Wicked star Kristoffer Cusick talks about being a gay man playing a straight prince, wearing tight pants onstage and working with those pesky flying monkeys.

By Ken Knox

Kristoffer Cusick isn't like other gay men when it comes to The Wizard of Oz. Though he may be a “friend of Dorothy's” by default of his sexuality, the openly gay actor says it wasn't until he landed the role of Fiyero—the handsome prince who comes between longtime friends Glinda the Good Witch and a misunderstood woman named Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West)—in the Broadway production of the Oz-inspired musical Wicked that he truly developed an appreciation for the classic movie. “The movie always scared me growing up,” he confesses. “The flying monkeys kind of freaked me out. I've seen the movie a few times as an adult, though, and it's an amazing, amazing film.”

Having understudied the role of Fiyero on Broadway and originated the role in the Chicago production, Cusick will soon be strutting his stuff as the dashing prince in the Los Angeles production, which is setting up house in the Pantages Theatre for an open-ended run.

For Cusick, it's a bit of a homecoming: A native of Southern California (growing up, he lived everywhere from the Inland Empire and Moreno Valley to Ontario and Orange Country), the actor originally set out to be an ice skater, but his parents made him quit when he asked them to home school him so that he could focus on his skating. Inspired by his mother, Capitol recording artist Linda Larkin, Cusick instead turned to entertainment, eventually performing on Star Search and Big Break with Natalie Cole as a child before giving it up and “trying to do the smart” thing by studying biology and pre-med in college. An open cattle call for a national touring production of Rent brought him back to the fold, and after landing the role of drag queen Angel, Cusick began a career that has included Broadway (Saturday Night Fever, Wicked) film and television roles, and a soon-to-be-released album. “I've been very blessed and very lucky,” Cusick acknowledges. “The Broadway community has been very good to me.”

And so has Wicked. Now in his fourth year playing Fiyero, Cusick says he frequently receives letters from fans who say how inspired they are by not only the show, but also his choice to be openly gay. “I've never taken a stance on wanting to be this giant role model for the gay community, but I am gay. I don't hide it. And it has nothing to do with my sexuality, but in terms of being some sort of role model to people in general… if I can inspire people as a performer in this musical and through my choice to be true to who I am, that's great.”

As for playing a strapping prince who comes between two iconic female characters, Cusick takes the actor's approach. “It's interesting,” he laughs. “I have a lot of people who ask me, 'What's it like playing this big, straight prince?' It's a great fantasy world to put myself in eight times a week. I have such a great time doing it.” Ask him if he prefers the cute boys waiting backstage for his autograph or the costumes, and Cusick chuckles. “The boys waiting outside are usually 12 or 13, so there's nothing great about that, and the costumes are very tight. Tight pants, tight boots, tight shirt. They reveal a lot.”

With a solo CD, Lost, on the way and pilot season ahead of him, Cusick hopes to land a few film and TV gigs while he's in L.A. (“Most of my family is in Los Angeles, so I would love to be able to at least some of the time work at home,” he says), but is firmly committed to the run of Wicked. And when asked if the show has helped him get over his childhood fear of those winged monkeys, Cusick adopts a cautious tone. “Are you kidding? Those monkeys are still scary!” he responds. “I'm telling you! You see those masks backstage, and you'd be terrified, too.”

Wicked plays Tuesday-Sunday at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com. For more on Cusick, visit www.kristoffercusick.com.