Victor Webster :: Melrose Place's new gay hottie

In the original Melrose Place, fans of the gay character Matt (played by Doug Savant) were often short-changed by kisses that were edited out and storylines that didn't really flesh out the life of a gay man living in Los Angeles.

Now that the CW network was brought Melrose Place back to life, they have also brought a new gay character into the mix. Openly gay publicist Caleb, played by hottie Victor Webster couldn't be more different than Matt in that he is in a position of power at the publicity firm where Ella (Katie Cassidy) works and he also happens to be a cigar-smoking, Lakers-loving guy's guy.

But will we see a realistic portrayal of a gay man living in 2009? Edge's Jim Halterman talked to Webster about playing gay and how he feels about filming bedroom scenes with another man as well as how his nearly nude work in Sex and the City still gets him recognized today.

Non-stereotypical gay character

EDGE: How did the role of Caleb come about?

Victor Webster: It was the audition process, actually. I got a call to go in for Melrose Place, which I thought was interesting. I loved the fact that they were doing it again because I was a fan of the original. I went in for the audition and I got a call awhile later that I had the part.

EDGE: Did you know the breakdown of the character? That he was a gay character?

VW: Yeah, I did and I thought their take on the character was very interesting. He's a very masculine, non-stereotypical gay character, which was intriguing to me because it's nice that there's that type of character portrayed on television. Not the very typical type of gay character that you see in media now, which is very effeminate or very overtly gay. It's nice when they mix it up and show the true spectrum of what's going on out there.

EDGE: You first appeared in last week's episode and it was almost an afterthought that Caleb just happened to be gay. He definitely doesn't seem defined by his sexuality.

VW: That's what I really like about it. I'm friends with so many types of people and I have a lot of gay friends who are very masculine and play sports so I know people who are just like this, so it's nice to get that perspective.

Watch a clip of Victor Webster on Melrose Place.

Taking a gay role

EDGE: Gay roles have changed so much since the last Melrose Place was on the air. Was there any concern about taking on a gay role at this point in your career?

VW: I think there was maybe a super brief thought, but the way the character was written and with the people who were attached to the show, it was more of a passing thought and I just went for it. It's a great opportunity.

EDGE: In the old show, the producers always seemed to pull back from really showing Matt's life as a gay man. Do you know if the plan is to not do that with Caleb?

VW: I don't know what the plan is, actually. I'm flying by the seat of my pants and so I haven't sat down to have that conversation. I'm confident that they are going to bring a nice, colorful character out and I'm just looking forward to seeing what happens.

EDGE: So far we've only seen you interact with Ella. Any idea how involved Caleb might become with the other characters?

VW: It's a bit too soon and that hasn't really been discussed yet. I really enjoyed picking up the script and seeing it for the first time myself. If someone tells me something that's going to happen, I want it to happen and, you know how the TV business changes is, stuff changes like that so I don't want to get my hopes up. If I see it in the script before we shoot it, then I know it's going to happen.

EDGE: With all the bed-hopping going on in the show, are you ready to do the same with another guy in bed?

VW: You know what? That's just something that's part of the character. If that's what the character is going to do, then that's what I'm going to do. I'd definitely prefer that there would be an interesting storyline and there be a reason for it than just say, 'It's time for Caleb to hop into bed with someone.' If they created a cool arc in a story and that was what transpired from that then that would make it that much more interesting.

EDGE: You said you were a fan of the original Melrose Place? What did you like about it?

VW: I loved how outlandish the storylines were and how many crazy things happened. It's something that you just don't see in your everyday life so it's great to escape into another world where every single day seems like something crazy is happening. Obviously, the Heather Locklear character was one of my favorites just because of how conniving and manipulating and interesting she was.

Watch this clip of Victor Webster's big snafu while filming a scene from Mutant X.

Sex and the City recognition

EDGE: You've done a little bit of everything in your career. You were on Days Of Our Lives, the syndicated sci-fi show Mutant X and you did an episode of Sex and the City where you played a new neighbor of Kim Cattrall's Samantha. What do you get recognized for the most?

VW: I do get a lot of Sex and the City and I think it's because you saw a lot of me. [laughs] so it's probably seared into people's minds. There's been a lot of Charmed, too, but mostly Sex and the City.

EDGE: Harpers Island was a fun mystery show this summer but your character didn't last very long before he got killed, did he?

VW: Yeah, he was a troublemaker so he came and went pretty quick. I was expecting that, actually, because I knew it was going to be a short run. I had a great time working with those people and I had never had the opportunity to play a troublemaker or someone so dark so that was interesting to delve into that a little bit.

EDGE: From your role on Mutant X, did you get a taste for some of the crazy, die-hard sci-fi fans out there?

VW: I loved that! I would go around and do conventions and things like that and the sci-fi fans are crazy! They were more detailed about my character than I was myself. They would pick up on every little tidbit and hold onto that. I have a lot of love for them because anyone that supports your work that much and that involved in things that you do; they're the ones responsible for us doing what we're doing so I love that.

EDGE: Was the daytime soap world good training ground for you as an actor?

VW: It was incredible. We were doing 30 pages dialogue in a day and that was a great exercise for the brain. Some of those actresses...I remember I was doing a scene with Deidre Hall (who played Marlena) and she asked the director 'How many tears do you want and from what eye do you want them from?' I was like 'Are you for real?' and she let two tears come from her eye that was closest to the camera. It was unbelievable.

EDGE: Soap fans are probably as passionate as the sci-fi fans, if not more. Do you think they'll tune in for Melrose Place?

VW: I really do. I think that especially with the cast that they have and everyone is doing such a good job with their character and they're so interesting. Also, I don't remember the original Melrose Place being so funny. This show is not a comedy by any means but there are so many one-liners and funny situations. It's such a great group of up-and-coming actors that are going to do well. It's going to be a fun ride, for sure, so I think fans are going to grab hold of it and love all the juicy stuff that's going on.

You can see Victor Webster help shake things up on Melrose Place, which airs every Tuesday at 9/8c on the CW network.

Watch this clip of Victor Webster on Sex and the City.