By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed October 9, 2010
I wasn't able to get part-time Atlantan and "Drop Dead Diva" actress Margaret Cho, on the phone last week after she was eliminated third from "Dancing With the Stars." But her publicist said I could send email questions to her. I got her answers back today.
She'll be back in Atlanta December 12 at the Tabernacle if you want to see her stand up routine on her "Cho Dependent" tour. Tickets are available here. Prices are $57.60 general admission with fees.
She made no excuses for not making it past the third week and said even though she was on tour, she got as much practice in as anybody else. She was also proud of her dancing and enjoyed the experience.
Q: I've heard you say you aren't competitive by nature. Did that make any difference here?
A: No - I am still not, which is probably strange for an Asian person. We are stereotypically very competitive. But I am not, but I will go the extra mile to get extra credit.
Q: Did you have any expectations how far you'd get?
A: I got a lot farther than I thought!
Q: Do you think doing a gay pride dance may not have helped engender a lot of votes for you in Middle America?
A: I have been so heartbroken about the recent gay teen suicides that I had to do something. It is one moment that you have with the world, and I wanted to celebrate gay pride and call an end to the tragedies. We can never heal from it - but we can prevent if from ever happening again.
Q: You seemed to be really enjoying yourself dancing. Did you ever think you could even be a dancer?
A: No! But I love it! And I want to continue dancing. And I am a good dancer!
Q: The judges were tough on you. Do you think they had higher expectations for you than other contestants?
A: Yes, because they could see that I was a good dancer and so they wanted to see more of it. My choreographies were harder - which I appreciated - and I could do them - which was incredible!
Q: If you weren't on tour, do you think you could have done a better job from a technical standpoint since you would have had more time to rehearse?
A: No, because the fact that we were on tour was an odd blessing because my partner [Louis van Amstel] and I were living together which was an advantage that the other dancers didn't have. We were dancing constantly - so I don't think that we had less time than other people. However, I was exhausted from the constant motion!
Q: Of the other contestants, who has surprised you the most in terms of
preconceived notions vs. actual personality?
A: I would say Bristol [Palin] - just because I had many preconceived notions about what she would be like and she turned out to be the nicest and most supportive!
Q: Who do you think is going to contend to win the mirror ball?
A: I think it really is between Jennifer Grey and Rick Fox! But it also could be Brandy or Kyle [Massey]. They're all incredible dancers.
Q: You do make funny faces while dancing. Is there anything you can do about that in reality?
A: That is the magic of my face and I don't wish to ever change that!
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