From helping create daytime history as associate director of “One Life To Live” to reimagining his own experiences in shows like “My Big Gay Italian Wedding,” Emmy-winner Anthony Wilkinson is never short on both creativity and source material. He is bringing his latest passion project to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. as “My Big Gay Italian Casino Adventure” makes its debut in previews April 11-12. Wilkinson sat down with PGN to discuss his new show at its brand new home, his passion for Atlantic City’s LGBTQ+ community, and the “One Life to Live” storyline that stays with him.
Tell me about your latest project, “My Big Gay Italian Casino Adventure.”
This new story is fiction and based on some reality like the others. In this one, I buy a casino and create the first LGBTQ-friendly casino in the world. It’s crazy there isn’t one yet, but this imagines one day there will be…
Your partnership with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino seems like truly a dream collaboration. What has it been like working with them and their team?
Hard Rock has been absolutely amazing to work with. Their endless support for our community has made all of our collaborative efforts an absolute pleasure. All of the executives as well as the hosts are always interested in being involved in all of the shows and the events leading up to them.
What can fans of your productions expect from “My Big Gay Italian Casino Adventure”? Your shows are full of surprises with tons of interesting characters!
They can definitely expect some fun characters and fun surprises. All of the characters are based on a combination of real-life characters I have met and dealt with over the years, making the story very relatable to customers who frequent casinos.
What is it about Atlantic City that keeps you coming back?
It’s become a great market for my shows. Atlantic City is a fun and frequent destination for so many of my friends and family and supporters. So many of them genuinely look forward to going down for a weekend and making a trip out of it. Although I loved performing in the city, my cast and crew all agree these last few years have been a lot of fun for us.
The LGBTQ+ community in Atlantic City is vibrant and strong, just got a brand new LGBTQ+ nightspot, Byrdcage. What is it that you love about the strong LGBTQ+ community in AC?
So excited Byrdcage is in Atlantic City, I was there for the opening and can truly see a major success for the establishment because it is catering to any and all ages as well as allies of the community. I’m actually going to be working with them and shooting a scene for the new show.
Can we expect more iterations of “My Big Gay Italian…” in the future?
I’m sure. As I live it, I write it.
Why are productions like this so crucial right now in our country and culture?
My hope is they will continue to open up the eyes of people who are less familiar and less educated with our culture. So in the future when one of their loved ones come out, they can hopefully be given a different perspective that allows them to be more accepting and tolerant.
As a lifelong creative person who channels his ideas onto the stage and screen, how do you stay consistently inspired?
Everything is inspired by real-life events. As life happens, ideas are created.
As an Emmy winner and someone who was crucial to the success of daytime television with ”One Life to Live,” what was your all-time favorite ”One Life to Live” storyline? There were so many that were truly groundbreaking!
We touched on a bullying storyline when I was there and it really hit home for me. The actors that worked on it were truly incredible and it really opened up the viewers’ eyes to see what some kids had to deal with in schools.
“My Big Gay Italian Casino Adventure” plays April 11-12 at Sound Waves at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit casino.hardrock.com.