is best known as Nick Chavez, the

out-and-proud soap stud of ABC's One Life to Live. For his role in

the first gay love triangle on American daytime TV, he was honored with

AfterElton's 2009

Visibility Award, along with co-stars Scott

Evans and Brett Claywell and

head writer Ron Carlivati, as "Men of the

Year."

But nowadays, Rodriguez is collecting more kudos in another

arena: at Arena Stage in Washington

D.C. Now through Dec. 30, the

hunky Broadway actor, 33, is riding high as the singing cowboy in its

multiracial revival of Rodgers &

Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

From the moment the 6-foot-1, Latino tenor from Austin, Tex.,

struts onstage in his leather chaps and boots, audiences can't help but think, "Oh,

what a beautiful Curly!"

Eleasha Gamble,

his lovely leading lady who plays Laurey, says, "Nicholas brings a youthfulness

and playfulness to Curly, yet he's such a man." His director, Molly Smith, adds, "He's from Texas, so we believe he's

a cowboy. We completely buy that he's in love with Laurey. He also has a

glorious singing voice, moves like an angel and has a muscularity about his

work. Plus, he's got great comedic timing. He has everything."

In a rave review in the Washington Post, Peter Marks called Rodriguez a "charming

Curly [who] sings like a dream" in a "triumphant" production.

And now there's talk that this theater-in-the-round revival at the Fichandler

Stage might go to Broadway.

AfterElton.com sat down with Rodriguez to discuss how he got

roped into Oklahoma!, what's it like to be an openly gay actor and how One Life to Live changed his world.

AfterElton: Congratulations

on playing Curly in Oklahoma!

at Arena Stage.

Nicholas Rodriguez: Thanks! It's really fun. I've seen the 1955 movie with

Gordon MacRae. I saw the 1999 DVD of the Hugh Jackman production in London, and I caught

Patrick Wilson doing it on Broadway (2002). All those guys are great, and they

set the bar very high.

But our production is so different that I never felt any

pressure about being compared to them. I also did it three years ago in Atlanta, but my favorite

production might be the one I saw when I was 13. My grandmother was an elementary

school music teacher, and they did it with fifth-graders. I still remember that

in "The Farmer and the Cowman," the cowboys wore blue bandannas and

the farmers wore red ones.

AE: Curly is one of

Broadway's top leading-man roles, so what's your take on him?

NR: I've keyed in on how people describe him in the

show: smart-aleck, hopeful, tough. Curly's a cowboy, so he knows how to handle

himself with the guys, but ladies are kind of an enigma, so [he] lets some

boyish charm come out. I play it as if Laurey is his first true love. That way

our romance is almost as fresh as Will and Ado Annie's. I also drew on my

grandfather, who lived on a ranch, and I grew up riding horses.

Rodriguez as Curly in the Arena Stage's Oklahoma!

Photo by Suzanne Blue Star Boy

AE: This is such a

racially diverse Oklahoma! What's your ethnic makeup?

NR: My father's

Mexican-American, and my mom's Cherokee and Welsh. But even though our Laurey

and Aunt Eller (E. Faye Keller) are

portrayed by African-Americans, we're not playing race. We've all done a lot of

historical research; although all these ethnic groups [blacks, Latinos, Asians

and Native Americans] existed at that time in Oklahoma, they didn't co-exist. So our

modern take is that they're all co-mingling, like our country is now. But I'm

not playing Curly as a Latino; I'm just Curly.

AE: Eleasha Gamble

took over the role of Laurey at the last minute after Valisia LeKae left due to "personal matters."

Eleasha tells us: 'Nicholas has been a godsend. He bowled me over from the

minute we met, and our first song was "People Will Say We're in Love." He's so warm

and wonderful; I couldn't have done it without him.'

NR: Eleasha's

amazing. She stepped in right after the first preview, and she learned it all,

in front of an audience, only 12 days before we opened. Her Laurey's fearless

and strong. She's not a wispy little girl. She's working the land with her

aunt.

AE: You and Eleasha

have incredible sexual chemistry, especially when Curly proposes to Laurey, and

you two are smooching up a storm. She says, 'Nicholas is very handsome and

charming. We have such fun together, and he's a very good kisser.'

NR: So is she.

And there's a lot of kissing. (Laughs.) We just click.

Eleasha Gamble as Laurey with Rodriguez

Photo by Carol Rosegg

AE: Your director,

Molly Smith, cast you earlier this year as Fabrizio, the lovesick Italian in The

Light in the Piazza at Arena Stage. But in Oklahoma!, she has cast two sexy leading

men: you as Curly and Aaron Ramey as Jud, your rival for Laurey.

NR: Molly's

incredible. She wanted it to be a viable love triangle. Jud is often portrayed

as slovenly and dirty. But she wanted him to be a bad boy and sometimes, women

are attracted to them. She wanted Curly to have to work harder to win Laurie. Luckily,

Aaron and I get along very well and have each other's back. If we didn't, it

could be dangerous because of our fight scenes. That's a lot of testosterone.

(Laughs.)

Aaron Ramey as Jud Fry and Rodriguez as Curly

Photo by Carol Rosegg

AE: Though your last name is Rodriguez, you're rarely cast as Latino. You're played Tarzan on Broadway and co-starred with Val Kilmer and Adam Lambert in The Ten Commandments in Los Angeles. Ever thought of changing to a less ethnic name?

NR: I thought

about it and wondered if my family would be insulted, but I don't have any

regrets. I know I've been told: 'We're not looking for Hispanic actors.' But if

I had an Anglo name, I could've fallen into this group of half-Latino actors,

like Benjamin Bratt, Lynda Carter, Catherine Bach, Lou Diamond

Phillips and Jimmy Smits.

AE: Yet the role that's

put you on the map is Nick Chavez on One

Life to Live, playing the third

corner of a gay love triangle with Fish (Scott Evans) and Kyle (Brett

Claywell). That part was supposed to go to a Caucasian, All-American guy, but

you got it over 'all these blue-eyed, blond-haired hunky dudes.' Later, they changed the character's name of Griffin Long to Nick

Chavez. Though you were only set to appear in four episodes, you stuck around

for seven months. What's the feedback been like?

NR: Mindblowing.

Teenagers will find me on Facebook and say, 'I never saw a gay person on TV I

could relate to, until you.' I just got a letter from a grown man in Mississippi who lives

there in a small town that he finds soulless; he watches clips from One Life to Live because he can't be as

open as he'd like to be. It's incredible that people identify with it.

We knew we were doing something important. They never once

told us to shy away from being "too gay." Granted, when it got "too

gay," they got rid of it, but while we were doing it, they let the story

speak for itself. It was important to Ron [Carlivati] and [executive producer] Frank [Valentini] that we played it as

real people.

Rodriguez with Brett Claywell on One Life to Live

Photo credit: ABC

AE: Cheyenne

Jackson has

said: "Being out makes me a better actor, a better partner and a better

son. I believe that being my true authentic self is going to have its rewards.

It already has." What do you think about other out actors, like Cheyenne?

NR: I'm a big

fan. Cheyenne's

so talented and supremely gorgeous, and a great guy. I'm proud of out actors in

general. It takes a lot to be yourself. But it's the only way I know how to be.

I can't imagine hiding. I'd be so miserable. Has it affected my getting jobs? I

don't know, but ever since One Life to

Live," I haven't stopped working.

Photo by Carol Rosegg

AE: In his review of Oklahoma!, Patrick Foillard of the Washington Blade wrote: 'Rodriguez

again destroys the fallacy that gay actors cannot credibly play straight

romantic leads. The chemistry between him and Gamble is palpable.' Yet Ramin

Setoodeh, a writer at Newsweek, set off a

storm of controversy in April when he suggested that openly gay actors

couldn't be convincing as straight leading men.

NR: It's so

absurd. But he's only saying what a lot of people are thinking, so as gay

actors we just have to continue to play roles like Curly in Oklahoma!

AE: There's this

double standard: Some folks don't think gay actors can play straight, but when

straight actors play gay, they're applauded for their "bravery" …

NR: And they win

awards. I remember saying that to Brett [Claywell on One Life to Live]. It was the first time we were shirtless and

making out. And he was having a little problem with the scene. To make him

laugh, I joked, 'Dude, you're gonna win an Emmy, and I'll never work again!'

But times are changing. Before I did One Life, I always told people that, 'Yeah, I'm openly gay, but you

won't find me at the front of the parade.' But now that I've played a gay

activist and seen people's responses, I know it doesn't behoove any of us to

sit at the back of the bus. Change can happen, but only if we stand up for it. Because

of Nick Chavez, I've realized that my voice is important.

AE: How old were you

when you came out?

NR: About 21 or

22. I might've realized it earlier, but as soon as I knew, I told everybody. I

had had formidable experiences with women and men, but when I met the guy who

was really my first boyfriend, it was a revelation. This is what I want.

AE: Speaking of

boyfriends, tell us about yours: Matt Lenz.

(He was the associate director of Hairspray

on Broadway and is working on Catch

Me If You Can.)

NR: We've been

together seven years now, and we first met when he directed me as Ramon in Love! Valor! Compassion! at the Zach Scott Theatre in Austin,

Texas. He's incredibly talented

and obviously good-looking. He's a really caring, funny person.

Whenever I say, ''My boyfriend is Matt

Lenz,'' the first thing that everyone says is, "Oh, I

love Matt Lenz!" We're both passionate about what we do. We share houses

together. We share Diego, our English Springer Spaniel, who's the sweetest. We

share everything.

Rodriguez with partner Matt Lenz

Photo source: Broadway.com

AE: We asked Matt to

share a quote about you, and he said: 'Nicholas is special. He's so grounded.

He dreams, but he's also a realist. It's been thrilling to see him grow into a

leading man. He plays Curly with such a masculine vulnerability. I'm so proud

of him. Someone asked me, "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" I

said, "I'm happily playing the role of Mrs. Rodriguez for a few days."

(Laughs.) And Nicholas is a great cook. He makes fantastic chicken enchiladas. I'm

spoiled. I found a sexy guy who also cooks.'

NR: And Matt is

the master of the grill. His steaks always taste good. For me, I love cooking

because it's similar to acting and singing. You have a recipe or a way to do

it, but you can embellish it and get creative. I love the Food Network, and I'm

addicted to Top Chef. After D.C., I'm

taking a class at the Institute

of Culinary Education.

AE: As you might

know, AfterElton.com does an annual list of the hottest 100 guys. But who would

you pick as 10 of the hottest guys on Broadway?

NR: Cheyenne, Hugh Dancy, Stark Sands, Levi Kreis,

Brian Stokes Mitchell, Blake Hammond, Norm Lewis, Matthew Morrison,

Sean Hayes and Liev Schreiber.

AE: Finally, to get back

to Oklahoma!, any chance it might go

to Broadway?

NR: A lot of New York producers have

come, and the feedback's been positive.

Some cast members say, 'I'll believe it when I see it.' But I'm one of

these people who believes that you need to put it out there for it to happen.

I'm very proud that in a time of reality "stars" and

having big names, that we assembled this production with actors who've worked

really hard on their craft. The show is the star, and the music is timeless. Oklahoma! has lasted this long because it's an

amazing piece of theater. Bringing it to New

York would be a dream that I didn't even know I had.

So if you know of anyone who wants to finance a musical on Broadway, I've got a

good one to suggest!

Waymon Wong

edits entertainment for the New York

Daily News. He also is the former Leading

Men columnist for Playbill.com and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.