Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan Starred in his one-man show Leslie Jordan My Trip Down the Pink Carpet at Apollo Theatre

Date of Birth?
April 29, 1955

Place of birth?
Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

Did you go to training school, if so which one?
Attended The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and received a BA in Theatre Arts

Your first stage performance?
Played Dr. Rance in Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw" (Hilarious! Can you imagine trying to navigate the words of Orton with my deep Southern accent! Was told by the director, "that if I got cute he would break both my legs!" Got on stage and the laughter hit me like a drug, was so out of control I was practically winking at the audience! And the director was furious. He screamed at me so loud his saliva was hitting me in the face. He made me apoligise to the entire cast and crew. Floods and floods of tears!)

Career highlight to date?
Playing Brother Boy, the Tammy Wynette obsessed drag queen in "Sordid Lives" which was both a cult favorite movie and a successful TV series.

What roles would you most like to play?
I'm at a very lazy stage in my career where I really do not want to be an actor for hire. I love the freedom of writing and doing my own shows!!

What's the best advice you've ever received?
To walk into an audition with the mind set that I am "here to serve." To serve the vision of the director, to serve the producer and to especially serve other actors. A worker among workers.

What is the most annoying part about your job?
Doing press interviews. Period.

If you had not become a performer, what might you have done instead?
A jockey. I rode my entire life and was an exercise rider for years and years at tracks all across America.

Who are your favourite actors/actresses
Ewen McGregor always gets my vote.

If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and what would you say to them?
Jesus Christ. I would ask him to please explain to these pious Christians how they are misrepresenting his words!!

What was the last book you read, and name some of your favourite authors?
Obsessed with Henning Mankell, a Swedish mystery writer. Cannot stop watching the BBC productions of his work! That actor who plays Wallender is FANTASTIC. He is mainly known for Shakespearean roles but his performance as this wounded cop breaks my heart. Floods and floods of tears.

What was the last film you saw, and name some of your favourite movies?
When I was drinking too much, I had this habit of going to the movies when I was depressed or hung over and sometimes watching 3 films in a row. (Buy one ticket and just sneak theatre to theatre...) With 13 years of sobriety under my belt my life is so FULL and so RICH, I do not feel the need to escape even for two hours. Believe it or not, the last film I saw was "Brokeback Mountain." Floods and floods of tears.

Favourite TV programs?
I do not watch TV at all. American TV is in the toilet with all its reality shows.

Favourite holiday destinations?
I did 45 cities last year and even more the years before with my one man shows. A holiday for me is a few days in Los Angeles sleeping in my own bed!!

Do you have any hobbies?
None.

Do you have any superstitions?
Very pragmatic.

What are your future plans?
I have a really big movie coming out called "The Help" that Mr. Speilberg and Chris Columbus of "Harry Potter" fame produced and I am doing a Broadway show in the spring called "Lucky Guy" with a 6'3" drag queen named Varla Jean Merman (who bills herself as The Love Child of Ernest Bornine and Ethel Merman!) Should be a real hoot!

Questions by Darren Dalglish