Wilson Cruz chats about his role on new series “Red Band Society” with Octavia Spencer

Wilson Cruz may have been most visible in recent years as the charismatic and articulate national spokesman for GLAAD but the My So-Called Life, Party of Five and Noah’s Arc alum is still a working actor and has a role on the new Fox drama Red Band Society.

The Fox series was created by Margaret Nagle and is set in the pediatric ward of a hospital.

The cast is led by Oscar- winner Octavia Spencer and Wilson plays Nurse Kenji Gomez-Rejon.

Of his character’s relationship with Octavia Spencer’s character Wilson tells XFinity TV: “I think there’s a loyalty to Nurse Jackson, absolutely. There’s a shorthand between them. I am the person who is the least scared of the scary bitch that she pretends to be. She’s a scary bitch with a heart of gold but I know that more than anybody. I get to give it right back to her. Their relationship I think is going to end up being almost mother/son, brother/sister, mentor/mentee.”

So is his character gay?

“Yes, at my insistence,” Wilson says. “This is GLAAD at work. We need more gay characters on TV. We need more LGBT characters of color on TV. I won’t spoil the other thing that we need more on TV of because that’s coming later, but there were certain things that I thought that we had a real opportunity.”

What will landing a series role mean for his work at GLAAD?

Says Wilson: “My concern is this, I don’t want to be mediocre at either job. I’m committed to being the best at everything that I do. The minute I feel like I’m not able to give 100 percent, then something’s going to have to give. (GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis) said if that means that I have to go back onto the board of GLAAD and do my work from there that’ll make it easier that’s a possibility. But I think we’re going to try and make this work as long as we possibly can. I just took on a new role at GLAAD recently. I’m the director of entertainment industry partnership so it’s a little easier. It’s more focused. I get to work directly with the studios and the networks and the agencies on how GLAAD partners with them in order to do our work better and help them to do their work better. I’m committed to doing that work and I’m committed to still being an artist. I’m so, so privileged and lucky that I get to do both. I don’t know how that happened but it did.”

Read the full interview here:
http://xfin.tv/1lYK3TE