen as normal.. meaning not gay.
With total respect to those of you who liked it, I have to say I think that's the worst picture of Jo I've seen yet!
On the other hand, I think it could be well used as the cover of a low-budget porno! ;) I can see the back of the box now:
"What happens when this straight stud boxing champ and this irresistible bi-guy decide to share an apartment? Check out the bombastic action as these boys go...
BELOW THE BELT!"
[Runs away covering head] :)
Sorry to change the subject, but does anyone know what those silver jeans are??? I WANT them!
I came across an Ollian vid on youtube and have been a fan ever since:D
Thanks for posting this. Jo looks hot by the way!! XD XD XD
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