Fast chat: T.R. Knight

Let's be clear: T.R. Knight is not - repeat NOT - just another pretty face from TV who scored a plum Broadway role. Sure, the Minneapolis native gained a bump in his fan base - and an Emmy nomination - during a five-season stint playing beloved surgeon George O'Malley on the popular medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." But before his prime-time days, he'd lived, as the title of an early David Mamet play states, "A Life in the Theatre."

Which means he has real memories to draw on as he performs alongside Patrick Stewart in that show, which opened for the first time on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre earlier this month. The comedy depicts two actors as they rehearse and perform a series of hokey melodramas, where anything that can go wrong - missed cues, wig woes, slow-to-ring phones, crumbling sets, mischievous wind machines - does.

Such calamities pale in comparison to the tabloid craziness that comes with TV fame, and Knight, 37, has suffered his share. Like last year, when he asked to be released from his "Grey's" contract early. Or a few years back, when Knight came out publicly, after a co-star referred to him with an anti-gay slur.

He spoke last week with Newsday contributor Joseph V. Amodio.

So there must be moments in this play that feel like déjà vu.

Pretty much the whole play. There's the scene when Robert corrects John on their swordplay.

The scene where you rehearse a sword fight.

Everyday before each show, we have a "fight call" to go through it - because, although they're not sharp, they're still metal, and y' know , they can do some damage. So just a few days ago, we did it. ... I made an error in the sword work . . .and we played out the exact scene we'd just rehearsed.

Patrick Stewart corrected you? Sort of life imitating art.

And we were both laughing because we were in real time playing the same scene we'd rehearsed. It's kind of meta. It messes with your head. We're two actors . . .playing actors who are onstage acting. Mamet captures how ridiculous this life can be in such a great way.

The egos, the cramped dressing rooms . . .

One theater , the dressing room was on the fire escape. It was covered - we weren't completely exposed to the elements. But it was a fire escape.

You master all those funny dialects you do pretty well. But had you fenced before?

No. Patrick had. Before the production started, I worked with an epee - what you see fencers use. It's very, very thin. But I quickly learned we'd be doing more swordplay.

Are swords harder to handle?

They're heavier and more cumbersome. You definitely get a good sound when they hit. The parries, blocks, lunges. . . .

Sounds like a dance.

Yeah, very similar. Dancing with a sharp object.

You've acted onstage since you were 5, when you started working at the Guthrie. Any good theater disaster stories? Missing a cue, forgetting lines?

That would be me. They're painful, painful experiences . Hopefully those moments stay few and far between. With a long run, there are times, often around the sixth or seventh month - when, for some reason, you're speaking, and there's no knowledge of what comes next. It can be terrifying, because your mind can't process in that split second how you're going to get out of it . . .but you always manage to somehow.... That's when you rely on your fellow actors.

Speaking of which, heard from any "Grey's" pals lately?

Kate Walsh and Melissa George both came to our opening. And Katie has seen it. It was very sweet of them. And people like Justin Chambers and Chandra Wilson - it'll be wonderful to see them during the Christmas break. It's great to have your friends support you.

So about that musical you appeared in in L.A., "Parade" - I didn't realize you sing.

I didn't realize I sang, either . I studied about 21/2 months before we started - basically to learn how to sing. I'd never done it professionally.

Was that . . .scary?

Definitely. But it was a fantastic learning experience, because it forced me to get out of my own way. I knew I had nowhere to go but up.

So you're willing to take risks?

Those are the times when you learn the most. That's what I'm attracted to in work - things that terrify me a little bit - or a lot. I guess there's some sort of warped part of my brain that propels me in that direction.