Alec Mapa
Answers OUT Spoken’s questions

You’ve seen him on Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives he’s the host of Transamerica Love Story on Logo, Alec Mapa is America’s gaysian sweetheart and he’s headlining Gay Day at Great America.

The San Francisco native told OUT Spoken that he has fond memories of Great America amusement park.
I remember during spring break our parents used to drop us off and would literally just be back at sundown or never come back. [laughs] It was kind of the one-stop, when we were old enough to plan our own day when we were like 12 or 13, and our parents would go, “Bye!”

The 5’5’ actor, who now resides in Los Angeles, was born in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School where he has more fond memories.
I was a total stoner. I was baked; I was waken-baked. I think I woke up one morning and looked around and I was like “You have got to be kidding me, I have to be with these guys for four years?” So I light up and thought, “ahh… this is not so bad!”

Mapa started acting high school. He says it was the only thing he had talent for.
I was on the speech team, I won second place in the state, and my drama teacher encouraged me to apply to NYU. Even though my grades were rotten and I got in.. I was there for four years and my first job out-of-the-gate was the Broadway play M Butterfly.

A roll he took over from B.D. Wong, another San Francisco native.
I like to think that B.D. Wong opened for me, and that he was my warm up act.

Being naked onstage wasn’t scary for the thespian.
It was more fabulous than scary, because honestly, I waited so long to play that role. I understudied for what’s-his-face for a year. I would have been naked, I would have been tarred and featured; I wanted to be on that stage.

At 24, went to college and then to Broadway and then to Los Angles where he did not find work for four more years.
All my Broadway money ran out, so I started doing stand-up. Los Angeles isn’t about process or figuring it out. They want you done. It’s about results. You have to show up ready, as a finished product, or they don’t have any time for you.  It took me a long time to figure that out.

On being out.
I always wondered what being out would do for my career, but the truth is I really did not have a career until I came out. People are hard-wired to respect the truth. It was the first authentic thing I had to offer. I just decided to be myself.

In 2005, Mapa came back to his home town as a Celebrity Grand Marshall in the Pride Parade.
I grew up in the City, but I also came home to a conservative Roman-Catholic household. I remembered going to the pride parade during high school and envying the pride people displayed. To actually be in the parade, waving from a car and to be there with my husband, was a very wonderful moment.

Surprisingly, Mapa is not caught up in his celebrity.
It’s all about perception in Hollywood. I am perceived to be a celebrity, because I do have reoccurring rolls on two hit shows and that gives me a status that I did not have before. But that changes so quickly and so often here in Los Angeles so it’s all about enjoying the moment as it’s happening, ‘cause you don’t know what’s going to happen next. For every hit, all of us on those shows have been face down in the dips. We’re all enjoying the moment.

Mapa strike-proofs his career by doing stand up, this way he always has a job
I do stand-up gigs, like half the year on the road on the Atlantis Cruise Line and I do a lot of work for the Human Rights Campaign. It keeps me from being needy. [laughs]

And if you’re coming to see his act, you’re in for a treat.
I shoot ping-pong balls out of my crouch, like the girls do in Thailand. My comedy is more anecdotal, if I had to describe it as anything. It’s not set ups and punch lines. It’s kind of outrageous stories…  with me ending up with egg on my face.

Mapa has a reason for calling me today, He wants you to see him Memorial Day Weekend.
Come see me at Gay America May 23, I’m the wackiest ride in the park.