Jennifer Hudson isn’t the only “American Idol” finalist appearing in a big screen movie this season. Reprising his role as Kyle in Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds, the sequel to the popular Eating Out, openly gay Jim Verraros will have viewers dividing their time between laughing out loud and licking their lips. Currently working on his second full-length CD, Verraros took a break to speak with the Gay & Lesbian Times and answer a few burning questions.

Gay & Lesbian Times: When we spoke last year, it was around the time of the release of your CD Rollercoaster. Was putting out that CD a good experience for you?

Jim Verraros: Yeah, it was a good experience. It’s always nice to develop a fan base. And it’s still exciting for me to hear from people who buy the record and are big fans. You strive for [getting] better with every song, and that’s kind of what’s tough about this album, is that you want to top yourself and hope that your fans still stick around.

GLT: When the disc came out and in the interim, did you play any shows in support of it?

JV: Yeah, I did. I played L.A.’s Pride and Kansas City Pride. I had my release party at the Roxy in Hollywood. “Inside Edition” was there to cover it, and that was a lot of fun as well.

GLT: Earlier you alluded to having started working on your follow-up CD.

JV: I’m about halfway through.

GLT: Is it along the same lines as Rollercoaster or is it a departure?

JV: I think that a lot of the critics kind of ripped the first one apart a little bit because there wasn’t much of a central genre or one idea that I was going for. It was kind of an all- over-the-place record. It was a finding myself record. This record is a lot more focused. You learn from your mistakes what you want to do and what you don’t want to do the next time around.

GLT: Your feature film debut, Eating Out, was that rare gay romantic comedy to inspire a sequel. Were you surprised at how popular the original movie was?

JV: Oh, yeah! I think we all were. It was my legitimate acting gig. There wasn’t a lot of money invested in the project and that’s evident when you watch it. But looking back on it, I realize that it’s a part of a genre that I think people need to see. I think it’s especially important that gay youth realize that there are positive sides to being gay. It doesn’t always have to be this negative, downside portrayal of it. It’s important for us to see that. With DVD sales and rentals, I still get e-mails from people still watching the movie today. I’m really grateful. People are loving it. And I think that’s what helped spawn the sequel – the demand.

GLT: You as well as Emily Brooke Hands and Rebekah Kochan are the three actors from the original movie who returned for Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds. Did you strike up a friendship with these women in addition to your professional relationships?

JV: Yeah, absolutely. I think that there is a certain chemistry that Emily and Rebekah and I have together that is unparalleled. I’ve never worked with anyone like that. When you get us together it flows and it works. I love them very much. They’re both incredibly talented girls. I’m grateful for them because they definitely add to the success of the film. They are incredibly strong actresses, and I felt honored to be alongside them. We definitely have a close relationship. We’re always in support of each other and we remain in contact today.

GLT: Eating Out 2 also features the legendary Mink Stole playing your mother. What was it like to work with her?

JV: I had seen quite a few John Waters films, most recently A Dirty Shame, which she did with Selma Blair and Johnny Knoxville. There’s just something about her! My partner and I just recently got [gay cable network] Logo and I’ve seen her in a lot of other things, a lot of roles that she’s played. She’s so versatile and believable in everything that she does. Just working alongside her made me feel… you kind of have to pinch yourself a little bit and say, “Oh, my God, I’m working with such a legend.” She’s an icon in the gay film community. She was wonderful to me. We had great chemistry together. She called me a very focused actor. Some actors have a hard time with something as simple as eye contact. With me, I just looked at her as if she was my mother. I think that’s what sells the scenes so well.

GLT: I’m glad that you mentioned your partner, because one of the characters in the movie makes a comment about “knowing what your type is.” Do you have a type and, if so, what is it?

JV: I have always told myself that, as far as looks go, I was attracted to guys that were the opposite of me. I have darker features and I was always attracted to blond hair and blue/green eyes, because I found that exotic. That’s something that’s different to me that stands out. And my partner has blond hair and blue/green eyes. That’s an immediate physical attraction. As far as everything else goes, there’s so much more. It’s about having a sense of humor, and it’s about trust and communication and honesty. This is my first monogamous, long-term relationship and it’s been so easy. It’s everything that you want, all the little things: having someone to come home to at night, someone to do dishes together with in the kitchen after you fix dinner or TiVoing your favorite show and watching it together. It’s all those things, and we have that. It makes me realize that it’s what I’ve always wanted. It’s what we all want, having that relationship, in the gay community. And it’s so hard to come by.

GLT: Eating Out 2 also makes a strong, albeit humorous, statement about the ex-gay movement. How do you feel about that?

JV: When I read the script, Gregg, I thought it was fucking hilarious. I’ve seen a lot of versions of that, like on “Will & Grace,” the episode with Neil Patrick Harris, where Jack and Karen go to the ex-gays meeting. It’s along those lines. I think we were acknowledging that those people exist in this day and age. How we make light of it is, if you focus on the facial expressions that I’m making during the meeting, I’m just rolling my eyes because these people are so repressed and it’s just not real. If anything, people should take away from that scene that it’s important to be true to yourself. Phillip Bartel, the director, actually told me to really “gay it up” in that scene because it makes it that much funnier. The snap at the end of talking about eating pussy makes it funny. Even though I’m still clearly gay, we just make fun of it and say, at the end of the day that’s not your authentic self.