Quick blurb; George did a phone interview and spoke on some awesome topics. My favorites are listed:
Q. What was it like writing your autobiography?
A. My primary motivation was I wanted to talk about my boyhood behind the barbed-wire fences of American internment camps. People east of the Rockies seem to know little about that dark period of American history (after Pearl Harbor) when American citizens were summarily rounded up and imprisoned with no charges, no trial and no due process. I was 4 years old when we were picked up. I still remember soldiers with bayonets stomping up to our front door in Los Angeles and ordering us out. My mother was crying. We were taken to horse stables to live because the camps weren’t built yet.
Q. In 2005, you came out as a gay man, which many consider a very bold step for an actor.
A. I was living a closeted gay life at the beginning of my career. When you’re going for roles there are so many factors for decision-making — too short, too tall, too fat, too skinny, too young, too old — and I didn’t want to add “too gay” to the list of reasons they could reject me. But you come to a point where you get into a serious relationship and you want to bring your significant other to the party where everyone else is bringing their girlfriend or their wife.
Then in 2005, something important happened in California. Both houses of our Legislature passed the same-sex marriage bill, which was a historic event. All that was required was the signature of our governor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who had campaigned by saying “I’m from Hollywood, I’m comfortable with gays and lesbians.” When he reneged, there was outrage. I felt I needed to speak out with my voice. I needed to be authentic.
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