Category: Interview

Canadian cutie and former star of gothic gay soap opera Dante’s Cove, Charlie David talks to Domenico Sansalone about writing homoerotic paranormal short stories, S/M leather horse masks and hanging out with male strippers.

TGUK: All the best looking guys are Canadian! What was it like growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada?

CD: Cold! And I was the only gay Eskimo… well possibly not. I’ve heard of others coming out of the igloo lately but for a while there it was pretty lonely being the only one adorning my curvaceous snow bedroom walls with posters of Antonio Sabato Jr. rockin’ his Calvins.
TGUK: Where are you based now?

CD: I currently live in Montréal, Québec which has no shortage of gays. Unfortunately they also have no shortage of snow in winter.

TGUK: Did you always want to be an actor?

CD: Absolutely, I was always the family entertainer, story-teller, and living room turned dance hall choreographer. The producer began early in me as well. I always delegated one of my brothers or sisters to be ticket-taker.

TGUK: Tell us about your time working on LGBT horror series Dante’s Cove?

CD: There were a lot of ridiculously good looking people running around in underwear or swimsuits with a ridiculous amount of oil spread on their bodies while saying ridiculous nonsensical lines and trudging our way through only comprehensible if drunk plot lines. It was a gong show and I have no regrets.
TGUK: It has a cult following in the UK. Do you ever get over here for appearances?

CD: I’ve never been to the UK for appearances but often travel for pleasure. I’ve shopped, dined, drank and played football in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin. The rubber duck in my tub is from Harrod’s and the entrance mat to my house is the Union Jack. You could say I’m a bit of a Britophile. No don’t say that… it sounds dirty.

CD: I’m very good friends with Jon Fleming, Nadine Heimann, Gregory Michael, Tracy Scoggins and Thea Gill. While I see Jonny regularly I chat with the others at least a few times a year to catch up.
TGUK: How did the writing thing happen?

CD: I’ve always really enjoyed writing – it’s therapeutic for me. I started in high school and it’s very much a hobby. I’ve written a few films, a play and three novels now. I’m not one of these actors who can just sit around. When I’m not working on camera on a show I’m producing, directing or writing. I’ve always found all elements of TV/Film fascinating.
TGUK: Tell us about you’re your homoerotic book of paranormal stories, Shadowlands?

CD: Based on my writing so far I’m most proud of Shadowlands. It’s honest, it was scary to write because I thought I was revealing myself too much but that’s also proven to be what my readers want. They want to know the real me and that includes my dark side.
TGUK: What was your favourite story to write and why?

CD: The opening story Pygmalion Revisited still makes my heart ache when I read it. It’s tragic because the protagonist suffers the loss of his love not once but twice. I’m fascinated by the idea of a perfect love because our world was formed in polarity. Nothing is perfect forever and I guess I’m a bit intoxicated with the rollercoaster of it all.
TGUK: You seem drawn to the supernatural, would you say you have a dark side?

CD: Absolutely. We all do. It’s not that we’re either good or bad or dark or light. We’re human. It’s our nature to have shadowlands dwelling within us.