Greg Hernandez writes:
It's not surprising that Chad Allen had to reschedule our interview a few times before we finally got the chance to talk this week. The 34 year old actor is as in demand as he's ever been in a career that began when he was still a child. While wrapping up a run in the play Looped in Pasadena, Chad landed a juicy role on General Hospital: Night Shift. Already completed were two films close to his heart that are out this month: Save Me and Ice Blues. Chad also managed to squeeze in an episode of CSI: Miami that casts him as some kind of psycho killer. "It's a blast, I'm having a good time," Chad said. "All of it is a surprise." It shouldn't be. Chad proved long ago as Matthew Cooper on the long-running Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman that he has the acting chops. But after becoming a highly-visible out gay actor, he has had to work harder to create opportunities for himself. "I came out at a time when they point blank told me I'd never work again," he said. "I said, 'I'm doing it anyway.' It's nice to be working and on projects that are making me happy and that I'm really enjoying. It's just a fun trip."

Since there's so much to talk with Chad about, I'm splitting this post into two parts with the second portion running on Friday. First, we talked about his new role on Night Shift which airs on ABC-owned SOAPnet. He has so far shot one episode of the series and is set to appear in at least three. He plays Eric Whitlow with his first appearance coming on Tuesday, Sept. 23. "A friend of mine who used to work at Logo became an ABC daytime executive and called and asked if I'd be interested in doing daytime," Chad said. "I fell in love with the character and what they wanted to do and the way they wanted to treat the relationship and the character. I thought, 'What the hell, let's try it.'"

Full interview here.