Steven Weber Says He's 'Proud' Of Playing Gay In 'Jeffrey'

Steven Weber says he's “extremely proud” of playing gay in the 1995 film adaptation of the Paul Rudnick play Jeffrey.

Weber, who is best known for playing carefree Brian Hackett on the long-running NBC sitcom Wings, recently talked about the film's impact with GregInHollywood.com's Greg Hernandez.

In the film, which is set in Manhattan at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Weber's character rejects the advances of hunky Steve, played by Michael T. Weiss, because he is HIV-positive.

“When you look at Jeffrey, which still holds up, it's kind of quaint in a way,” Weber, 49, said. “It's a bit of an artifact but it still has some impact and I'm extremely proud of that film.”

“I was a pioneer,” the openly straight actor added. “I wish I had more controversy on this subject but I got nothing but encouragement, it was a smart thing to do, it was a great role. Paul Rudnick was a great writer and I would have been a schmuck to not do it. I had no misgivings or problems or obstacles.”