Matthew Rush chose not to resign his 'Lifetime Contract' with Falcon Studios. It was an amicable parting according to both parties, and it is likely a win-win for Falcon and Matt in light of the present economics of the gay porn industry: Falcon reduces its Payroll and Matt gets to seek employment beyond Falcon to keep up his mortgage payments on his condo in Ft Lauderdale. Since Matt is such a professional, he'll have no lack of potential employers. Jon Royce got Matthew's first non-Falcon gig: a photo shoot, solo video, and an interview video in which Matt talks about his decision to leave Falcon. Get it all at MightyMen.com
Matthew
Rush is a Gay Porn Icon and his videos have set a new standard in Gay
Male Erotica.
Below are the Matthew Rush Videos that are currently available on our
Custom Video Theater, QueerFlixxx.com. Click a Watch Now Button to Rent
a scene, or the entire video!
Below
you'll find a Classic Matthew Rush Gallery, and a gallery of Matthew's
most recent photos. There are links to the official Matthew Rush web site
as well as a three hour interview that Queer-America.com did in Sydney
, Australia where he competed and took a bronze medal in the Physique
competion during the Gay Games in 2002..
Click any thumbnailed photo below for a full size photo of Matthew
Matthew Rush was born on September 22, 1972. His real name is Greg Grove
and he's from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
He
is also a bodybuilder and personal trainer under his real name. He
has competed at the Gay Games in Amsterdam and Sydney, Australia.
He
is the son of an African-American father, and a German mother, who
raised him as a single parent. He grew up in the small town of Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania. When he was in high school, he wanted to be a professional
clown, and auditioned for the Ringling Brothers Clown College. He
was also involved in weight training and lifting, and had to choose
between becoming a clown and spending nine months of the year on a
train, or go on with the weight training. Because of the results he
had achieved in seeing his body change and grow by weight training,
he decided to keep going in weight training.
In
a 2002 Queer America interview, Rush says he grew up with superhero
comics and TV shows, admiring the power and beauty of heroines such
as Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman and the fraternity of super-groups
like the Justice League. In his adult life, Rush finds that he still
relates to the alter-ego aspects of the superhero myth as he has had
to split his identity between mild-mannered Greg Grove and the virile
porn star Matthew Rush.
He
graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor's degree
in Exercise Physiology. After graduation, he worked in the cruise
industry as a personal trainer, but soon moved to Columbus, Ohio to
work as a personal trainer. He was approached there by an agent for
Falcon Video, and was signed to an exclusive contract. He is currently
enrolled at Gettysburg College where he is a freshman.
As
a porn star, he is under exclusive contract with Falcon Studios, a
leading producer of gay porn movies. He appears as the top man in
his videos, but in Taking Flight Part 2, Rush is the "bottom"
guy for the first time (on camera).
From
2002 to 2005, he acted in a travelling stage production of Making
Porn, directed by fellow porn star Blue Blake. He also appeared in
the stage production, 10 Naked Men in 2004.
He
has had relationships with fellow porn stars Zak Spears, Rob Romoni,
Jake Ginelli, Parker Williams and Joe Foster. Matt is currently dating
Ethan Kage.
As
of the fall of 2005, he has relocated with his lover to Fort Lauderdale,
FL.
Rush
is well known for his large penis, which is circumcised and measures
nine inches. His erect penis was molded and is now a sex toy.
Queer-America's
Matthew Rush Interview
Thursday, November 7th 2002
Altamont Hotel, Sydney, Australia.
QA:
Hi Matthew! Since you've made a point of travelling to Sydney as GREG
GROVE and competing officially as Greg, let's talk about how Greg differs
from Matthew Rush and how they're similar?
MR: It's like I have two lives - you've got Greg
and you've got Matthew. When I'm Greg I know that I always have Matthew
by my side, no matter where I go. Greg is pretty much your shy guy type
person who will sit back and observe and watch. Matthew is the limelight.
He will get up and will take charge and he will do the things that Greg
would never do. So the two world's co-exist and there is no happy medium.
QA: You don't fight each other and overlap into
the other?
MR: No. They never really overlap at all.
QA: First of all Happy Birthday! What was the date?
MR: September 22nd. The big 3-0!
QA: Was that good for you?
MR: It was a milestone, a little milestone. I'm
stopping, I thought I was going to stop at 29, but I'm stopping at thirty,
no more birthdays after this. (LAUGHTER)
QA: Are you an adult now?
MR: I've been an adult since 25 or so. You know
once out of school you hit the adult world. Some people don't, but for
me it was time to give it up. The child that is... and become an adult,
as much as I hated it. It was a conscious decision.
QA: Did anything in particular precipitate it?
MR: You know there are little life experiences here
and there that kind of forced me to see some light, like living in Miami
for a year... getting caught up in that whole scene, the party circuit
scene in Miami was something else!, and I said OK, time to grow up and
take charge and be an adult now. That was after school.
QA: Where did you go to school
MR: I went to Penn State. Bachelors in Exercise Physiology. It comes in
handy for personal training.
QA: What career did you imagine you'd have while
you were in school?
MR: When I was in school I had no idea what I wanted
to do with my life. When I was in high school I was dead set on being
a clown, and I auditioned for the Ringling Brothers Clown College but
at the time I was also involved in weight training and lifting. There
was a choice I had to make. It was either become a clown and spend nine
months of the year on a train, or go on with the weight training with
the results I had achieved over the past ex amount of months and continue
on with what I was doing and seeing my body change and grow by weight
training. I decided I definitely wanted to keep going in the weight training
department.
QA:
Looking back now, are you glad?
MR: Yes and no. The decision I made to stay in
the weight training and do the personal training and go to school, while
it has been very positive, I still would like to know what it would
have been like if I had made the other choice. Would I be happy, you
know?
QA: You talked about putting on costumes the other
night, you and friends. Had you ever thought about what kind of clown
you would be?
MR: Yes I kind of wanted to be the happy, wild,
lucky out there clown that everybody liked.
QA: You stated in an interview once that you were
a geek in school. What were you like in high school?
MR: I lived in a rural area. There weren't a lot
of people my age to play with, to interact with as a child. Up until
going to high school I couldn't really associate with anybody else because
I didn't know a lot. You know the TV was my friend, and comic books
and everything else.
QA: You said that you retreated into comic books
and television. Of the comic books, you have been quoted as reading
the super hero comics, and you even said that when you were young your
ideal, the super hero you most wanted to be, was Linda Carter as Wonder
Woman. What characteristics of Carter's character did you want for yourself?
MR: I don't know what it was. It was always the
women superheroes that I could identify with, whether it was Linda Carter
or Jamie Somers as the Bionic Woman or even Deidra Hall and Deborah
Winger, I loved their shows as a kid. I don't know what it was about
them that they were just women, yet they were strong and they were powerful
and somehow I grasped that. I wanted to be like that, I wanted to be
just as strong and powerful as they were.
QA: While you were growing up which were your
favourite television shows?
MR: Oh there were a ton of them. There was a show
on TV that was a series than ran for a few seasons. It was called V.
It was about space aliens, who were lizard type creatures but they disguised
themselves as humans and they ate mice and frogs and they came and they
took over planet earth. It was pretty cool, it was my favourite show.
I watched that religiously. There were a lot of cartoons too. Superheroes,
the Super Friends, the Justice League. I wanted to be part of the Justice
League, I didn't care how or what, I wanted to be normal kid by day
and save the world at night, sort of thing. Throw on my spandex and
go for it.
QA: Do you still get that feeling?
MR: I think it would be great. I would love to
do that. Actually I do that with my Greg and Matthew thing. Like I'm
Greg by day and Matthew by night. So its kind of like living in the
super world. But neither one of us is saving the world, but we get to
be different people in that sort of super hero thing.
QA: Which one do you think has the chance to save
the world?
MR: Well lets just say Matthew would have sex
with everybody in the world if he could and Greg would possibly be the
one to save it.
QA: Do you keep up with any television shows
now? Do you watch any of the gay shows on network or cable television?
MR: Oh I do. I watch like Queer as Folk, Will
and Grace.
QA: Would you like to appear in a Queer as Folk
episode?
MR: Well yes I would. I think it would be cool
to appear. Who knows one of these days you might just see me on Queer
and Folk.
QA: Which character of QAF do you most identify
with?
MR: That would have to be Michael because he
reminds me a lot of myself. Now as an adult and as a kid he collects
the comic books and has opened up his comic book store and what have
you. And he's a big kid, that's why I like him and identify with him
more than anybody.
QA:
Any ambitions to be an actor?
MR: You know what, I don't know. It's just one
of those things. I'm going to be dabbling in the play 'Making Porn'
and I've got the role of Jack and we'll be starting out in San Diego
in December. So that's going to be a taste of real acting. It's funny
and it's definitely off beat, which is what I like and it's another
way of letting people see another side of me that they don't get to
see otherwise. Blue Blake is directing the play at this point. We
do San Diego and then we do LA, but I'm not exactly sure when.
QA: This play is called 'Making Porn'. What
term do those of you in the industry use for your films? Do you call
them porn? Or adult films?
MR: I personally don't call it porn. I call
it adult films, but a lot of guys will use porn when describing. You
hear everything, you hear adult movies, you hear porn, you hear, whatever.
QA: What interested you in doing a stage project?
MR: I really never considered stage production,
but I was in New Orleans for Southern Decadence and I just happened
to run into Blue Blake who said he was going to produce a play 'Making
Porn', and who said I would be great for this part of Jack. I went
OK why not. So they sent me a copy of the script and the video and
I thought hey this is easy, I can do this. So everything is pretty
much a go. Jack is a straight man who is a struggling actor. He's
married and he can't really make it in the normal acting world so
to speak. So he tries his hand at gay porn and he kind of likes it.
And then he goes on to question his true sexuality. It's set in the
80's when AIDS played a big part in gay porn, so it's pretty cool,
pretty exciting. The character Jack is an interesting character.
QA: What interested you in work in the adult
film industry?
MR: I actually never really planned on getting
into the adult film industry. I have a friend of mine who used to
work in the Falcon office, Bill van Barkwen, and when I first moved
to Columbus, Ohio a scout for Falcon had approached me at a bar. I
thought I can't, I would never make a video. That's just not me, I
would never do it. But I was introduced to Bill van Barkwen at the
bar at the time and we kept in contact and five years later the gym
that I was working at as a personal trainer closed and I thought that
this was a chance for me to get out of Columbus, for me to move on
to bigger and better things. I wanted to move to California and needed
the money to do so and contacted Falcon, not really wanting to do
film, but more questioning. Eventually we chatted about doing movies.
So they flew me out and I did 'an Alone With', which is like an audition
sort of thing where you masturbate in front of the camera to see how
well you do. I had no idea what was in store. I was scared shitless.
I was never an exhibitionist. So I did it and they offered me a contract.
And I said sure, only with the intention of doing maybe two or three
movies and getting out of it. I never dreamed that it would ever come
as far as it has. If you had told me two years ago that I would be
sitting in Australia doing an interview I would have laughed in your
face.
QA: Regarding “Making Porn” do you
know which theater in San Diego, because Queer-America.com would NOT
MISS opening night!
MR: I don't know to be honest, I have Blue's
e-mail, or you could e-mail me and I could find out the information
and let you know.
QA: I know from your comments in several interviews
about boyfriends you have made it clear that you are gay. When did
you first understand that aspect of your sexuality? You said you came
out at 19.
MR: Oh I was probably ten, eleven, twelve when
I realized that I was a little different and I noticed I had an attraction
more for boys or for men and all the rest of my friends were experimenting
with girls. I didn't want to do that, I was more interested in men.
I was in denial, I wanted to be like everybody else. You know, I didn't
want to be different. But now I'm glad I'm gay, I'm happy to be gay.
But back then it was very hard for me to come to terms with, so I
just kind of, I didn't experiment. I had no sexual contact until I
was 19 basically.
QA: Was that a positive experience? What was
it like? You've got two brothers, you mom and step dad. Was your family
supportive of your coming out? You were 19.
MR: My Mom told me when I was about 16 that
I was gay, so before I even accepted it myself. I said no you're crazy,
but when I did come out it was like 'see I told you'. Even in college
I was so naïve to any gay activity or anything that had to do
with homosexuality, period. I didn't participate in any gay or lesbian
type functions, I just did my thing and left it at that. I wasn't
active sexually. When I moved to Miami it was a whole different world.
There were gay people galore and it was a way to find myself and who
I was and experience things without being close to family and friends.
QA: Though you've kept your personal life out
of the limelight, you've been very open in the gay media about your
sexuality and your relationships, even about the sex within your relationships.
Some of your fans likely have not come out. What would you say to
them?
MR: To anybody who hasn't come out I know for
me it was a weight that was lifted off my shoulders - like a ten ton
weight had been lifted when I came out. I could be me, I didn't have
to hide anymore. This is who I am, and you are going to hate me or
like me. It wouldn't matter whether I sleep with men and women, this
is me and this is who I am. So if you are having difficulties coming
out, your friends will still be your friends and your family will
still be your family. It will be a big relief. You just have to accept
it like I did. Accept what you are and who you are and start living.
That's what life is all about.
QA: You've been quoted as saying that for a
person inside the gay adult industry it is easier to have a relationship
with someone who is involved in the business. May I ask whom you have
had relationships with?
MR: Zac Spears and Joe Foster, both great guys.
I love them both.
QA: But your current boyfriend is not in the
industry, right?
MR: He is an escort, and a lot of the guys who
are in the industry do escort, but he's doing 'an alone with' as we
speak for Falcon so I am sure he will be in the industry very soon.
But it is a lot easier to date somebody who is very comfortable with
themselves and who also can separate work from the relationship that
you have with each other. When I go to work and shoot a scene, I don't
experience the love, the feelings or the emotions that I do with my
boyfriend Dale. You just don't experience that with another model.
QA: What do you seek in a relationship? What
is important to you? What do you want out of a relationship?
MR: Basically just someone who is open, who's
honest, who's committed in a relationship. Someone who wants to experience
life as a couple.
QA: In previous interviews you've been very
open about your sexuality, including what you do in bed. You said
in an interview that although you will only top in films, in your
personal life you are versatile. Many gays demean those individuals
who bottom for another man. Yet you are very clear that this is something
that you do with someone you love. What do you think that versatility
brings to your personal relationships?
MR: Obviously being in the industry you have
to be one of two things. You have to be a top or a bottom. And being
a top in the industry, the person that I am involved with will only
get to experience the bottoming part. He's the only person that I
will share that with. Because my life is pretty much an open book
that is the only thing that I have left sexually that nobody has seen
or can experience except for the person I am seeing. To me that's
important, especially in the industry, to have something sexually
that's sacred to you and your partner. That other people don't get
to experience.
QA: Like America in general where 60 percent
of all marriages end in divorce, gay relationships have had a bad
rap for not lasting. What do you think is necessary for a gay relationship
to last?
MR: You really have to compromise in what you
will and will not do. A lot of gay couples have open relationships,
and that's fine if it makes your relationship work to bring in a third
person. So fine so be it. Whatever you do, if you truly love the person
that you are with, you will try to do anything to make the relationship
work. And whatever that is, then do it by all means as long as the
two of you can agree upon it and make it work.
QA: Do you think gays should have the legal
ability to marry?
MR: Oh definitely
QA: Would you want to marry?
MR: Definitely!
QA: Much has been discussed in the gay media
about gay families and the many gays and lesbians who are having or
adopting children. Have you considered whether you would want children?
MR: Oh definitely. I want to have children whether
it be adopted or my own biological children. I would love to, and
I think the media hype on gay couples raising children is wrong. There
are so many children out there who are in family situations where
they are abused or they don't have the love. If you can find two people
who are willing to give a child love, I mean come on.
QA: Let's talk about your career. What are the
benefits of being a Falcon exclusive?
MR: Being a Falcon exclusive there are definitely
some perks. The trip to Sydney was a perk, but to be honest even if
I wasn't a Falcon exclusive I really wouldn't want to work with anyone
else, because Falcon really does take the time to take care of their
models, they promote them well, they treat us well and I've known
a lot of guys who have worked for other companies and they say that
Falcon does treat their models a lot better than some of the other
companies that they've worked for. Falcon is very professional.
QA: Does Falcon provide a monthly salary plus
benefits?
MR: They pay by film. If you sign on as an exclusive
you have a contract every year, you re-sign every year and get a signing
bonus, and each year you get more money per scene or whatever. Like
I just recently signed a lifetime exclusive contract which really
doesn't mean a whole lot, it just means I won't work for anybody else
and will continue to stay with Falcon for as long as I choose to be
in the industry.
QA: Does Falcon grant benefits to domestic partners?
MR: I would like to say they would but I don't
know if they do or not. That's a good question I had never really
thought about it.
QA: Many professional actors in Hollywood such
as Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford and Rosie O'Donnell use their
status to campaign for political candidates and push specific issues.
Do you think your celebrity status places any responsibility on you
to speak out on gay issues?
MR: Oh definitely
QA: Would Falcon have any problem with your
doing so?
MR: To be honest I don't think they would.
QA: Do you keep up with political issues that
affect the gay community? Are you politically active?
MR: Yes. There are certain issues, especially
the gay and lesbian issues, in which I am very active. Anything political
as far as government and stuff like that I have my own opinions. One
thing I try not to do is not discuss politics and religion with people
off the bat because it is just not a good thing.
QA: Do you know any porn stars that have used
their celebrity to campaign for candidates or issues?
MR: I am sure there would be a lot of people
who would be interested. Off hand I don't know anybody really as I
am still kind of getting to know people in the industry.
QA: If you were to use your celebrity to promote
candidates or issues, what would you campaign for?
MR: The issue of the partner benefits. Like
Health Insurance is very important to me. Again adoption, gay couples
adopting is very very important to me. There are so many issues out
there, but those two in particular. EQUAL RIGHTS PERIOD!
QA: What changes would you like to see for gays
in the United States?
MR: Every time I leave the United States, I
see that people are more liberal in other places. Like here in Australia
it seems like you can be gay and nobody cares. It's not an issue.
Just going through the city and seeing all the Gay Games flags and
the athletes walking around with everyday working straight business
people who happen to be in the area. Just striking a conversation
with taxi drivers who are straight, they like think its cool to participate,
you're an athlete and it doesn't matter. Whereas in the States it
doesn't seem we have enough of that. That's sad. It's amazing here
to see same sex couples holding hands. In the southern cities of the
States you could do that but in Columbus, Ohio, nNo, and that's my
home town and I hate to say that. Even though it does have a huge
gay population, it's really something that I am still not comfortable
with - you know walking down the street hand in hand with my boyfriend.
I would love to be able to do that. Here it is just such an amazing
feeling to see gay and not gay people together mixing, and it's not
a big deal.
QA: Professionally, you have identified yourself
as a porn model rather than an actor or even star. What is the difference?
MR: I'm just a typical guy who does porn. I'm
a model. Being in the porn industry is something you can't take too
seriously. You have to have fun with it. I have seen a lot of guys
come into the industry and lose their identity so to speak. And I
think a porn star, if you want to use that term, is someone who is
grounded and knows this career is something that is not going to be
a long lived career. You're at the top until the next pretty face
comes around and then the next day you could be gone.
QA: You've also said you would like to move
from performing in front of the camera to working behind the camera.
What is it about directing that interests you. Why do you think you
would be good at directing?
MR: Just because I've seen what goes on on the
set, I'm very observant of direction and the behind the scenes stuff.
I have my own ideas about what I would like to see in porn. I'd like
to take it to, not so much a new level, but a different level.
QA: You've worked with both Chi Chi LaRue and
John Rutherford. Are their approaches to getting a scene filmed different?
MR: Actually no, they are both very good directors
and both are unique in what they do. Chi Chi knows what she wants
and she will tell you, she is very vocal. If she likes what she sees
she will go for it. Her energy is good and you can feel that when
you work with her. John is the same way, although he is more kind
of 'well lets just see what happens first naturally with the models'.
But he has a way of making you feel very comfortable in the setting.
When I first came aboard, John directed my first movie, Bounce, and
I was nervous. I had no idea what to expect and he was very professional
and told me to relax.
QA: You've used the phrase "special fraternity"
in reference to those you've worked with in the adult film industry.
What did you mean by that?
MR: It's kind of like being in a fraternity
where you are among your peers and colleagues and each one of them
can be so different, personality wise or whatever, but you always
have that common ground that you make adult movies and it's a little
family where you would have an aunt or uncle, because everybody's
so different that way. Personality wise. But yet the common thing
that holds us all together is that we do movies.
QA: Once a film has been released, do you read
reviews? Do they have any impact on you?
MR: Yeah. I have to admit, it's probably something
I shouldn't do but I do.
QA: Many people still criticize bathhouses for
the continual spread of AIDS. Do you think this is true?
MR: I am not a bath type person but as long
as you are safe and you practice safe sex, you know more power to
you.
QA: You have commented that you adamantly disapprove
of barebacking videos. Why do you think many gay men are having unprotected
sex?
MR: I honestly think it's like for the thrill
of it. To kind of like having sex in public, like if you get caught
- there's always that chance of getting caught. Of course it's wrong,
barebacking is something that is frowned upon and I think people just
do it because it is frowned on.
QA: Do you know any persons in the industry
who have become infected through their performances in front of the
camera?
MR: To be honest no I haven't. Most of the people
that I know that are positive within the industry have been positive
and I don't know of anyone who has contracted anything.
QA: Have you had any personal association with
AIDS or AIDS education?
MR: I've been lucky, I haven't had a lot of
people, friends or acquaintances die of AIDS. But I do have friends
who are positive and at first it was a death sentence, but now its
not. Being HIV is not like it used to be - it used to be a death sentence.
Now because of modern medicine, you can live a normal, healthy life,
which is awesome.
QA: You've been quoted as saying you enjoy your
public appearances greatly. What is it that you like about appearing
in front of an audience?
MR: Having the ability to meet people, meet
the fans, meet other actors. I am just a people person and I love
to hear people's thoughts, opinions and ideas. So that's the best
part of being in the public eyes. Going to wonderful places like Australia
and meeting all these awesome people.
QA: I know you post your touring schedule on
your web site Matthew Rush.com. There is some buzz on the bulletin
boards that you will be appearing in my home state in Austin, Texas
on the 15th November. Is this a firm date?
MR: Yeah I don't have my schedule in front of
me but that will be the weekend after I get back. I get back on a
Monday. I work with different agents and bookings and due to misinformation
I was scheduled to two places at once but I think that we have got
it worked out that I can appear at both places;, just on different
nights.
QA: Well, with that said, I’d like to ask
about a couple of particular films you have made. One of your films,
Splash Shots III gained some controversy after it circulated that
some of the filming was done on 9/11. Had you already heard about
the terrorist attacks before you went to the set?
MR: Most of the production was shot before 9/11
and my scene was actually shot the day before 9/11. After 9/11 we
didn't work for a couple of days, just not knowing exactly what was
going on in the world. I got the news, and was the first person in
our group of people, it was 6 in the morning. I was all finished with
production and stills and everything and I was supposed to go home
that day and my friend who was supposed to pick me up at the airport
called me up and says 'you're not coming home today because we are
under attack'. And of course I am still asleep and when I heard we
are under attack, all I could think of was alien attack. I turned
on the TV and it was right after the first plane had hit, and I remember
calling everybody's room and saying you've gotta get up and turn on
the TV. Here's what is going on. So we all gathered in one room and
we all watched the second plane hit and the buildings fall. I can
just remember that it was awful being so far away from the east coast,
you know away from family and friends. I cried when the buildings
collapsed and then remember thinking how am I every going to get home.
I think that was on everyone's mind - how are we all going to get
home. I know it took me eight days to get home and I got as far as
Detroit and then I had to drive from Detroit to Columbus.
QA: Did production work continue on 9/11?
MR; No there was no production on 9/11. That
was very false circulation. I think it was like some typographical
error that said it was shot on 9/11. I know, because I was there.
Most of the production, most of the scenes were done. The only things
people had were stills which were just photo shoots.
QA: The whole country was affected that day.
How do you think 9/11 has affected the gay community?
MR: I think it impacted everybody. We were all
in some way shape or form affected by it. I don't think it particularly
struck one group harder than other.
QA: Another of your films Aftershock is all
about leather and leather sex. You were quoted as saying that performing
your scene in that film changed your perceptions about leather in
real life as well as professionally. What specifically did you learn
about leather, leather scenes or yourself personally from that experience?
MR: Leather can be sexy. I was never really
exposed to the whole leather scene before and I never really got the
full feel of it. I can see how it can be a person's fetish, how someone
can get into it. It's kind of like a role playing, dominating sort
of thing. I just felt powerful, like hey.
QA: You've attended the International Men of
Leather (IML) gathering in Chicago, right? How many times? What did
you think of it? What draws you to leather?
MR: I've only been to IML once, and I've only
been to the Folsum Street Fair - I've been to that twice now - and
they are leather themed, and you know it's interesting. It's a whole
different crowd of people, and they're are interesting and they come
from all aspects of life. You know different occupations and whatever.
It's neat and a cool thing. Before I guess it kind of scared me because
I didn't know a lot about it. Because I didn't know a lot about I
it kind of frightened me as you are always given the image of whips
and slings and just beating. But its not all that bad, and that does
happen but there are more subtle aspects of it too. The feeling was
nice. It was kind of a tough manly feeling which I thought was cool
and sexy.
QA: Of course, to date your films have emphasised
your awesome bodybuilder's physique. I understand that you competed
in several bodybuilding contests. Which ones were those?
MR: Oh I've done Musclemania, I can't remember
when I did that. 99, 2000. Superbodies, the same thing. I've completed
in various local shows in Ohio and state shows in Pennsylvania.
QA: Did you place?
MR: Yeah actually I won Pennsylvania State back
in 98 or 99. It was my way up to national level. Competing is so taxing
and a very political sport, like any other sport I'm sure. And it's
what you do and who you know are basic things when it comes to body
building.
QA: As a personal trainer, I know you create
and follow diets to build muscle and reduce body fat, yet you said
in one interview that the surprising thing people might learn about
you is that you eat Frosted Flakes for breakfast every day. Is that
part of a healthy diet for a bodybuilder?
MR: I've eaten Frosted Flakes since I was five.
No, it's not part of a body builders diet, but I think if you are
a clean eater and you allow yourself to cheat, well by all means cheat.
I do it in moderation. I have a bowl in the morning and maybe a bowl
at night, but about the most harmful thing in that is the sugar, and
I honestly don't eat a lot of sugar to begin with. So that is what
I miss.
QA: What sort of diet regimen do you recommend
to your clients?
MR: Depending on what they try to do and what
they are doing. A lot of my clients come in and they are so gung ho
on that high protein no carbohydrate diet. It's like that will work,
but it will only work for a short amount of time. The biggest key
is that if you just balance your diet right with the right amount
of carbs, protein and fats. You know it's not really a diet, it's
just modifying your eating habits. Depending on the person and what
they are trying to do. Like if a person is heavier and they want to
lean down, of course you want to keep their starchy carbohydrates,
like breads and pasta, lower and their fats lower. I'm not saying
eliminating them completely but eat them in moderation basically.
There's the key factor in all diets.
QA: What would you say to your fans that want
to work towards developing their own bodies?
MR: You've got to get to the gym, you've got
to be committed and that's the big thing, finding the time. A lot
of people I talk to say oh I don't have time to do this, I don't have
time to do that, blah, blah, blah. You have to make time. If you can
take an hour every day and just go to the gym and work out and be
conscious of your diet you can start changing your physique.
QA: Of course, here in Sydney you’ve competed
in the Gay Games as well as working on a new film. Have you completed
filming?
MR: Filming completed yesterday. The sex scenes
are done, and there is a little bit of dialogue that needs to be shot
over again. But other than that it's pretty much done. The film focuses
around Matthew Rush.
QA: I understand that location shooting is being
done at Berry, a small town south of Sydney famous, of course, for
its berries and spectacular beach and cliff formations.
MR: Chris Wymer is directing this movie and
he's the one who found these out of the way places.
QA: What’s the video about?
MR: It's something that has never been shot
in an adult film I guess. It's kind of documentary style. I was a
little leery about it because it’s the first movie that has surrounded
me as Matthew. It takes Matthew to Sydney to compete in the Gay Games.
The actual filming was done at the contest. And then because my ex,
Joe Foster, lives here as well, there was a reuniting sort of thing
as well worked into the script. And we shot it in different sequences.
We didn't shoot it in the order we normally shoot it in, so I am kind
of anxious to see how the final product turns out. In the movie Matthew
is coming down to compete in the Games and to see his ex, and basically
that's all he's really worried about, and then along the way he does
get side-tracked by a couple on the beach. And of course he runs into
Trent, Jake Andrews, who is working out in his gym at the same time
and a little thing happens there as well.
I pretty much tried to get all my own actual
workouts in in the morning prior to shooting so when the sex scenes
did come I wasn't distracted in my workouts by the filming's scenerio.
It started off in the gym and then the swimming pool and hot tub and
then back in Jake's hotel room. We actually shot it in a private apartment
complex where the director lives. He has a full gym facility in his
building and a pool and everything.
There is a happy ending. Matthew and Joe were reunited and I don't
think Matthew had any anticipation of having sex with Joe. But Joe
surprises Matthew at the end with a trip to the country, Berry, and
having a long weekend there. It is romantic.
QA: Getting away from Matthew, are you a romantic
Greg?
MR: Yeah, kind of. I am sort of old fashioned
in a way. I like romance. Though I think it has largely gone from
relationships. I like holding hands, kissing, cuddling. That sort
of things. I definitely like to give gifts, and I like to give them
more than to receive them. I think that romance has totally, I don't
say its died, but there should be more of it. It is a part of my life,
Dale is very romantic as far as little gifts here and there, which
I love. I'm such a sucker for that and doing nice things. Cuddling.
QA: What prompted you to compete in the games?
MR: My workout partner and I had a bet going
at one time in the gym. We were to reach our fitness goals within
a certain period of time and whoever was furthest from their fitness
goals was the loser and the winner had to decide what to do. Well
my partner lost the bet and I told him he had to compete in a body
builders contest and we decided that he would do the Gay Games. And
I started thinking to myself that I had never done the Games either
and I would love to do them. I was just going to come down and support
him and then I thought about it more and more and wanted to compete.
Just do it and have fun with it. See what happens. And that's what
we did, trained for it, came down. And then Falcon got wind of me
coming down here and they said lets shoot a movie. And I thought OK,
I'll work while I'm there and you guys pay. My partner, Troy, took
the bronze in the Novice Tall Class. We each shared the same which
is good. I'm glad he did well, he put 110% into it and did a good
job.
QA: What do the judges look at in judging a
bodybuilder?
MR: There are three things: muscularity, symmetry
and the podium routine.
QA: Here in Sydney competition groups were divided
based on height rather than on weight.
MR: I'm so for it. I didn't have to worry about
coming in at a certain weight, especially if I had come in say like
192 or whatever and you have a guy who is 5'7'' who's 192, of course
he's gonna look bigger because his muscle bellies are shorter and
mine are going to be longer. So I would much rather go up against
a guy who is my height and kind of like my muscle structure than to
go up against someone who is 6' tall.
QA: In addition to the mandatory poses, a competitor poses to their
own choice of music to show personality as well as their best attributes.
What was the music you chose?
MR: The music was "I Believe" from
James Bond's "Golden Eye".
QA: And, of course, both in prelims and the
evening finals, the Sydney Physique technical staff mis-cued your
music not once but twice. How did that affect you?
MR: By that time I had totally forgotten the
routine. So I went out and I waited because once I got out there and
I got distracted, I'm the type of person that when something stupid
like that happens I start to laugh. And I keep thinking about it and
thinking about it. I did a little dance off the stage. Actually I'm
kind of glad that it happened because I was really nervous when I
stepped on stage as I hadn't done it in two years, so it helped break
the ice and break all the tension that I had. So I thought OK now
this is all fine and I'm going to go out there and give it my all..
whatever happens, happens, and what doesn't happen, doesn't happen..
It was a good energy. I could hear the audience and it was all just
having fun. I really didn't care how I placed in the contest. Having
the ability to come to Sydney and to compete in the Gay Games as a
gay athlete was more important.
QA: And, Gregg, I want to pause here to compliment
you. I’ve seen several contests, some large ones in the states,
as well as the Physique contest at Gay Games V in Amsterdam, and more
often than not the crowd and the judges do not agree. You were highly
popular with the audience (the largest majority of whom do not know
you as Matthew Rush). Anyway, the crowd was surprised, as I think
you were, at your (3rd place) finish.
MR: I was surprised as I felt in my head I had
placed myself higher. I knew the guy that won the gold was my main
competition, my main competitor. And even though I know that I didn't
come in at top condition like I normally would for a normal show because
of my work schedule, I was a little surprised at the result. But then
I thought well I have had my fifteen minutes of fame already and,
you know what there guys have worked their butts off to come here,
and to get here, and by all means just to be on stage with these guys
too is an honour. Because they have put their time and sweat and everything
into it, like I have. I know exactly what it takes, and they did it.
They competed and they had done something that a lot of people wouldn't
do. It takes a lot to get up there and do a little pose and show off
your hard work in the gym.
QA: Yet I watched as in a split second your
face recovered immediately and you projected that winning smile of
yours and congratulated the other medallists. Though I know there
is disappointment in not achieving a gold medal, was your experience
in competing in the Gay Games satisfying?
MR: Oh yes I was happy. Like I said it was just
being here and being counted as a gay competitor - it was awesome!
QA: What do you think of the concept of the
Games? Will you be in Montreal?
MR: Yes I will go to Montreal. I probably won't
compete but I definitely want to go to just be a part of it again.
Because it's amazing.
QA: And a final question on this topic: Will
you continue competitive bodybuilding?
MR: Oh yeah I will. Doing this contest just
kind of relit the fire again. Yeah, I'll do it again. I don't know
when but I want to do it again.
QA: Of course your career prior to the adult
film industry was and continues to be closely related to the bodybuilding
circuit since you are a personal trainer in Columbus, Ohio. Which
gym do you work out of?
MR: World Gym
QA: What do you enjoy about personal training?
MR: Having the ability to make others reach
their fitness goals and to be able to assist them in getting there
is an amazing feeling. Because I know what it's like. I have walked
in their shoes when I was 130 pounds skinny little kid. That's why
I hit the gym. To see a body transform into something different, something
better is an awesome feeling. To be able to help these people achieve
that it's so cool.
QA: What kind of clients do you get?
MR: Oh I've got clients all ages, sizes and
men, women. They are so dedicated and it help's me in my own workouts,
when they come into the gym and I'm having one of those days when
I don't feel like being in the gym. I 'm tired, and I don't want to
see a weight, and my clients come in and do it, and then I certainly
can and I have to because I am the trainer. I've gotta do this.
QA: Are any of them seeking Matthew Rush rather
than Gregg Grove?
MR: No, my clients I have now have been with
me for years, long before the Matthew Rush thing. Even when I do pick
up new clients they couldn't care less. A lot of the clients I pick
up are gay so a lot of them do know about Matthew. Some of them don't
know.
QA: You find satisfaction in personal training
- how about the adult film industry?
MR: Really it's an awesome feeling when someone
recognises you and they
recognise your work and they might come up to you and say "you
know I am a fan of yours" or there are a number of things people
will say, and it's always nice to hear that. I do film and you meet
so many interesting people and it's a lot of fun, I enjoy meeting
people, and I enjoy travelling.
QA: There has been some continued comment about
your working on the West Coast and living in Ohio. You once said you
didn’t want to leave the Midwest, Are you rethinking that?
MR: When I was dating Zac Spears I was thinking
about moving out there. I had always wanted to move to California
some place, whether it be LA or San Francisco or San Diego or wherever,
but now that I'm out there so much I like coming back to Columbus.
It's not that I wouldn't live there but now that I have experienced
a lot of California, I don't have to live there now. I like just visiting
and doing my thing out there when I need to and coming back to Columbus.
QA: Where will you live on returning to the
states? When do you leave Sydney and do you go back to Columbus?
(And this inquiry is because we have a package of items that we discussed
earlier and we'd like to bring them to Columbus and deliver them personally
if thats okay with you?)
MR: Sure! I return on the 11th to Columbus.
We get there on Monday and we will be there until Thursday or Friday
and then I'll head out again to Texas and then the White Party. I
believe Providence is in there before Miami.
QA: After a personal appearance at a charity
event in Cherry Grove, “A Night of Porn” for local AIDS
organizations, one interviewer said that you posess the physique of
a God on which is the face of the all American clean scrubbed boy
next door. In fact, he summed you up as saying you are the perfect
Madonna / Whore fantasy! Do you think that description apt?
MR: (after much laughter) No, I don't see that.
Because I don't see Matthew Rush, he's non-existent when I look in
the mirror. And as I said before, I see the 130 pounds skinny boy.
But looking strictly at Matthew, I guess he would be fantasy/whore.
QA: How do you see yourself, the handsome boy
next door?
MR: No I just see myself as a normal person.
If I were to see myself at the bar I wouldn't pick myself up. I really
wouldn't. I don't even know if I would talk to me.
QA: How would YOU describe the persona that
is Matthew Rush?
MR: Matthew is all about fun, all about having
a good time and he's all about getting laid. He's a big ham really.
He's bold, he's daring and he knows what he wants. If there is some
guy that he finds attractive he will get that guy. That's just how
he is. Where as Greg is just the total opposite. Greg sits back and
stares and admires and keeps to himself. You would find Greg in the
corner - when we go out to a bar, I like to find my little spot that's
not like full on people and I people watch. I stay there and talk
to my friends or whatever. If I make my way to the dance floor, it's
like on the outside of the dance floor somewhere. Greg is shy to an
extent, easy going, just an average person.
QA: And absolutely last, is there anything that
you have never been asked by an interviewer that you wished you had?
Is there anything you would like the world to know either about the
person Gregg Grove or the persona Matthew Rush?
MR: Well, just if you see me out or whatever,
I'm very approachable, come up and talk to me, I don't bite.
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