Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir is coming to Philadelphia Dec. 23 to perform in “Holiday Dreams on Ice,” an Olympic ice show featuring Weir and fellow skating stars Ashley Wagner, Armin Mahbanoozadeh, Samantha Cesario, Brandon Mroz and Tamar Katz.
At 27, Weir, a Pennsylvania native, is known far and wide for his talents as an openly gay international figure-skating sensation, as well as a trendsetter in fashion and pop culture. He won the U.S. Championships in 2004-06 and placed third in the World Championships in 2008.
Weir has made the most of his fame, balancing performances in skating shows around the world with appearances at charity events across the U.S. He is also the star of his own reality series, “Be Good Johnny Weir,” on Logo.
Weir talked to PGN about his career and status as a global star in the world of figure skating.
PGN: Being from Pennsylvania, is returning to Philadelphia to perform any more special to you than any of your other shows? JW: Absolutely. I haven’t performed in my home state for five years now. So it’s so exciting to come home and perform for my family and friends. I travel between Moscow and Tokyo and New York and Chicago and L.A. all the time, but never get to be home and they never get to see me live. So that’s what I’m most excited about. PGN: Is skating a bigger deal in Moscow and Tokyo than it is in the United States? JW: In Russia, Japan and most of Asia, figure skating is the No. 1 sport. It makes it very special to go abroad and skate. I’m one of the few Americans invited to perform all over the world. It’s definitely more popular abroad, but I’m trying to do my one-man-band thing and make it popular in the United States.
PGN: Do you consider yourself a fashion icon and, if so, was that something you made a conscious decision to do? JW: I don’t consider myself a fashion icon: I just wear what I like. Sometimes people like it. Sometimes they hate it. I definitely wear what makes me happy and what to me is beautiful. It doesn’t matter if I’m an icon or not. I definitely never thought of it. But I do love my clothes and I do love to rock some interesting looks.
PGN: Do you design your own clothes or do other designers approach you? JW: With the economy the way it is, it’s harder for these designers to give things away to celebrities. But I definitely designed a few pieces that I have. I have some fur coats that I designed from the ground up and a few other things. I’ve been very lucky. A lot of designers support me.
PGN: Do you and the other performers in the show try to outdo each other in your performances? JW: Absolutely. With these shows it’s all about the crowd reaction to your performance, and we all try to make them clap louder and stand up longer than the previous performer. It’s definitely still competitive. These are competitive people — probably the most competitive people I’ve ever met in my life. It is always a competition. But in these shows we get to have fun and do a performance we maybe wouldn’t be able to do in competition.
PGN: Are there ever any conflicts within the figure-skating community about pushing the envelope with music and fashion in the performances? JW: There’s a whole list of things we aren’t allowed to do. Even with the women, you can’t wear theatrical makeup. The men aren’t allowed to wear tights. They have to wear pants or something that looks like pants. The rules are endless for costuming and music. Especially now that the judges are a half a century older than the skater and they may not get Gaga. Everyone is affected by different things in life and has a different take on music. We play by a lot of rules. But with a show like “Holiday Dreams on Ice” in Philly, there are no rules, which is the best kind of situation.
PGN: Did all the speculation into your sexuality before you came out ever bother you? JW: Absolutely not. I’ve always been comfortable to live for me and live how I see fit. I’m still very adamant about the fact that being gay is a part of who I am but it doesn’t define me. On my tombstone, it’s not going to read: ‘Here lies Johnny Weir. He was gay.’ It’s going to say a lot more than that. My direction in life is to make my life more important than what I was born with, to make something out of myself. There’s a lot of hate out there for our community and that didn’t bother me either. I’ve always tried to take the higher road, be classy and understand that I’m better than that. That’s always how I got through. I didn’t mind the speculation because it didn’t have an impact on my life or my personal life.
PGN: Is that speculation just in America or does it happen in other countries? JW: It depends where you’re going. In Japan, they’re all about what I can do on the ice, how competitive I can be and the character I’m bringing. It’s a completely different set of rules abroad. In Russia, the ideal of masculinity is Mikhail Baryshnikov — and he’s a ballerina. It’s very subjective around the world. There’s more speculation in America because I am American and I represent this country and people are curious. It’s very much like England. We live in a tabloid-driven bubble. It’s hard not to speculate about people you admire or respect on television.
PGN: Are the performances and TV shows you do as fulfilling to you as competitive figure skating? JW: It’s hard to explain. The Olympics is something I worked my entire life for. Who knows if there will ever be more in my future? Maybe I’ll be a curler when I’m 55 or something. I worked and lived and breathed and ate and drank the Olympics every day of my life until the end of the last Olympics, when I took a break from competitive skating. There’s nothing more fulfilling than getting on the ice, giving a flawless performance and having people clap for you. There’s no feeling like that in the world after you’ve dedicated every second of every day to make that a reality. These other projects I have are incredible and I love them all. I definitely respect every project I do, but there’s nothing like working hard every day to achieve something then achieving it, like the Olympics.
PGN: Of all the charities you support, which of them hits closest to home for you? JW: Definitely The Trevor Project [an LGBT youth suicide-prevention organization]. I was bullied a lot when I was young because I was different. There was a lot of verbal abuse and getting called the f-word. It was rough growing up. I was 13 years old. I was a country boy. I knew when I was 6 years old that I was gay. Not necessarily what it meant, just that I was. The Trevor Project helps so many kids and gives them a voice and someone to turn to. It’s out there for the kids that feel that there is no way out and feel like they’re being bullied and ostracized from society. Luckily, my family was super-wonderful with me. They never asked questions or needed explanations. They just were with me. My friends and people I surround myself with have always been accepting so I never felt like I didn’t matter. It breaks my heart when I hear some of the stories and The Trevor Project is trying to make it better.
Catch “Holiday Dreams On Ice” along with a special performance by the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, 7 p.m. Dec. 23 at University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena, 3130 Walnut St. For more information or tickets, visit www.holidaydreamsonice.com or call 215-898-1923.