Actor Mike C. Manning is attending the World Premerie of eCUPID tonight, Friday 13 at 6PM
Tonight is the Wold Premiere of eCUPID – a film about relationships, tech, and love directed by JC Calciano.
Real World: DC-er Mike C. Manning has a role in this rom-com 2.0. He took time to chat with us via the net. Go figure.
eCupid is about what happens to a guy when a dating app takes over his phone, which in 2011 basically means, his life. I mean, you’re pretty wired in yourself–connected to your Twitter followers, lending your voice to YouTube with the It Gets Better campaign, answering these questions through cyberspace. How do you manage it all? Do you ever just want to fall off the grid?
I’m to the point now where if I don’t have my cell phone on me, constantly checking emails, Twitter, or messaging friends, I feel naked. Sometimes friends will even make plans with me ONLY if I agree to keep my phone in my pocket the entire time. That being said, sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere in nature where you don’t even get cell reception, and just enjoy the peace.
What are your thoughts about these dating “tools” like Grindr? Craigslist? OkCupid? as they pertain to the gay community? Being an activist for gay rights, I was very critical in the beginning. I thought, “How can I show people that we are all the same, and that being gay is not ‘morally wrong’ like some groups preach, if we are using social media to hook up like we do?” Since then, I have compared and realized that straight people do the exact same thing. There are those at every level of the “sexually active” spectrum in both the gay and straight communities.
Your character is Myles, a young skater kid who hits on the main character Marshall at a bar. Similar to yourself on the Real World: DC, Myles isn’t your “stereotypical” gay character. He (and you) provide visibility to this obvious reality that we can be guys…who just happen to be gay. That’s a noticeable shift in looking at what it means to be “gay today,” right? Like, post-gay? Or am I over-thinking all of this? Help! I don’t think there is a shift in what it MEANS to be gay, but I do think there is a shift in the amount of people that REALIZE just how “normal” and diverse the LGBT community really is. Just like the straight community, we have everything from cowboys to drag queens, FBI Agents to runway models – and with people being more open about who they are, more and more questioning adolescents can identify with one “one type of gay” or another, and it makes self-acceptance easier for him/her.
The movie also shows a guy who has become disenchanted in his 7-year relationship, starting to take things for granted. What’s the longest relationship you’ve ever been in? How do you keep things from getting…boring. Or is that just a part of commitment? Your thoughts, Dr. Manning… Ha ha, Dr. Manning? That’s funny. Obviously, being in a relationship takes work. Most of the time, love ISN’T all you need. It takes work to maintain a relationship, and to actually “make it” you have to enter the relationship with that in mind. Me? Well I’ve been able to play that game for a max of 1.5 years, once with a girl and once with a guy. To keep things from getting boring? Just treat them like your best friend, be honest, and don’t forget to laugh.
You’re also a vocal political activist. Tell us about your involvement with The Trailblazer Project? The “Trailblazer” campaign is a movement started by my friend James, with the purpose of encouraging Hollywood as a whole to be “out” and proud of sexuality. The idea is that if influential individuals in the public eye are open and honest about their sexuality, the shame is scraped away all that is left are proud public figures that youth in particular can identify with.
