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The idea of a sitcom with a gay male lead raised a lot of eyebrows when Will And Grace first appeared. What were your thoughts when you were approached to do it?

I remember looking at this idea and thinking 'Oh my God, there's a lead gay character and a gay secondary character, and these guys want me to play Grace?' But then, that's a relationship I know how to play well, having many gay friends of my own. And my reaction was, well, it's thrilling to be able to show this kind of friendship on television, but there's no way I'm going to get involved in it unless they do it honestly and respectfully, AND unless they're going to be brave enough to play it straight, so to speak. I just said, 'If you blow this opportunity it's going to be tragic.'

It worked though, didn't it?

Absolutely, yes, but even after reading the scripts, I still knew it had everything to do with the tone of the show. So I sat down with the producers and said 'OK, I cannot do this show until I met Will [Eric McCormick], because so much hinges on believeing that this friendship is real. It's an extraordinary friendship, and you can't fake or force chemistry.

It sounds like you're speaking from experience there...

[laughs] Oh yes. I've been involved in projects where an actor didn't want me as a co-star... didn't want a co-star PERIOD, in fact, and that kind of thing's a little problematic.

You must have been anxious about the response to the show.

Oh, we totally expected the media to eviscerate us before the show had even premiered. Ellen had just gone through such a difficult demise, so we were really defensive, but we were also ready. Ready for them to come out and say 'This is bad, this is going to fail'. So we were shocked when the critics came out in support.

You have a Hollywood legend (Debbie Reynolds) playing your mum in the show. How cool is that?

I jumped out of my chair and screamed like a howler monkey when I heard about that one. It was so perfect. I mean, Will comes from this middle-class background where everything is just right, and Grace... well, Grace comes from the loony-bin. She comes from the dysfunctional arena, where her mum used to make her fat sister hoover with ankle-weights and so on. And of course, Grace's mum comes from this theatrical background too, so Debbie was just perfect. And every time she comes back it's a dream. And she has so much fun doing it, too.

Is the viewer feedback supportive?

For the most part, yes. We get so many letters, and it's so gratifying, from people who say 'I'm gay', or 'My cousin is gay' or 'My mother is gay', and they're just so pleased that for the first time in their lives they're being represented on television. They see the show as a bridge towards healing that they've never had before.

As far as 'The Gay Thing' goes, presumably the gay community lets you know if you're getting it right?

Absolutely. And I'm being honest when I say that the most important award we've ever received has been from GLAAD [Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation]. When they chose our show as Best Comedy several years in a row, they made the point that not only was our show funny, but it was also important. The truth is, it's a gift for me and the rest of the cast to be involved in a show that has more resonance than just making people laugh. That we're doing something that has a social impact, in however small a way.

You seem so grateful for all this - isn't it about time you started working on your inner prima-donna?

[laughs] I guess so, although you know, I'm still not entirely sure what that is. I think every actor is, to some extent, a prima donna, because ultimately we just love to perform. On the other hand, when it comes to realising that I am one lucky son of a bitch, I certainly do know that.

Links:

• Heat - http://www.emapmagazines.co.uk/
• Will & Grace (NBC)