by Gregg Shapiro

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Now that a few years have passed since the death of Matthew Shepard, the media seems ready to fully examine the importance and the legacy of the gay 21 -year-old college student who was tied to a fence, brutally beaten, and left for dead in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. The shock of his murder galvanized millions of people, and helped focused the nation's attention on the growing epidemic of hate crimes and anti-gay violence. This weekend (March 2002HBO broadcasts The Laramie Project, and next Saturday, March 16th at 9pm, NBC will air the TV-movie The Matthew Shepard Story, starring Shane Meier as Matthew Shepard, and Stockard Channing and Sam Waterston as his parents, Judy and Dennis. The film focuses on the life and death of Matthew, and how his parents were forced to come to terms with the tragedy and subsequently respond to the murder trial of his killers.

One look at the 24-year-old Meier reveals his uncanny resemblance to the real-life Shepard. And Meier's powerful and convincing portrayal of Shepard effectively brings the now-legendary symbol of the consequences of hate crimes to life. Here's what the talented young actor had to say about what it was like to tackle this important and moving role.

Congratulations on a great performance. What was It like working with Stockard Charming and Sam Waterston?

Great. When I first heard that they were attached to the project I thought I couldn't ask for a better cast. It would be pretty tough to look bad with them involved. I didn't work too much with Sam Waterston. I did a majority of my scenes with Stockard Channing, who played Judy Shepard, Matthew's mom.

Did you meet with Judy and Dennis Shepard?

I met with Judy two or three days before shooting. That was quite an experience. We were supposed to meet on set, with Sam and Stockard, all together as a group. We didn't know how she was going to react, if she was going to accept us or if she would break down right there, so we were hesitant. But, actually Judy and I ended up crossing paths at the hotel where we were staying during the shoot. I was out hailing a cab or doing something in the lobby and I saw her.

I knew her from various magazine and newspaper articles, and she recognized me—I guess she had seen my audition tape. We just sat there and stared for a good 20 seconds and then we approached each other, and I shook her hand. I said, "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing—but I wanted to let you know that we're going to do the best job possible portraying your son's story. We want to do this right." And she said, "I think it's great that we got to meet off set. I thought it would be weird meeting you with the wardrobe and make-up on. It's a good thing that we got to meet right now."

She got to meet Shane the actor...

Exactly! Rather than [me as] Matthew Shepard on set, with 50 other crew members running around.

Did you go to the site of the fence in Wyoming where Matthew's body was found?

I didn't. I saw all the pictures. I remember walking into [director] Roger Spottiswoode's office. He had all the photographs that had been in magazines. I think he even had crime scene photos. Unfortunately, our time line was kind of restricted. I only had about a week and a half to do all the preparations.

The Matthew Shepard Story raises a lot of points, including the issue of the capital punishment. How do you feel about the death penalty?

I'm Canadian, so I don't know how to respond. Even my mom mentioned it when we were shooting the film. She said, "How would you react to it? What would your reaction be?" My reaction was the same as Dennis' [Matthew's father]. Dennis wanted the death penalty. [He said] these guys deserved to have their lives taken from them. They took their loving child's life away, and they deserve to have [the same] done to them. But it's almost more powerful and nastier to let them suffer, to have them incarcerated, put away, and have them realize that every single day, every birthday, every Christmas, there's one less person in this world, because they murdered him.

As a gay man, I'm clear about Matthew Shepard's legacy for my community. What do you think his legacy is for the straight community ?

I think he's huge, no matter what. Race, color, sex, religion doesn't matter. I think that what both of his parents have done since his death, with the Matthew Shepard Foundation (www.matthewshepard.org) is very positive. He's a legend, no matter what. He'll always be known as the face of a hate crime. Judy Shepard talks at colleges and universities. They're getting the word out there and that's helping a lot.

Was this your first time playing a gay character?

It was; there's always a first for everything. It's such a powerful, strong role, I think that anybody would have done it. It's a story that needed to be told and told in the right way, too. Not only did I physically look like him, but apparently, as Judy said, I act like him too. Funny and quirky at times, but then very serious and level-headed at others.

As an actor, how would you explain Hollywood's interest in bringing Matthew's story to the screen?

There was a quote—it might have been from Dennis Shepard—which said that [Matthew] "put an angelic face on hate crimes." Matthew was not an intimidating guy. He wasn't looking for trouble. He wasn't a six-foot-five, lippy kind of guy. [He was] very small, very frail—everyone told him he was angel-like. He was always helping other people and always doing the right thing. For such a negative thing to happen to him, I think that's where a little bit of the fascination comes in. I think that's why a lot of the people are going, "this can happen to anyone. Not just people that are looking for it." That's what makes an impact.

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