Joe Komara landed his role on The Girl’s Guide to Depravity with only one audition.  "Apparently the producers liked me," he says with a flash of his Colgate smile.  "A few weeks after that first meeting, I got the offer.  It couldn’t have been easier."

And Komara couldn’t be happier with the series.  "It’s a show all single people can relate to. Dating, trying to figure out the right games to play or not play, trying to have fun meeting new people while also trying to keep hearts from getting broken. Especially our own."

The former gymnast-turned-singer from small town Indiana got his start in acting on the New York stage, performing in the off-Broadway production of The Donkey Show and then on Broadway in Grease.   "My gymnastics background helped a lot," he reflects. "My tumbling skills gave me an edge over a lot of the other dancers."

While in New York, Komara was offered a television role on the CBS soap, As The World Turns.  It was the first time he realized that screen acting might be a realistic goal for him.  He left New York for Los Angeles and immediately noticed the difference between the two showbiz cities.  "It’s easier to get jobs in New York.  You hit the street, go on auditions and eventually someone takes a chance on you.  In L.A., it’s about having the right look, knowing the right people or my new favorite, having the most Twitter followers."

Joe Komara obviously met at least one of the criteria because he now stars as the funny and multi-swinging Tyler in Cinemax’s hit drama series that begins airing it’s second season this month.

GC: How is Tyler different from typical gay characters on television?

JK: Tyler breaks stereotypes.  Sure, he rants about problems, looks down on those without much style, and loves to divulge details of his sex life like a lot of gay men I know but he’s also a guy who isn’t defined by labels.  He has a laissez-faire attitude toward conforming.  I think viewers find him really relatable.

GC: Is there a reason the character had to be gay?

JK: Actually, yes.  The show’s writer Heather Rutman (the show is based on Ms. Rutnam’s blog and her book of the same name) says, "Like any good depraved girl, she gets her best advice and stories from her GBF’s (Gay Best Friends) and Tyler is a mash-up of a bunch of them.

GC: Girls Guide is pretty provocative, even for Cinemax!

JK: True, the show is more provocative than, say, Girls.  Our show doesn’t shy away from nudity and sexual situations.  Cable shows are a subscription service, so they can contain racier plotlines than the big network shows are able to air.  I think it’s a good thing.  Sex is a part of everyone’s lives. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be reflected in the lives of the characters we watch on TV.

GC: Would you do a nude scene?

JK: I had one in the first season. It was quite over-the-top and silly but I actually had a fun time doing it.  Like me, she was a dancer so we kind of thought of it as choreography.

GC: So you would do it again?

JK: I would do it again.  I find as I get older, I’m getting more comfortable with myself.  I used to be crazily self-conscious about my body.  I would wear t-shirts in the pool in high school!  These days I’ll drop trough without blinking an eye.

GC: Are you single?

JK: Ah, my favorite question.  (Laughs)  Yes, I am single.  My favorite rule on The Girl’s Guide is #19: Settling is for quitters. I prefer to wait for the elusive grand prize.

GC: Why do think it’s taking so long to find him?

JK: It’s hard to develop relationships in Los Angeles: much harder than it ever was in New York.  In New York, you can’t avoid running into people.  You see them on the subway, in line at Starbucks, or walking home at night.  Guys spend a lot more time in their cars in LA.

GC: Your character finds love this season.

JK: I’m not surprised.  Tyler is a decent and funny guy who tells it like it is.  He’s doable.

GC: What dating advice would you give to Tyler?

JK: It’s the other way around.  There’s more I can learn from Tyler.

GC: What lessons can you learn from Tyler?

JK: He cares a lot less about outcome.  He trusts in the moment that things will work out for the best.  I’d love to be more like that.  Also, Tyler isn’t afraid to ask for what he wants when he wants it.  I think we’d all like to have a little more of that at times.  I know I would.

GC: Tyler was a player in season one.  Can a zebra really change his stripes?

JK: I guess the one piece of advice I would pass along to Tyler is to not fuck a good thing up.  Bartenders are notorious for their wandering eyes.   Tyler is used to playing the field and doing what he wants.  I don’t know that I can see him in a relationship for long.  But, then again, when love is concerned, people can be unpredictable.  I’d advise Tyler to trust in it - love can be real.

GC: The show is about a group of girls following a book of dating rules quickly and recklessly.  Do you think it’s necessary to play games in the beginning of a relationship?

JK: I wish I could stay no, but if I’m going to be truthful, I think there are some games that need to be played in the beginning.  You have to feel people out and test the waters a bit.  We all come with walls up and trepidation.  I mean, nobody wants to get their heart broken, right?

GC: Do you follow any of the show’s dating rules?

JK: Sure, I follow some.

GC: Which ones?

JK: Like having a back-up plan in case a date is disastrous.  Also, I always do my homework before a date, you know, I do a little stalking on Facebook. What?  Is that creepy?

GC: How many rules are there in The Girl’s Guide?

JK: A lot.

GC: Following so many rules sounds like it would make dating even more complicated than it already is.

JK: When confused, there is a safety net built in.  Rule #55 is fuck the rules.