Johnny Weir Talks to Movieline About Skating Politics, Lady Gaga and Life After the Olympics

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Speaking of shows that may not necessarily be empowering to young people, can we talk about your rival Evan Lysacek's decision to be on Dancing with the Stars?

Well, I did hear about this a few days before it was actually announced, and of course I went out last year and had a meeting with producers because Dancing with the Stars was putting feelers out about who would be interested and who the audience would want to see. And you could tell, from every poll on the Internet, that I would win by a landslide in the surveys that were "Which Olympic athlete would you like to see on Dancing with the Stars?" So I feel very supported by that but to be on a major network television program and to be an athlete, you kind of need to be an Olympic champion and [ABC] got that with Evan. I wish them all the best of luck with that.

What will that mean for competition? Do you know if he is missing the Championships in Torino?

From what I understand, he won't be competing in the World Championships, which is smart. If I were the Olympic champion, I don't think I would either.

Throughout the Olympics, commentators constantly distinguished you as "the artist" and Lysacek as "the athlete." Are you bothered by that at all?

I definitely feel like I'm more of an artist than an athlete. but I'm good at both. If you look at my program, I did exactly the same jumps as Evan Lysacek did and exactly the same elements basically. The only thing that really separated me from him was politics. He was the reigning world champion. I was left off the world team last year by my federation, and figure skating is definitely a political sport. You have to play by the rules, and I'm not one to play by rules, so you know. He has a gold medal around his neck now and I don't. It doesn't mean I'm not good, it just means that maybe I didn't play the game right.

You have a tremendous fan base in America but you are also a self-proclaimed Russophile. Do you feel like your fans in Russia are any more supportive of you than the Americans?

Well, my fans -- I always feel like such an idiot when I say "my fans" because I think it sounds very cocky -- but the group of people that embrace and support me no matter what are from all over the world and they're all equally supportive and loving of me. They always inspire me to do something great and I try extra-hard to do well for them -- and for my family and myself and my coaches, obviously -- but in Russia, my fans are really incredible. They make me feel right at home and for me, Russia is a second home. I have no shame for my love of Russia, as many people wish I had.

After you placed sixth in Vancouver, you told a journalist that the audience reaction to your performance was actually your gold medal. I loved that quote.

It's true. I mean, everyone stood at the end of both of my programs at the Olympic games. Everyone booed my scores. Everyone was behind me. Everyone went on that journey with me. Everyone could feel me. And you can feel that when you're performing for an audience -- if they are loving it or hating it. I felt so much love in that building that night and that is something I will never forget. It still gives me chills. That's not something you can win or lose though; that is something that is earned.

You created your long program "Fallen Angel" as a reflection of your feelings after your performance in Torino. If you were to create a program to reflect your feelings after your performance in Vancouver, what do you think you would call it?

I think "Fallen Angel" is pretty much my life, in every aspect of my story and how hard I've had to fight for things and how easily I can fall from grace. I think that is just the perfect way to describe my entire career in figure skating and in many ways, my life. If I had to do something after the Vancouver games, I'd probably say something like "Defiance" or "Defiant Angel" maybe. [Laughs]

I like that.

I am so unbelievably proud of what I was able to do and accomplish. I'm so proud of my fans for sticking with me for so long and my family and I am so proud and defiant against anybody who will try to cut me down for silly reasons, such as a gender test or a fur costume or anything like that. I'll fight anybody.

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Comments

  • Velvet Crush says:

    Johnny Weir is the definition of elegance, both on and off the ice. Thank you for inspiring me with your wit, artistry, and perseverance.

  • stolidog says:

    He'd be an awesome inspiration if he chose to become a PETA spokesperson. Until then....um.

  • Jamie says:

    I love Johnny Weir even more after reading this, and I didn't think that was possible. He is such a rock star. God bless him.

  • Save Skating says:

    It's wonderful that Johnny Weir can take comfort in the crowd reaction (his "gold medal"), but the fact remains that the performance of the night at the 2010 men's Olympic competition was trashed by the judges for political reasons. For the record, Weir landed exactly the same number of triple jumps (and in very similar combinations) as Evan Lysacek, who won. The difference is that Johnny did them much better, more smoothly, with better takeoffs and landings. For that he was buried in 6th place.
    More: http://savefigureskating.blogspot.com/2010/02/performance-of-night-buried-in-politics.html

  • thatgirlinnewyork says:

    lovely interview. it's heartening to read a line of questioning that doesn't challenge someone like weir to dis his fellow skaters or otherwise provide catty fodder. you've managed to allow johnny his humanity, something we can all appreciate.
    that said, when people like stolidog (previous comment) insist that johnny isn't redeeming unless he renounces fur or works for peta, it's rather disingenuous. do you feel you're winning anyone over with the bullying and violence? and do a hypocrisy check, please--if you're eating meat, wearing leather, a down-filled coat, or taking pharmaceuticals, these are all produced at the expense of an animal's comfort. equally, take a look at your carbon footprint: are you driving, buying packaged foodstuffs, cleaning your home with chemicals, or eating gmo produce? then you're contributing to the degradation of the planet for both humans and animals. the more you cut down your fellow human beings, the fewer humans there will be to protect the earth and animals you love--and we need both for peaceful coexistence.

  • stolidog says:

    I'm sooooooo bored with this....
    if you really, really think there are similarities between wearing leather and wearing mink, so be it.
    As far as I recall though, cows aren't skinned alive for their hides. Certainly, Foster farms and KFC do attrocious things to chickens, which is why I don't eat them, but that's beside the point.
    The point is that factory farming, while disgusting and vile, is the only way millions upon millions (and billions upon billions if you count the whole world) get meat, which is considered by most people to be a necessity.
    A coat made of clubbed and skinned-while-still-alive baby harp seals is not really in the same catagory of what's needed to survive.

  • Joy says:

    It's my experience that you can have all the human support in the world but at the end of they day the things you lost or didn't win still sting a lot. Johnny Weir has a lot of support here, from me and others, but I know that I would still be hurting if some silly political thing kept me from getting what I deserved. Especially if that was a friggin Olympic medal. So I don't feel like there's much I can say that will really make anyone feel better, other than I hope you rise all the way into stardom and I keep getting to see your face on the magazines in the check outline at Wallgreens. 😉
    And, guys, people have been skinning, eating, killing, and basically hurting animals for centuries. Go back and kick your ancestors or something and leave this guy alone. I honestly believe that if animals have the brain capacity to understand that their situation is wrong they would have done something about it themselves. Do you really think there are a lot of animals that would hesitate to kick your butt if they even felt threatened by you? And I had a horse step on my foot once, for no other reason than I was in the wrong place at the wrong moment. There doesn't have to be a good reason to hurt something, it happens anyway, every day. There are a whole lot of problems with our world and that is only one of them. Petroleum comes from the remains of dinosaurs, you know. Think about how many times your use oil based products a day. And you don't know if that dinosaur died painfully and even if it did, would you refrain from putting gas in your car of you had to get somewhere? The animal kingdom is based on a different rule than ours is nowadays: kill or be killed. I think we forget that a lot, and think that since we have more brain power, we are obligated to be better people. We aren't obligated, and we don't try to be better anyway, not in most things. Maybe it makes you feel morally more secure, but personally I really just don't care. I'll nom upon all the animal hides I want to, because that's my personal choice. You don't get to decide anything for me.

  • marcela says:

    Johnny is a spokesman for Childhood Obesity for the 'nPLAY Foundation so his involvement in charitable efforts is amazing!!!

  • pearl says:

    thank god you don't get to decide anything for the rest of us. I love Johnny Weir, but to get this upset and vitriolic in defense of his use of fur is sad. In your eagerness to defend our treatment of animals, you actually have trotted out most of the urban legends about them. Why not put all that indignance to good use and educate yourself. There is no shortage of information, much of it accurate, on the internet. Do your homework and take a deep breath before you get back up on your soapbox.

  • Yi says:

    Did you actually read the whole article and writing this STUPID comment?

  • Yi says:

    Did you actually read the whole article and writing this STUPID comment?

  • Anon says:

    Stephani had performances during the same time as the exhibition so she couldn't have made it there anyway. It's not like she can be two places at once. And she knew this way before she made a promise to Johnny to come see him. I know Stephani and she was just being nice. I adore Johnny. Just wish he would see it for what it is and stop acting so naive and just get over it.

  • hank920 says:

    Someone's comments here about eating meat as a matter of survival..THINK again.. People have for millenia and can survive without meat. If you want fur, you should be made to go out and hunt it down for yourself. If people were meant to have those things, they should be obligated to capture it in the wild and prepare it themselves. The other problem with meat is the way it has been mismanaged by the Monopoly of meat processing companies, right down to chickens. Rent the movie FOOD, INC. and see for yourself.The only reason we are not dying from old contaminated meat recently is the companies soak it in Ammonia first before packaging. Evan Lycseck wore feathers, and I am sure no bird died for him to have them. I applaud Johnny Weir for not bending to the establishment. But this is not about Leather or fur, its about Ice Skating and Johhny Weir.

  • MLD says:

    If you know Lady Gaga, then you'd also know how her name is actually spelled. Nice try.

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