The HGTV star is used to having a big audience.
By Brandon Voss
Need a hunky handy man to fix you up right? Meet actor-turned-interior renovator Francis Toumbakaris, who parlayed a knack for odd jobs into his own contracting and design company, Greek & Handy. Recently seen on the HGTV design competition series Brother vs. Brother, Francis chats with us about his many skills.
Gay.net: You have a background in dance and theater. How does that experience help you in your Greek & Handy business, and how did it help you on Brother vs. Brother?
Francis Toumbakaris: Space, space awareness, and perception is something as a dancer I honed since a young age. I used to move in space and now I get to create it. Brother vs. Brother is a TV show, and having been a performer, cameras, lights, long hours, and performing under pressure was not new to me.
You've said that you wear your heart on your sleeve and always speak your mind. When's the last time your unfiltered mouth got you into trouble?
I don't think I always know when this happens. Speaking my mind is not something I do intentionally or have a motive behind it. It's who I am and how I speak. If you ask me on the street, "Hey Francis, how are you?" I will really tell you how I am. Then if you are not ready for that conversation, better don't ask.
Speaking of unfiltered, you also seem very comfortable showing off your bod in sexy tank tops and shirtless photos.
I've earned my rent on stage since I was 15. Having an audience — thousands of eyes watching me — is second nature.
I'll bet a lot of guys out there would appreciate a hot handy man around the house. How your love life?
My love life is nonexistent at the moment. Are you also a matchmaker? Find me a find? Catch me a catch?!
If you had to choose one, is it better to be Greek or handy?
It's hard to separate, as the the name of my business was created simply by stating who I am: "Greek & Handy." But I had to choose it would definitely be Greek! We are one proud nation, and Greeks, once we leave Greece, we become even more Greek — if there is such a thing!
Gay.net, September 2013.