Then: At first, the hunky, emotive, and crime-fighting Keith Charles seemed like an unlikely match for the uptight, anxious, and self-loathing David Fisher. But soon enough, it was clear that Keith loved David for who he was. And as Keith’s issues with anger management rose to the surface, one had to wonder if David could be the patient one for a change. Impressively (and happily), the pair somehow made it work, eventually becoming committed partners and dads.
For Keith’s real-life alter ego, Mathew St. Patrick, the role was more than just a chance at playing a risky romantic lead. The actor, who was appearing on All My Children when Six Feet Under began filming, first read the script on the train home from the set. “By the time I got to page six, I was hyperventilating. It was so rich, in terms of the characters, I was blown away. There’s no other way to describe it,” he says. “I’d never seen anything like this. I just kept thinking … I’m going for it….”
That said, playing an openly gay cop on a major cable series wasn’t without its hurdles. “I was definitely nervous, but I felt that it was a great opportunity. I was nervous because it had never been done before. I felt nervous because, at a much earlier stage in my life, I was homophobic, so this was a challenge in many different ways, because I didn’t know what to do.” Still, St. Patrick’s outlook had evolved significantly, and his approach to the role stemmed in part from the observed experience of friends, and from a desire to portray Keith from a place of honesty and love.