Earlier this week, we heard what Executive Producer/Creator Mike Kelley had to say about the edited kiss between Tyler (Ashton Holmes) and Nolan (Gabriel Mann) on the November 2^nd episode of ABC’s hit series Revenge. While his answer stirred up more than a few AfterElton readers, I thought it was a good time to find out what went on in front of the camera by ringing up Mr. Holmes earlier this week.

Holmes, who talked about how much he’s enjoying playing bad boy Tyler, not only discussed his own disappointment that the Tyler/Nolan buss was cut but unexpectedly also revealed there was another same sex kiss in the same episode that also got cut. And those aren’t the only kisses cut from the show! All kissing aside, the 33-year old actor also talked about what he thinks is really driving Tyler to maim himself and carry on various relationships as well as what he likes to do when not on the Revenge set.

So who hasn’t Tyler kissed in this group shot and why don’t they make it into the show?

(Bowman, Emily VanCamp, Ashley Madekwe and Holmes)

AfterElton.com: Everyone loves a bad boy and you’re playing a really great one right now Revenge.

Ashton Holmes: Thanks! I’ve been playing good guys in my career thus far so it’s exciting to play something like this. The writing is so good and it’s like really broad strokes of paint on a canvas. Maybe it’s just Mike Kelley’s writing but this role has just been so much fun to sink my teeth into. It’s just a blast and so much fun to be part of a show playing a character as evil as Tyler.

AE: As an actor in a soapy drama like this, how do you reign in from going too far into the campy side of things?

AH: I think it is a little campy but I think that’s what makes it great. You can’t be dealing with these rich socialites and their dramas and not let it be a little campy. What I think allows it to be that way is that the writing is really good and the dynamics between the characters and the relationships are really entertaining and you care about these people. You care about the good and the bad and you want to cheer for or against them and I think that’s why the show is a hit.

What actually happened in the scene where Tyler (Ashton Holmes)

got Daniel (Josh Bowman) drunk?

AE: What were you told about Tyler before you actually started playing him? Did you know that he was going to be a guy who would do pretty much anything to get what he wants?

AH: Mike Kelley’s idea of who Tyler was or is has changed since I was originally cast. The breakdown said that Tyler was Daniel’s Harvard roommate and had a past and was comparable to the character in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tyler had a mild obsession with Daniel with more to be revealed. At this point in the episodes that have aired, I think we see Tyler as more of a master manipulator. He will do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants and I think what Tyler ultimately wants is power. The network changed some of Tyler’s storyline. There was a kiss taken out between Tyler and Daniel. Tyler gets Daniel really drunk, Daniel passes out and Tyler kisses Daniel while he’s asleep. The network took that out because I think they wanted the Tyler/Nolan storyline to carry more weight and to carry more of a shock and I think it was a good idea that they did take that out because I think people were shocked. It definitely got a lot of attention and it was cool to be a part of because it was really great television. I think last Wednesday’s episode [the 11/2 episode] was just really great TV. It was entertaining, surprising and it was daring. It’s fun to hear people talk about it.

AE: I talked to Mike Kelley a few days ago and asked about the kiss between Tyler and Nolan and, being a gay viewer and writing for AfterElton, it’s always raises some flags when you see a cutaway just before two men are about to kiss. What do you think about that?

AH: Yeah, I don’t know what it is but…I have kissed a number of people on this show and the network has taken it out every time! I kissed Daniel, I kissed Ashley, I kissed Nolan…and every time they’ve taken it out. I think it’s kind of a cop out. I think it’s ABC not wanting to push the envelope maybe. When we shot the scene [between Tyler and Nolan] we really went for it, Gabe and I, and then it didn’t air. I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s Mike Kelley or the network but, yeah, I was real disappointed.

AE: And we also missed a Tyler-Daniel kiss? You know a lot of us want to see that!

AH: Yes, I know I am the envy of a lot of women and men out there that I get to kiss Josh Bowman although it never aired.

AE: We can all hope for the DVD extras, right?

AH: Yes!

The character of Tyler was inspired by The Talented Mr. Ripley, so what exactly does he want from Daniel?

AE: So, after what you just told me, what’s up with Tyler and Daniel? Do you think Tyler is in love with him or wants to be him or both?

AH: I think when we first meet Tyler it’s sort of an obsession he has with Daniel. He wants to be Daniel and steal his soul. As Tyler starts to evolve, though, I think it changes. This is more with the episodes that haven’t aired yet when you start to see Tyler using Daniel as a puppet and, as I said, what I think Tyler wants is power. Daniel Grayson is a symbol of power so he wants what Daniel has. He doesn’t necessarily want to be Daniel but he wants what he has.

AE: In that same episode Tyler brushes off being called gay by Nolan. For Tyler, does sexuality not even matter and it’s solely about getting power?

AH: Absolutely. I don’t think Tyler is gay. If anything, I think Tyler is straight but he will do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants and I think Tyler has been in situations where he’s needed to get something from gay men and Tyler’s motivation doesn’t discriminate and his manipulation doesn’t discriminate.

AE: And if that means hitting his head against a wooden beam to get a bruise on his forehead, then so be it.

AH: Exactly! Performing a little harm on his body will not stop Tyler nor will sharing his body with another man stop Tyler. He will do whatever he needs to do. I think people will think because he’s involved with a sexual relationship with Nolan that it’s easy to think that he’s completely full of shit when it comes to his relationship with Ashley but I don’t think that’s true. I think Tyler does have some genuine feelings and concerns for Ashley but at the end of the day he needs to do what he needs to do to get ahead and that’s his main concern. But I think he starts to see more of an ally in Ashley as the show progresses and her motivation also to get ahead coincides with Tyler’s.

Dude, seriously. You just take your clothes off for both of us. I’ll watch.

AE: Are we going to see more Tyler/Nolan scenes?

AH: You definitely will see more Tyler and Nolan as the episodes continue to play out.

AE: Is it safe to say that as far as what we’ve seen so far with Tyler that he has a lot more up his sleeve?

AH: Yes. Absolutely. Tyler continues to be bad and he will continue to go to any lengths to get what he wants. It remains to be juicy.

AE: So you like watching poker. Does that mean you’re a poker player?

AH: Yes, a big poker player! I do that when I’m not acting.

AE: One thing you’ve probably noticed about Revenge is that the shirts come off once in awhile with the guys. Have you had to bump up your workouts in preparation for those scenes?

AH: [laughs] It’s surprising that they would want my shirt off when they have someone like Josh Bowman on the show. They’re like ‘Let’s let Ashton keep his shirt on and we’ll have Josh take his shirt off twice as much.’

Before Revenge, Holmes played real-life vet Sid Phillips in HBO’s The Pacific.

AE: Anything else coming up on TV or film that we’ll see you in?

AH: I have a movie coming out at the beginning of next year called The Divide, which was shot a year ago that I haven’t even seen yet. Other than that, I’m focusing it all on Revenge.

AE: As a TV viewer yourself, are you a fan of shows like Revenge? What do you like to watch?

AH: I don’t necessarily think that this would be a show that I would watch maybe because I don’t watch a lot of TV. I tend to only watch poker on TV – I know that’s sad – but I’m such a fan of the writing [on Revenge] that I’ve gotten hooked in. I love watching it and love reading the scripts that come down the pike. I think that it’s so much fun and, like I said before, I think I’m a part of something that’s really great television so I’m certainly a fan of the show now.

Revenge airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.