Fortunately for the network, no charges were brought. Also fortunate, Hayes's wacky, scene-stealing performances as Will's free-spirited best friend (think Seinfeld's Kramer with a fondness for Cher) have helped make buddy comedy Will & Grace a hit with both audiences and critics. Now in its second season, the show has scored social points too: Last spring, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) named it the best comedy for its portrayal of gays. "That," says Hayes, "was a big pat on the back. It's great getting letters from teenagers who say, 'I'm gay, and this show makes me feel like I'm not alone.' "
Which brings us back to the obvious question: Is he or isn't he? Hayes, 29, pleads the fifth. "Whenever I see Anne Heche, I think of Ellen DeGeneres," he explains. "I'd rather not put that 'thing' in people's minds." Besides, "I'm not dating now. I'm concentrating on work."
To which he is no stranger. The youngest of five children of Ron, a lithographer, and Mary, the director of a charitable food bank, Sean, together with his siblings (Dennis, 36, a warehouse manager; Kevin, 35, a salesman; Mike, 34, a graphic designer; and Tracey, 32, a police officer), took over many of the chores at their Glen Ellyn, Ill., home after his parents' marriage began to unravel when he was small. "My mom pretty much raised us," says Sean, who adds that he's no longer bitter toward his dad.
In junior high, says Hayes, "I worked the lights on [school play] Calamity Jane and got the bug." Afraid his family would tease him, he kept his small role in his high school production of You Can't Take It with You under wraps. "My sister found out," he says. "She said, 'I saw your show.' I was so freaked out—like she saw my penis!"
But his mom and siblings proved supportive, freeing Sean to major in music and minor in theater at Illinois State University. In 1993, while serving as music director at a Chicago theater, he began landing guest TV spots; he took on L.A. in 1995. After doing 35 commercials and touring as an elf in the Kenny Rogers' Christmas Show, Hayes was cast opposite Brad Rowe in the gay-themed independent film Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss. The movie won raves at 1998's Sundance Film Festival and brought Hayes to the attention of Will & Grace's producers. Though Hayes clicked with the character of Jack right away, there is a major difference between them. "He's so irresponsible," says the actor. "I'm like a 90-year-old man compared to Jack. After the show, I'm drained."
Being a TV hotshot hasn't changed Hayes much. He lives in a two-bedroom duplex apartment in suburban L.A. and prefers his Toyota Camry to the silver Porsche NBC gave each Will & Grace cast member last July. A Porsche in L.A. is "such a cliché—it's gross," he says. And he hangs with friends who include Rowe and costar Eric McCormack, who plays Will. "We spend so much time on the set fooling around," says McCormack. "Sean is joie de vivre personified." At least most of the time. "If a week goes by without him dropping his pants," McCormack says, "he's in a bad mood."
Kim Hubbard
Monica Rizzo in Los Angeles
- Contributors:
- Monica Rizzo.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
