Mark Deklin talks about his role as a closeted gay man with an understanding wife on ABC’s new “GCB”

So what do you all think of ABC’s new show GCB?

I think it has loads of potential but am hoping it gets more of a heart real soon otherwise it will remain a cartoon and we will all get sick of it.

I mean, I can just watch an episode of the horribly toxic and awful Real Housewives of Orange County if I want to watch a bunch of Mean Girls!

But I will watch the show forever as long as it has Annie Potts on it!

Oh, and Mark Deklin too!

Mark plays Blake Riley, one-half of a Down Low marriage to Cricket.

On last night’s episode, it became clear that this is an arrangement between Blake and Cricket and there are no problems as long as both put their family first. This meant Blake had to blow off an third-anniversary celebration with his boyfriend in order to make it to his daughter’s cheerleading performance.

Deklin talked to AfterElton.com’s Jim Halterman about his role which often requires him to be shirtless and about the scrutiny his character will be under by gays and straights alike.

“It’s going to be interesting because I think, obviously, there’s going to be homophobic people who say ‘I don’t like that guy because he’s gay,’” Deklin said. “Unfortunately, inevitably, that happens. There will also be gay people who say ‘I don’t like that guy because he’s in the closet.’ So it will be interesting to see if people want to put aside judgements and just get to know this guy or not. Blake, at the end of the day, he’s one of the nicest and most trustworthy people in Dallas. He’s truly a good guy coming from the heart, and he’s a human being. I’d like to think that people will come to like Blake as they come to know him, but only time will tell if that’s going to happen.”

On keeping in shape for shirtless scenes: “This is insanity. When I was in my 20s, it was a different story. I could go out the night before and party and eat pizza, wake up the next day hung over and say ‘Oh you want me to take my shirt off? Okay.’ But I gotta tell you, when you hit your 40s, things change. I said to the producers very early on ‘you have to give me a heads up when I’m going to be shirtless. Give me a few days or a week heads up.’ So the answer to the question is, yes, the way I eat shifts a bit. I go full-on Atkins when I know I have a shirtless scene coming up. Of course, I pump up my workouts…my workout generally is an overall full body but when I know I’m going to have my shirt off I just neglect the legs and it’s all about chest and abs and shoulders. You know the deal. I could say I like to walk around camera ready with my shirt off, but that’s such a lie!”

On scrutiny from gay fans: “Believe me, I am well aware of all that! All the time I’m thinking potentially when it comes to physicality I am facing the harshest critics out there, so I am well aware of this and I am doing my best to make my gay boys proud!”

Read the entire interview at AfterElton.com.