Eye Candy :: 90210's Trevor Donovan

The history of gay characters on prime time television has come a long way since the days of the camera cutting away just as two men were about to kiss (think Matt on "Melrose Place" in the 90s).

On a recent episode of the CW soap "90210", newly outed teen Teddy Montgomery (played by the hunkalicious Trevor Donovan, a former Abercrombie & Fitch model), is trying to find a way to tell an old friend (played by guest star Alan Ritchson) that he's gay . It turns out his buddy has the same admission. What happens next? Quick cut to a hallway scene where the guys can't keep their hands and lips off each other before getting down to it in their hotel room. Times have definitely changed.

EDGE's Jim Halterman rang up the gregarious Donovan to talk about how his perception of gays has changed since joining "90210", the bumps coming up in the road for Teddy's latest romance and, in a personal admission, what fun activity leaves him laying on the floor in pain.

EDGE: Did you know Teddy was going to be gay when you originally took the part?

Trevor Donovan: I found out during my last hiatus and it wasn't something I knew originally. My first season on the show I was a guest star the entire season and I didn't know if I was coming back but then I did find out I was coming back and they were going to be writing Teddy as just coming out of the closet. I was scared! [laughs] I didn't know which direction it was going to go in and it took me a couple of days to really think about how is it going to be written.

I got together with the head writer and producer and discussed it and we were all on the exact same page. We wanted something that was non-gratuitous and to really show the struggle a kid like Teddy, who grew up with a movie star Dad and being a 'womanizer,' and showing how difficult it is for him to come out. And also showing it in a realistic time line, not a 2-3 episode, shock-value, flash-in-the-pan, ratings booster. I couldn't be happier with the direction of the story line. Everyone's reaction has been amazing and it's been nothing but positive.

EDGE: It was definitely a good thing to show the progression of it all.

TD: He didn't wake up one day and go 'Oh, I'm gay!' and then start dating every guy at the school. That's not real. He struggled with it and struggled with society's view on it, his own personal view on it, his friend's and family's view on it. He had to get to the point to accept it himself.

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Watch Trevor Donovan's video for the the "It's Get Better" campaign:

Making out with a close friend

EDGE: Personally, I think they've done a great job because there was a time where you could not show two men kissing!

TD: Yeah, considering the episode where me and Alan Ritchson are stumbling down the hallway.

EDGE: And Alan Ritchson is a buddy of yours in real-life, right? That must've been a bit awkward to be making out with a close friend!

TD: It was pretty funny because I've known him for quite awhile. I used to work for him and his wife. They owned a branch of a boot camp and I was a trainer for them. I hadn't talked to him in quite awhile and then I got a text from him out of nowhere saying 'I went in to see producers to see about playing Tripp.' I had just read the script and I was like 'You're going in for that role?' I had mixed feelings about it but then I thought I already knew him so we could make light of the situation. I think it really worked well in the end. When he found out he got the role, he said 'Looks like we're going to be getting it on!"

Teddy’s story line: too gay-centric?

EDGE: Because so much of this season on the show has been about Teddy and his sexuality, have you been concerned as an actor that your story line might be too gay-centric?

TD: That has crossed my mind. I think focusing just on his sexual preference would be somewhat irresponsible. I think the coming out story was important but he's still a human being with career goals and life goals and other things in his life that are not just about sexuality. I'm not sure what will happen in Season Four [the show is already picked up for another year] but I know we're all on the same page and they don't want the focus to only be on that. He still has his family issues that haven't been touched on or whether or not he's going to college or what's going to happen with his tennis career.

EDGE: In playing the role and hearing from fans out there, has it changed your own perception of gays?

TD: Oh man, yeah. Completely. I grew up in such a small, sheltered town and homosexuality and that lifestyle were something I was completely oblivious to growing up. Now I've lived in LA for the last eleven years and I've certainly learned a lot, been exposed to a lot and this story line has given me the opportunity to really get to ask a lot of my gay friends about their experiences growing up and really get a lot of insight and enlightenment about how difficult and how much of a struggle it is. I never fully understood but I definitely have gotten to understand how tough it is.

Helping kids

EDGE: You think about the kids growing up today in small towns and they're watching you on "90210" and thinking: 'There is a guy going through what I'm feeling!'

TD: Yeah, I think it's so important. When you grow up in big cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York, those places are more open-minded and have more about culture and gay lifestyle and the smaller towns in the Midwest or in those tucked away places kids don't have that exposure and a kid can feel completely alone. I think story lines like this on TV are really helping kids.

EDGE: And now it looks like Teddy's goal is to find a relationship. Can you talk about what we're going to see in this week's episode?

TD: In the past episode with Tripp, Teddy realized he's been somewhat played so he realizes he wants a little more of an emotional-based relationship and he thinks he can find that in Marco (Freddie Smith). But he does become suspicious because he does catch Marco in some substantial lies so it creates trust issues between he and Marco.

EDGE: Do you think Teddy is mature enough for a full-on relationship?

TD: Yeah, he's definitely going in that direction. Because of his coming out, he is pretty vulnerable right now so he's looking for some solidarity and he's going to need a little help with that so I think he's looking for that in Marco. Teddy is definitely going to be the kind of person who is looking for a long-term relationship.

Fitness and pizza

EDGE: What's your favorite thing to do for fitness?

TD: My younger brother - he's a firefighter up in Sacramento - just opened up a gym and there's a style of working out called Cross Fit and it's a Marine Corp-based workout program. It's so freaking intense but it's quick and it's the most amazing workout. It's now my new go-to now.

EDGE: You're obviously in great shape but what is your guilty pleasure in terms of food?

TD: I love pizza and I'm not talking about a slice of pizza. If I have pizza, I eat an entire large by myself, literally. I love watching football on Sundays and I take care of myself six and a half days a week and then half of Sunday I'll sit down and eat an entire pizza until I'm laying on the floor in pain. Of course, then I punish myself the rest of the week working out.

"90210" airs every Monday at 9/8c on the CW network.

Watch this "Entertainment Tonight" feature about "90210's" Trevor Donovan: