Alec Mapa is a Healthier and Stronger Gaysian Sensation
An accomplished stand-up comedian, actor, and LGBTQ advocate, Alec Mapa became a cult favorite after audiences first discovered him on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of M. Butterfly. Since then, he has appeared in countless live performances and groundbreaking television series, including hits like Half & Half, Ugly Betty, and Desperate Housewives. No matter who he plays or what he does, Mapa brings the funny and heart.
Last year, Mapa decided to make some changes to improve his health and lifestyle because, according to him, the pandemic not only did a number on his mental well-being, but it added unwanted pounds to his waistline. In April 2021, he posted on Instagram saying, “Working my way back to my pre-COVID 2019 body. It’s going to take a while because she drinks.”
Throughout the remainder of the year, Mapa went on to post various photos of him working out and showing off his progress, which has not gone unnoticed. Obviously, the hard work is paying off. Instinct Magazine didn’t call him a “zaddy” for nothing.
OFM caught up with America’s Gaysian Sweetheart to talk more about his fitness journey, as well as upcoming projects, breaking barriers for Asian actors, and his thoughts on Will Smith’s controversial stunt at the Oscars.
How has your fitness journey been going, and what made you want to improve your weight and health?
I gained a lot of weight during the pandemic because every night was Friday. My husband and I were drinking quite a bit, and this also lined up where our son never left his room. So, I gained all this weight, and then I was like, “Shoot. Nothing fits, and you can’t deny it anymore.” It’s like, “Well, I let that go too far.” Then I got cast in a pilot last year with Alec Baldwin and Kelsey Grammar, so I’m going to look like this on camera. Terrific. I started working out with a trainer and quit drinking, but then the pilot didn’t get picked up. Perfect timing, right?
However, I decided to continue with this journey. Let’s clean up our act, so I continued to work out and have been getting stronger and stronger. I’ve been doing a lot of strength training, and I have been posting pictures on Instagram to kind of hold myself accountable. Then it turns out, I didn’t know my photos were being considered thirst traps because that’s not my brand. I’m the funny girl. I’m the best friend to the romantic lead, the wing man. So, to have people commenting on my body like that has been great.
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Was it difficult to find that initial motivation?
Yes, because I hardly exercised during the pandemic. I stopped going to the gym because we couldn’t go, and I didn’t get a Peloton, so finding that motivation was the hardest part. Once you’re there, you’re fine. To me, it’s kind of like stand-up. I’m so awful right before going onstage. I feel sick to my stomach and don’t want to be there, but once I’m on stage, I’m fine. Getting me on stage is the hardest.
Any advice you can offer for those who want to begin a fitness journey but are having trouble finding the urge to start?
I do. You’re never going to feel like it. Ever. Exercise is a drag. You can try to make it fun, but it’s work. I think the reason I have been able to stick with it is because I do have the financial liberty to have a trainer, but if you can’t do a trainer, look into some fitness classes as a way to hold yourself accountable. The accountability of a class, other people, or a trainer is what keeps me going because I’m a people pleaser. I was socialized to be a good boy, and I overcompensate because I’m queer (laughs).
What does a typical workout session look like for you?
We do strength training for an hour, and each day, we’ll concentrate on a specific thing. Chest, arms, triceps, legs, back. Back and legs are my least favorite because we’re doing pull ups now, which somebody told me is the hardest exercise to do because you’re pulling up your whole body weight. My husband is very tall and wiry, he’s six feet tall, so he’s lifting all of it up in the air. Me, it sounds like I’m giving natural childbirth every morning. So, those are the hardest to do, and again, I never feel like it. It’s easy not to go, but you have to make the decision to do it.
What are the ultimate fitness goals for you?
For boys to still like me (laughs). I’m a gay man, and I’m going to be 57 this year. My eye is on, “Am I still going to be a part of the equation?” I’m admitting a fault. I’m not saying that this is a good thing, but am I still going to be part of the sexual equation that is the gay world? When I think about that and talk about it with my therapist, they say, “And then what? If you’re attractive to other men, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to go out and be a whore?” No, but the more I think about it, the journey is ultimately about how you feel about yourself.
That’s such a cliché, but if a billion guys say how fucking hot you are, if you don’t feel that way about yourself, none of its going to land. I can only say that because I’m a recovering sex and love addict who has looked for validation outside of myself for years. What made me a worthy person is if other people found me attractive. As I’m getting older, I’m pulling away from that, and I just want to feel confident in my body as I get older. That is the ultimate goal. Being in shape, I feel healthier and happier. I didn’t feel good when I was heavy and drinking.
How has your fitness journey benefited your overall mental health and well-being?
The big change is, and I think this is from quitting alcohol, I sleep through the whole night. I didn’t before, and I was a very light sleeper. It took me forever to fall asleep, and I think it’s because the alcohol, cocktails, and wine I was drinking all had a high volume of sugar, which is a stimulant. I’m learning all these things post drinking.
My body wasn’t burning calories because it was burning the alcohol first and storing everything I ate. That’s why I was all bloaty and didn’t feel good. Giving up drinking has been harder than exercising, and that was based on a decision too. When the world opened back up, I needed to be present for my son 100% in a way that alcohol kind of messed up.
Besides working out, how else do you take care of stress and your mental health?
I like to meditate and chant. During the pandemic, I started chanting nature and Buddhism’s “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” Because I have ADHD, which I’m on meds for—I’m on meds for everything, I’m a hot mess—I found that when I meditated, it was hard to box it in and stay focused. When I started chanting, suddenly, I could really do the meditation. I could stick with it for half an hour or an hour at a time, and I would feel less stressed out.
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The world can’t give you anything you don’t already have. It can’t make you cuter or braver; those things already exist. Those capabilities have always existed inside of you, and meditation makes me focus on that. I become less stressed out about the externals. Being in this business, it’s like, it’s only great when you’re working. I have a job, I’m on a series, I’m on top of the world, but then what happens when you’re not working? What happens when things aren’t going your way? What’s your self-worth going to be based on?
Also, we’re in the age of social media when we think our self-worth is based on how many likes you get or how many followers you have. I think that’s why teenagers today are so stressed out. They’re anxious because they’re putting a narrative out on social media that doesn’t line up with who they essentially are. It’s turned every kid into a kid with an audience, and they’re not supposed to have an audience. There’s a certain amount of autonomy a kid loses when the whole world is watching.
I would like to segue and talk a little about your Hollywood career. Do you have any current or upcoming projects in the works?
Right now, I’m on a Disney show that’s coming out this summer called Villains of Valley View. It stars Lucy Davis, and I play the nosy next-door neighbor. If this was Bewitched, I’d be Mrs. Kravtiz, which would be a dream job! I’m also in a new Discovery+ show called Inventions That Changed History, and it’s about celebrities talking about things like the Kit-Cat Klock or the Etch A Sketch, pogo sticks, stuff you’ll really remember if you’re of a certain age. It’s really a nostalgic show.
You have numerous acting credits under your belt. What have been your top three favorite roles to play?
I did a series on UPN called Half & Half, where I played a secretary named Adam. He was a character that started as recurring then became a regular, and I was like a gay guy who got away with murder. I could say things, do things, and act a certain way that I would be murdered for in real life. This guy was ridiculous and so much fun. Then I enjoyed playing Suzuki St. Pierre on Ugly Betty because I was a gossip columnist, and I love playing villains. They are so much fun because villains just want something, and then they get frustrated because their plans are thwarted. They want what they want, and I love that.
Then I did a movie with Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette that was a big flop called Connie and Carla. It couldn’t have been a bigger failure at the box office, but it has since become a cult film. Kids grew up watching it on TBS or HBO, and it’s a drag queen musical. I played a little Filipina drag queen, and she’s literally the sweetest person I’ve ever played. I thought being a drag would turn me into a monster, but I was like the sweetest, nicest fairy you’d ever meet. It was so much fun.
Have you always had a desire to work in entertainment?
No. When I found my tribe in high school was when I wanted to become an actor. I had glasses, a retainer, and corrective shoes all at the same time, and I was a misfit as a gay kid. The drama kids were the first ones that went, “You’re fine as is. Come sit with us.” That’s when I really kind of found my way.
I read Bowen Yang’s Vulture interview, and he gave you a very nice mention. How does it feel to know that you have helped pave the way for future generations of queer Asian comedians?
That wasn’t my intention! I was just trying to pay the bills (laughs). However, I do see the progress on my own end. When I first came to L.A., it was hard to get me to audition for things. Even guest starring roles, and those were nothing guest starring roles. One line, three lines, but casting directors didn’t want to see me. My agent was the one getting me into these rooms, and then I booked the parts where they wouldn’t want to see me. Then that taught them to trust me.
There was so much I had to do in terms of code switching. I had to be like, “I’m one of you!” I’m Asian, but I’m a bitch and I can play this and make it funny. Now, the new generation of actors, I’m not saying we’ve solved racism, but there are initiatives to make shows more diverse to the point where I’ll see a network pilot or television show from the 90s with an all-white cast, and that’s unheard of now. There are initiatives to diversify the programs that we see, and that’s huge progress. Making television look more like real life.
Do you think Asians are still not being taken seriously in Hollywood?
I don’t know. It’s kind of like, take Bowen for example. He’s the funny gay Asian guy right now. He’s the go to. There could be a bunch of funny gay white guys, or funny white girls, but we’re still totemic. A Black actress told me one time to name five leading Black lady ingenues, and at the time, I said Gabrielle Union. She’s like, yep, it’s her turn. It’s like there can only be one at any given time, and I see that to a certain degree.
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There can only be one Asian leading lady, and it’s the girl from Crazy Rich Asians, or there can be one older Asian actress who’s kind of more respected, and that’s Sandra Oh. There’s more of us who’ve kind of broken through, but we still don’t work as much as white people. I’m not people’s first choice, but what I am getting now is more offers, which is kind of where you want to be as an actor. Enough people know me that they’re like, “I want Alec to do this.” Also, enough people know me to go, “Alec is completely wrong for this.” (Laughs.)
You are best known for your comedic work, and there has been controversy surrounding comedy these days. I’m curious, what were your thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars?
Chris’ joke was unfortunate, but the slap was still wrong. That’s how I feel, and I feel like you can have both of those opinions. I have a Black son, so I’ve spent the last couple days kind of going through Black Twitter and taking that temperature, you know? Making fun of a Black woman in an audience full of white people when Black women are the most disrespected people in America, I could see why that would drive Will into a defensive posture. However, Jada can take care of herself. You don’t want to fuck with her.
What I do feel bad about is that it did hijack the rest of the evening from everybody else. There were some incredible triumphs like CODA, Troy Kotsur, Ariana DeBose, Jessica Chastain, and all of that was completely eclipsed by Will screaming from the audience. It’s unfortunate that that’s what people are going to take away from that evening. To me, in that respect, it seemed very selfish. Like, you could have kicked his ass at the party or have gotten up during your speech saying, “Listen, my wife has alopecia, and it’s a very sensitive subject. Chris, you did a documentary about Black women’s hair and how important it is to them. Maybe you should apologize to my wife later at the party.”
I’m raising a kid who has PTSD from foster care, and we’ve had to teach him how to control his anger because he does get triggered. He’s not allowed to just go around slapping everybody that endangers him.
Do you believe there are some topics that should never be joked about?
I think it’s always about intention. To me, funny is funny, but if it’s something like you hate women or you’re making fun of somebody that you’re punching down, you clearly have a privilege that the other person doesn’t have and you’re making fun of them. I cite Lady Bunny because she is filthy. I always laugh my head off because her intention is to never hurt anybody. And Don Rickles got away with murder because he was an insult comic, but I never felt like it was genuinely malicious. He was just calling stuff out.
Before we wrap up, are there any upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?
Just that everything I’ve ever been on is currently streaming on Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, HBO, or what have you. It’s all out there. Ugly Betty, Half & Half, Desperate Housewives, Doom Patrol, which I’m super proud of because I’m now part of the DC Universe. I play a villain called Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man. Then my Showtime special, which is all about the adoption of my son with my husband, Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy, is now streaming on YouTube for free!
Stay up-to-date and connect with Mapa by following him on Twitter and Instagram @alecmapa.
Photos courtesy of Andrea James, Steven DeLa Cruz, and Alec Mapa
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