Star of Love Jones, Get on the Bus and former cast member of Grey’s Anatomy, Isaiah Washington, has joined the No H8 campaign. Various celebrities have joined the cause saying No to Prop. 8, which bans gay marriage in California. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Washington said:

“I voted against Prop 8. I totally think civil liberties … should be honored for everyone, especially if you’re paying taxes in this country. I strongly and vocally believe it’s the right thing to do whether you understand the lifestyle or not … It’s the right thing to do.”

Back in 2006 Washington came under fire for using anti-gay term at his co-star T.R. Knight and then using it again at the Golden Globes in 2007. Many people believe this is why his popular character was cut from Grey’s Anatomy and why the public hasn’t seen much from him since. However, Washington has been a longtime supporters of gay rights. Did Washington join the NoH8 campaign to repair his relationship with the gay community?  Washington explained:

“What has been purported about me has nothing to do with who I am. I have been dealing with organizations like ACT UP for over 25 years. Right before Keith Haring passed away I was working with him. City kids of New York. Fighting for awareness of HIV/AIDS for 25 years of my life…”

Watch the interview below — Washington talks his lesbian mentor, HIV/AIDS activism and personal stories.

Biopics are all the rage now — Angela Davis, Richard Pryor and even RUN DMC.  Well, there is good news for Isaiah Washington — just when you thought he was about to get evicted from his apartment for  owing back rent of $20,000 a month – he has landed the role of Lou Rawls.  Rawls is a legendary R&B singer who died in 2006.  According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Pathway Entertainment has acquired the script “Through the Eyes of a Son,” described as an uncensored take on the singer written by his son Lou Rawls Jr., and will develop it as a feature, with Isaiah Washington attached to play the famed crooner.

Born in Chicago in 1933, Rawls sang in a range of styles that included blues, soul, funk and R&B, selling millions of albums and earning legions of fans, as well as the accolades of Frank Sinatra. He also, according to the script, had a traumatic life, enduring a poverty-stricken childhood and, in adulthood, intense marital strife.

Sounds good. Let’s just hope Isaiah will downgrade to cheaper rent while he is studying for this role!

No word on a release date.

According to published reports, Isaiah Washington is on the verge of being evicted from his Santa Monica, California home. USA Today says:

“Isaiah Washington’s landlord has started an eviction procedure against the former Grey’s Anatomy star, claiming he owes $100,000 in rent.

Documents filed in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday claim that Washington and his wife have fallen behind on their $20,000 a month payments on a home in the Venice area of Los Angeles.

The complaint filed by Sandalwood Properties states the Washingtons have not paid rent since November.

A phone message left with Washington’s agent was not immediately returned.”

Poor Isaiah.  He is in the upcoming film Hurricane Season, which stars Forest Whitaker and Taraji P. Henson.  Nonetheless, I can imagine the man who is known for using an anti-gay slur on the set of Grey’s Anatomy and at the 2007 Golden Globes, might still be experiencing some backlash. The gays don’t play in Hollywood…

Still, wouldn’t it have been good to downgrade from the $20,000 a month apartment?  It’s been nearly two years since his character ended on Grey’s Anatomy.  Couldn’t he have found a cute villa for a cool $5,000 a month?