Seventeen - The Guys Issue
Eliza Bergman Krause
April 1998

Christian Mena

Gig:  Actor
Birthday:  February 13, 1970
Birthplace:  Santiago, Chile
Raised in:  Edmonton, Canada

Big Break:   Landing of the starring role – as Roger – in the national tour of the Broadway show RENT.

Love Across the Border:   Sandra Tavao. "We’ve been together a long time – twelve years, I think. She’s in college in Canada, studying psychology. She’s awesome."

Rock Steady:   "I play in a band in Canada called Maracujah, which means passion flower in Portuguese. We have a big following in Edmonton."

Opening Night Jitters:   RENT begins with Christian walking onstage alone with his guitar. For his first performance, "I was so scared. I couldn’t play. May hand was shaking. It was very emotional. I cried through the entire show. It was ridiculous."

Duet with Doogie:   Christian's RENT costar in L.A. was Neil Patrick Harris, who played Doogie Howser, M.D. on TV from 1989 through ’93. "Neil’s a great actor, and he has a great voice."

Escape from Chile:   "After the ’73 coup in Chile, my father left the country. My mother and I stayed in Chile for the next three months, and then we followed him. She stuck me under a bus seat when we crossed the border, because children were supposedly not allowed to leave."

Star Search:   Of all the celebrities who’ve attended RENT – among them Robert De Niro – Christian was most wowed when he spotted John Ritter, the actor who played Jack Tripper on the ‘70’s sitcom Three’s Company. "I just love him. I think I have every episode on tape."

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