Those of you who will be in Edmonton on September 14th will have the pleasure of seeing Matthew Rush live at Evolution Wonder Lounge. Recently I had some time to chat with Greg Grove, the smart and self-aware man behind the Matthew Rush persona, about life, keeping in the kind of shape we all love to watch, and his latest acting project: "Pro Wrestlers Vs. Zombies," featuring a (quite possibly literal) ton of veterans of the squared circle.

GC: Your body’s obviously the result of a lot of work and dedication. When did you start lifting?

MR: I started lifting when I was a senior in high school. I was 6 feet tall and 130 pounds. I was a really skinny, nerdy kid. The moment I picked up my first weight, I was hooked. I quickly started to see my body change and people started treating me differently.

GC: Have you ever competed as a bodybuilder, or is it mainly for your own satisfaction?

MR: At first, it was an ego thing. People were noticing me and my confidence grew. Then a guy at my gym convinced me to compete in my first competition. I competed for a few years and worked my way up to nationals. Bodybuilding can be very political especially at national level. It wasn’t fun anymore and I realized I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I left the bodybuilding world and I now train for my own personal health.

GC: You come off as a really funny, well-spoken guy. Do you ever run into people who expect you to be a slab of mindless muscle?

MR: I do get stereotyped as a "meathead," but I use it to my advantage. I play dumb to see what a person’s intention is - whether it’s to get to know me or to get me into bed. Most people that come up and talk to me are genuinely interested in who I am and how I got into the adult film industry.

GC: So, back in 2011, you had sworn off doing porn shoots, but you got back into it a little while later. Did you have a change of heart, or was it more a pragmatic decision?

MR: I left the industry because I thought I had found Mr. Right. When I started doing porn, I made a promise to myself that if I ever found "the one," I would leave the industry. He asked me to quit, so I did. Long story short: he broke up with me and months later he became the porn star known as Jake Genesis.

GC: Apart from acting and your gig as a trainer, what takes up most of your time, day-to-day?

MR: Well, I have an amazing boyfriend and we have two dogs. After work it’s dinner and family time in front of the TV before bed. We have such crazy schedules that we don’t have time for much more.

GC: Pro Wrestlers Vs. Zombies has just become the movie I never knew I always wanted to see. Did you end up getting a decent amount of screen time?

MR: I definitely got my share of screen time. I play a pro wrestler who’s a video game freak. My character thinks that the zombie attack is part of a video game. He’s not the brightest, but I think he’s the most loveable.

GC: What was it like working with wrestling greats like Roddy Piper and the others?

MR: It was so much fun making this movie. Working with Piper, Hacksaw Jim Dugan and Shane "The Franchise" Douglas was a childhood fantasy come true. They were awesome and they treated me like one of the guys. I kinda had a bromance with Piper. He’s actually a very witty guy.

GC: So I take it you were a fan of the WWF in your younger days?

MR: I used to watch WWF every Friday night with my dad when I was younger.

GC: Was that part of what made bodybuilding appealing?

MR: It really didn’t influence my bodybuilding career - my ego and having two older brothers that would beat the crap out of me is what made bodybuilding appealing.

GC: So, the DOMA decision was pretty huge - kind of an amazing step forward. Has that changed your hopes or expectations, or the way you look at your relationship?

MR: It was a huge step forward for us. I’m not sure if you knew Wilfried Knight - he was a porn star and a very dear friend of mine. He and his partner committed suicide [on March 5th and February 21st, 2013, respectively] after a long battle with Immigration. They were married in Canada, but it wasn’t recognized in the US. They fought for years to have their marriage recognized but they were unsuccessful. They decided if they couldn’t be together in life, they would be together in death. Wilfried was such an amazing man. I loved being around him because he made me laugh. The DOMA decision was so bittersweet for me. It gives me hope for me and my boyfriend, but before the decision was made, DOMA took my friend.

GC: You’ve got a bit of an outspoken streak, from what I’ve seen in other interviews and on Twitter. Do you think doing porn has given you more freedom to talk about the sorts of things that are important to you, as if it ‘broke the ice,’ so to speak?

MR: Porn has given me a platform to speak my mind and use my "star" power for good. When I can, I try to give back to my community through charity work and whatnot. The industry has allowed my voice to be heard. I’d still be bitter and jaded if I had not done porn.

GC: What are some of your favourite experiences since creating Matthew Rush? On-camera or off.

MR: It’s been a hell of a ride over the past 12 years. Because of Matthew Rush, I have travelled the world. I’ve acted on stage and in movies. I have met some amazing people along the way as well. I don’t think any of this would have been possible without Matthew and his fans that have kept him around for this long.