Billy Eichner Wanted ‘Bros’ to Star an ‘Openly Gay Ryan Reynolds’ Type – IndieWire

Contents:

• FRANK WILLIAM “BILLY” GAY III’S NET WORTH, RHOSLC HEATHER’S EX-HBAND
• ‘SCREAM’ SCREENWRER KEV WILLIAMSON CONFIRMS BILLY AND STU’S QUEER-COD RELATNSHIP WAS BASED ON REAL GAY KILLERS
• BILLY PORTER IS FIRST OPENLY GAY BLACK MAN TO W EMMY FOR LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
• 'GAY' BILLY ELLT DIRECTOR MARRI
• ‘BROS’ DIRECTOR NICHOLAS STOLLER ON SEX, ROMANCE AND WORKG WH BILLY EICHNER ON THE GROUNDBREAKG GAY COMEDY
• REAL REASON BILLY ELLTT'S GAY DIRECTOR GOT MARRIED
• BILLY GAY FOUND 213 PEOPLE GEIA, FLORIDA AND 39 OTHER STAT
• NICHOLAS STOLLER: MEET THE STRAIGHT GUY BEHD GAY ROM-COM ‘BROS’HOW IT GOT MADEWHEN DIRECTOR AND -WRER NICHOLAS STOLLER FIRST APPROACHED BILLY EICHNER ABOUT MAKG “BROS,” HE NEVER IMAGED THE BAT WOULD SPARK. HE TELLS WHAT HE’S LEARNED.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED OCT. 05, 2022 3:55AM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 04, 2022 7:15PM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY ER O’FLYNN/THE DAILY BEAST/NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTURIT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE TO LEARN, GIVEN THE DISURSE SURROUNDG THE FILM, THAT THE HISTORIC GAY ROMANTIC EDY BROS WAS A STRAIGHT GUY’S IA.NICHOLAS STOLLER KNOWS HOW TO DO A ROM-. SURE, HIS FACE MAYBE ISN’T ON THE GENRE’S MOUNT RHMORE ALONGSI NORA EPHRON, NANCY MEYERS, AND GARRY MARSHALL. BUT AN ARGUMENT ULD BE MA THAT, THIS MORN ERA OF THE ROM-, PERHAPS SHOULD BE.STOLLER DIRECTED FETTG SARAH MARSHALL, THE 2008 FILM THAT FAMOLY STARRED JASON SEGEL AS A MAN WHOSE GIRLIEND (KRISTEN BELL) DUMPS HIM WHILE HE’S FULLY NU. HE -WROTE AND DIRECTED THE SP-OFF GET HIM TO THE GREEK, WHICH PAIRED RSELL BRAND WH ROSE BYRNE. THEN THERE’S THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT (JASON SEGEL AND EY BLUNT HAVE A… WELL, YOU READ THE TLE) AND THE TWO NEIGHBORS FILMS (SETH ROGEN AND ROSE BYRNE NAVIGATE THEIR RELATNSHIP WHILE ATERNY AND SORORY STUNTS TERRORIZE THEM). AND HIS NETFLIX SERI FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE SHOWED HOW LOVE A CLOSE-KN IEND GROUP GETS MORE PLITED AS EVERYONE GETS OLR.NOW THERE’S BROS, WHICH OPENED LAST FRIDAY. STARRG BILLY EICHNER, WHO -WROTE THE FILM WH STOLLER, AND LE MACFARLANE, IS THE FIRST ROMANTIC EDY RELEASED THEATERS BY A MAJOR STUD TO STAR TWO GAY MEN. IT ALSO HAS SPARKED AN FERNO OF BATE, PECIALLY FOLLOWG A DISAPPOTG HL AT THE BOX OFFICE DURG S OPENG WEEKEND. NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTUR BUT BEFORE WAS THE MOVIE SHOULRG A SKYSCRAPER’S WORTH OF EXPECTATNS THAT SUDNLY TURNED EVERYONE ON TWTER TO BOX-OFFICE EXPERTS, WAS AN IA FOR A GROUNDBREAKG ROMANTIC EDY BY A GUY WH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE MAKG THEM.“THE IA [FOR BROS] ORIGATED WH ME,” STOLLER TELLS THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED. “I LOVE ROMANTIC EDI. I’VE MA A FEW, AND I’VE ALWAYS BEEN TRIGUED BY THE IA OF ROMANTIC EDY ABOUT TWO GAY MEN FALLG LOVE. BUT I’M STRAIGHT, SO I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I ULD TELL THAT STORY RRECTLY.”HE NEED SOMEONE WHO ULD LEND THE STORY THENTICY. CUE: BILLY EICHNER. STOLLER HAD FIRST NOTICED BILLY EICHNER HIS GAME SHOW BILLY ON THE STREET, WHICH STARTED 2011. YEARS LATER, THEY WORKED TOGETHER WHEN EICHNER PLAYED A SMALL ROLE NEIGHBORS 2: SORORY RISG, THEN LLABORATED MORE SUBSTANTIALLY WHEN EICHNER PLAYED A KEY CHARACTER FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE.“I KNEW HE WAS REALLY FUNNY OM BILLY ON THE STREET, BUT I DISVERED THAT HE’S A REALLY GOOD ACTOR, WHICH I DIDN’T KNOW,” STOLLER SAYS. “WHEN WE SHOWED THE FIRST EPISO OF THAT SHOW A MOVIE THEATER, EVERY TIME HE WAS ON SCREEN, STROYED. THE DIENCE WENT NUTS. I WAS LIKE, OH, HE’S LIKE A MOVIE STAR. HE SERV SOMETHG BUILT AROUND HIM.” THEY LATER EMAILED ABOUT STOLLER’S IA ABOUT A SAME-SEX ROMANTIC EDY, WHICH THE DIRECTOR NOW WANTED TO CENTER AROUND EICHNER’S EDIC SENSIBILY AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. EICHER JOED ON AS STOLLER’S -WRER AND STAR, WH STOLLER PRODUCG ALONGSI MEGA-PRODUCER JUDD APATOW. NOW, BROS IS FALLY OUT—AND MAY BE THE MOST DISCSED FILM OF THE FALL.BROS FOLLOWS BOBBY (EICHNER), A CEREBRAL PODSTER AND LGBT HISTORIAN. HIS IAS ABOUT LIFE AND LOVE ARE UPEND WHEN HE SPARKS A NNECTN WH MACFARLANE’S AARON, A HOT LAWYER WHO—AT LEAST BOBBY ASSUM—WOULD NEVER GIVE HIM THE TIME OF DAY. HILARY AND HIJKS ENSUE BETWEEN BOBBY, AARON, AND THEIR IENDS—ONLY, THIS TIME, IS GAY HILARY AND GAY HIJKS. NOT ONLY IS BROS THE FIRST GAY ROM- OM A BIG STUD (GRDR, FOURSOM, AND NONMONOGAMY, OH MY!), BUT EVERY MA CHARACTER IS ALSO PLAYED BY AN OUT LGBTQ-INTIFYG ACTOR, CLUDG THE HETEROSEXUAL CHARACTERS.WHEN STOLLER AND I CHAT OVER ZOOM, ’S A FEW DAYS BEFORE BROS OPENED ON MORE THAN 3,000 SCREENS—AND BEFORE THE FILM FELL FAR SHORT OF EXPECTATNS, MAKG LS THAN $5 LN AT THE BOX OFFICE. IN THE DAYS SCE, A DIZZYG ARRAY OF DTRY SIRS AND ARMCHAIR EXPERTS ALIKE HAVE TRIED SQUARG THE DISSONANCE BETWEEN THE FILM’S ECSTATIC REVIEWS AND WORD OF MOUTH AND S PALTRY GROSS. (EICHNER, FOR ONE, ARGUED THAT “STRAIGHT PEOPLE, PECIALLY CERTA PARTS OF THE UNTRY, JT DIDN’T SHOW UP.”) BUT AT THE TIME WE SPEAK, BEFORE ALL OF THAT, STOLLER IS HOPEFUL ABOUT HOW THE FILM WILL BE RECEIVED; A NATNWI ROAD SHOW OF TT SCREENGS HAD ALREADY PLAYED LIKE GANGBTERS. BUT HIS GOAL FOR BROS EXTENDS EPER THAN WHATEVER BOX-OFFICE NUMBERS MIGHT TALLY. “AS A EDY FAN, I JT WANT THIS TO WORK,” HE SAYS. “EACH ONE OF THE PEOPLE THE MOVIE SERV THEIR OWN MOVIE OR TV SHOW.”WE TALKED ABOUT THE PRSUR PUT ON THE MOVIE, THE DIFFERENCE MAKG A GAY ROM- VERS A STRAIGHT ONE, AND WHY IS SO IMPORTANT FOR A MASTREAM (OR NON-LGBTQ) DIENCE TO WNS A GAY Y CEMAS.BEFORE BROS WAS SEEN BY A SGLE PERSON—EVEN BACK WHEN WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED— BEME THIS LIGHTNG ROD FOR STRONG OPNS ABOUT WHAT KD OF STORY SHOULD BE TELLG, BEE OF S HISTORIC NATURE. WHAT WAS LIKE TO NAVIGATE THAT MAELSTROM OF DISURSE?I FEEL REALLY PRIVILEGED TO HAVE GOTTEN TO BE PART OF THIS MOVIE—EVEN THOUGH DID START WH ME, SO THAT FEELS LIKE A WEIRD THG TO SAY. BILLY WAS VERY AWARE OF THIS KD OF DIALOGUE. AS A STRAIGHT GUY, I JT WAS LIKE, IF WE JT MAKE AN HONT STORY THAT'S ABOUT YOU, WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THAT NOISE. I THK THAT SHOWED A PRIVILEGE THAT I HAVE. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY MOVI ABOUT STRAIGHT UPL FALLG LOVE, THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO THK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU’RE MAKG ANOTHER ONE. RIGHT. BUT THIS SE, YOU N’T NOT THK ABOUT THE THGS.Y. I THOUGHT OF THIS FIRST AND FOREMOST AS A EDY VEHICLE FOR BILLY EICHNER. HE HAS A CHARISMA AND A TONE AND A VOICE THAT I’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. HE SERV THIS THE WAY KRISTEN WIIG SERV HER OWN EDY VEHICLE, OR JASON SEGEL, OR SETH ROGEN—WHOEVER IS—SERV . HE’S JT THAT TALENTED. THAT’S THE WAY I ALWAYS PHILOSOPHILLY THOUGHT ABOUT .HE WAS VERY NERVO ABOUT [THE EXPECTATNS]. BEE OF MY POSN THE WORLD, I JT WASN’T AS NERVO. AS WE WORKED ON , WE JT GOT MORE AND MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT HIS STORY AND HONT ABOUT HIS STORY. THERE’S NOT REALLY ANY WAY TO TO MAKE A STORY FOR EVERY SGLE PERSON, BUT THE MORE SPECIFIC YOU ARE, THE MORE RELATABLE AND UNIVERSAL YOUR STORY IS.OBSERVG ALL OF THE TENSE REACTNS ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR WHAT PEOPLE WANT THE MOVIE TO BE, N BE EXHSTG. IT N ALSO BE RMATIVE AND EFUL. WHEN A MARGALIZED MUNY IS GIVEN A PLATFORM LIKE THIS, THERE ARE A LOT OF MANDS.IT’S SO UNFAIR, AND ’S SOMETHG THAT I WAS TOTALLY BLD TO. I TOTALLY DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL I WORKED WH [EICHNER]. I GET . I UNRSTAND WHY THOSE MANDS ARE PLACED ON . THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS, BUT PART OF WHY WE HAVE AN ENTIRELY LGBTQ ST WASN’T BEE WE THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD MARKETG HOOK OR WHATEVER. IT’S TO BRG REALLY FUNNY IC VOIC THAT ARE OM ALL DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MUNY TO THIS MOVIE, BEE WOULD JT MAKE FUNNIER AND MORE RICH. DID MAKG THIS MOVIE FEEL DIFFERENTLY OM SOMETHG LIKE FETTG SARAH MARSHALL, BEE THIS FILM CENTERS AROUND A GAY UPLE?IT DID FEEL DIFFERENT. AND ALSO DIDN’T FEEL DIFFERENT. IT FELT REALLY DIFFERENT BEE THERE WAS SO MUCH ABOUT GAY ROMANCE AND SPECIFILLY BILLY’S VERSN OF THAT I JT DIDN’T KNOW. WRG THIS KD OF MOVIE, ’S SENTIALLY A LONG THERAPY SSN. IT’S SOMETHG I’VE DONE NOW WH A FEW DIFFERENT ACTORS, WHERE YOU’RE JT KD OF TALKG ABOUT YOUR LIFE, AND THEY’RE TALKG ABOUT THEIR LIV. I THK ABOUT GET HIM TO THE GREEK, WHICH IS REALLY ALL ABOUT RSELL BRAND’S ADDICTN. I SPENT HOURS AND HOURS TALKG TO HIM ABOUT , BEE I’M NOT A FORMER ADDICT. IT WAS SIAR WH THIS, TALKG TO BILLY ABOUT HIS LIFE.BROS REALLY DO FEEL LIKE A MOVIE WRTEN BY A GAY MAN FOR GAY MEN, OM THE WAY THE CHARACTERS SPEAK TO WHAT THEY’RE TALKG ABOUT, WHOUT THE BURN OF EXPLAG ALL FOR A “STRAIGHT” DIENCE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO GREAT MONOLOGU BILLY HAS ABOUT LGBT HISTORY, THE PRSUR ON GAY MEN, AND THE CROSSROADS THE MUNY IS AT THAT ARE, I THK, ENLIGHTENG AND TNAL FOR A STRAIGHT DIENCE. HOW DID YOU BALANCE NOT OVEREXPLAG VERS NOT TO BE SO GAY THAT A STRAIGHT DIENCE WOULDN’T RE?BILLY ULD SPEAK TO THIS MORE THAN ME, BUT I THK HE’S SPENT HIS ENTIRE REER TRYG TO EXPLA TO HOLLYWOOD WHO HE IS. SO I THK HE FELT… HE NEED TO REALLY EXPLA TO THE DIENCE HOW HE THKS. A BIG PART OF WHO HE IS, WHAT HE LIK TO TALK ABOUT, AND WHAT HE’S TERTED ARE [ISSU ] THE LGBTQ MUNY. HE SAID OM THE BEGNG, AND I AGREED WH HIM, THAT THIS HAS GOT TO WORK WH A GAY DIENCE FIRST. HE WAS LIKE, “I DON’T RE ABOUT THE STRAIGHT DIENC.” FOR ME, ANOTHER WAY I WOULD THK ABOUT , BEG STRAIGHT, WAS THAT THIS HAS TO JT BE PURE. THIS HAS TO BE TE TO BILLY’S EDY. THAT’S ALL I RE ABOUT. NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTUR THE IA OF TN AND ENLIGHTENMENT—AND WHAT MAK THIS HISTORIC FOR A MAJOR STUD MOVIE—ISN’T JT THAT THERE ARE LGBT ISSU DISCSED. THERE’S A VERY REALISTIC GRDR SCENE. THERE IS AN Y. THERE IS THE LE, “I’M SUPPOSED TO FUCK HIM AND HIS HBAND LATER.” DID FEEL EDGY OR DANGERO TO CLU THOSE?WHEN BILLY WROTE THE GRDR SCENE, I WAS A LTLE WORRIED WASN’T FUNNY ENOUGH. I WASN’T WORRIED IF WAS TOO CRAZY. I WORRIED THAT WE NEED SOME BIG SET PIECE. DID WE NEED, LIKE, A BRISMAIDS-QUE GRDR HOOKUP SCENE, YOU KNOW?THAT PEOPLE WOULD ONLY FD FUNNY IF WAS OVER-THE-TOP, LIKE THE BRISMAIDS POOPG SCENE.RIGHT. BUT THE SCENE IS FUNNY BEE ’S JT A FUNNY, WEIRD SUATN. YOU MEET A STRANGER, HOOK UP, AND THEN IS HERENTLY FUNNY. THE DIENCE GO ALONG WH , BEE ’S HONT. THAT WAS SOMETHG THAT I LEARNED DOG THIS MOVIE. THIS MOVIE IS VERY GROUND. I LOVE DOG BROAD STUFF AND HAVG BIG SET PIEC. BUT THIS MOVIE, THE TONE STAYS A PRETTY GROUND ZONE. SOME CRAZY STUFF HAPPENS—THAT WAS PART OF THE TONE, TOO. THERE’S A BIG RELEASE OF TENSN AND A BIG LGH WHEN THE GUY MASTURBAT ONTO BILLY, AND BILLY GO, “THANK YOU.” I MEAN, ’S SO FUNNY.ONE OF THE THGS THAT REALLY WORKS IS THAT THE MOVIE FOLLOWS A ROM- FORMULA THAT WE LOVE AND ARE FAIAR WH. BUT, BY THE NATURE OF THIS SAME-SEX UPLE, ALSO ALS WH IAS ABOUT MMENT, RELATNSHIPS, AND MONOGAMY AFAR LS NVENTNAL WAYS THAN A TYPIL HETEROSEXUAL ROM-. HOW DID THOSE TWO THGS WORK TOGETHER?AT THE BEGNG OF THE PROCS, I TOLD BILLY THE THREE THGS THE MOVIE NEEDS TO BE: IT HAS TO BE HONT, HAS TO BE FUNNY, AND HAS TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDG. BUT WE ALSO DID NOT WANT THIS TO BE A STRAIGHT ROMANTIC EDY, BUT ’S TWO GUYS. THAT WOULDN’T WORK EHER. SO DO WE HAVE AN OPEN RELATNSHIP? THOSE BAT ARE EVEN THE MOVIE. … WE DID A CUT OF THE MOVIE WHERE WE LIFTED ALL OF THAT. WE LIFTED THE FOURSOME. THE WHOLE MOVIE SUDNLY FELT LIKE A STRAIGHT ROMANTIC EDY. IT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL. NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTUR THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH TALK ABOUT HOW HISTORIC THIS MOVIE IS AND HOW IMPORTANT WOULD BE FOR TO BE A H AT THE BOX OFFICE. WHAT ARE YOUR HOP FOR THE MOVIE?OBVLY, I HAVE PERSONAL TERT , BUT I’M GOG TO PUT THAT ASI FOR A SEND JT AS A EDY FAN. I HOPE THIS WORKS MERCIALLY SO OPENS THE DOORS TO A LOT MORE OF THE STORI. BEE AS A EDY FAN, EACH ONE OF THE PEOPLE THE MOVIE SERV THEIR OWN MOVIE OR SERV THEIR OWN TV SHOW. THEY’RE SO FUNNY. REMEMBER, EDY DIRECTORS WERE ONCE EDY NERDS. I STILL AM. BUT I REMEMBER BEG A KID AND SEEG THE BIRDGE THEATERS. THE MOVIE ME OUT AND WAS A MASSIVE H. AND I WAS LIKE, WHO’S THIS NATHAN LANE GUY? I LOVE THIS GUY. I N’T WA TO SEE WHAT HE’S GOG TO DO NEXT. HE’S JT THE FUNNIT GUY. AND THEN HE DID NOTHG, BEE OF THE WAY THE DTRY WAS AT THE TIME. THAT SUCKS, YOU KNOW? HE SHOULD HAVE HAD 10 MORE OF THOSE MOVI.THAT’S SO TE.I FEEL THE SAME WAY WH [BROS]. SOMEONE LIKE EVE LDLEY, WHO’S HYSTERIL THIS—SHE SERV HER OWN THG. SO AS A EDY FAN, I JT WANT THIS TO WORK. BEE THE MORE H STORI, THE BETTER. THEY’RE ALWAYS FUNNY. YOU KNOW, FGERS CROSSED. WHO KNOWS. EVERYTHG IS SO WEIRD RIGHT NOW THEATRILLY. BUT THE MOVIE DO WHAT ’S SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN WE SCREEN . PEOPLE LGH OM START TO FISH. PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED THAT THEY FELT THGS. THAT’S ALL YOU HOPE FOR. KEV FALLON
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• BILLY GAY
• ‘GAY MEN MAKE UP OUR OWN RUL’: INSI THE MAKG OF ‘BROS’

FRANK WILLIAM “BILLY” GAY III’S NET WORTH, RHOSLC HEATHER’S EX-HBAND

Frank William “Billy” Gay III is reported to be a “Mormon Royalty, ” bt known for beg the former hband of Heather Gay, an Amerin realy televisn personaly who is most known for her role on “The Real Hoewiv of Salt Lake Cy.

As of May 2022, Frank William “Billy” Gay III’s worth is unknown, however given that he is “Mormon Royalty, ” he mt be worth lns. His wealth is also creasg om appearg wh his former wife, Heather Gay, on some episos of Bravo TV’s h realy show, “The Real Hoewiv of Salt Lake Cy. Although ltle is known about Frank William Gay III’s early life, is known that his grandfather, Frank William Gay, was a “henchman” for billnaire Howard Hugh before risg through the ranks of Hugh Tool Company, Hugh Air Corporatn, and the Summa Corporatn.

‘SCREAM’ SCREENWRER KEV WILLIAMSON CONFIRMS BILLY AND STU’S QUEER-COD RELATNSHIP WAS BASED ON REAL GAY KILLERS

Informatn on Frank William Gay III’s tnal background, cludg the universy he attend and the gree he received, was not ma public.

BILLY PORTER IS FIRST OPENLY GAY BLACK MAN TO W EMMY FOR LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Frank William “Billy” Gay III was married to Heather Gay or RHOSLC and shar three dghters together named Ashley, Geia, and Annabelle. There is ltle rmatn about how Frank William “Billy” Gay III built his fortune, however is known that his fay amassed their fortun by workg for and subsequently herg a major share of the tate of the late ultra-wealthy dtrialist Howard Hugh. Brad Wter, What To Know About RHOSLC Star Heather Gay’s Ex-Hband, retrieved om Brad Wter, What To Know About RHOSLC Star Heather Gay’s Ex-Hband, retrieved om Amanda Ray Byerly, RHOSLC: Who Is Heather Gay’s Ex-Hband?, retrieved om.

“We need to show all the homophob like Clarence Thomas and all the homophob on the Supreme Court that we want gay love stori and we support LGBTQ people. Bros is the first gay romantic edy -wrten by and starrg a gay man to be backed by a major stud (Universal) and receive a wi theatril distributn.

As he told Out magaze: “The fact of the matter is, we need people to go see this movie, gay people and straight people, orr for them, meang the powers that be Hollywood, to greenlight more movi like this. This is not a review, but I do happen to thk Bros is good and funny and sexy, cisive about certa aspects of urban gay life, and totally worth seeg.

'GAY' BILLY ELLT DIRECTOR MARRI

Watchg the movie, ’s clear to me that Eichner’s tert queer history, and where morn gay romance fs to , go far eper than marketg. ), seems terted gay love more theory than practice; at 40, he’s yet to have a real relatnship. Durg another ambivalent night out at the club, he plas to a iend (the wonrful Guy Branum) about how, spe marketg ourselv as pecially smart, many gays are really very stupid—only to tch the eye of a ballpped hunk, Aaron (Le Macfarlane), who by all appearanc is que dumb and yet very hot.

“As a kid watchg them, ” he told Out, “and probably as a gay kid, ma me want to be an adult … a plited relatnship Manhattan. ” Of Bros, he add: “I really wanted to do a movie at that level and that style, but that was about a gay uple, bee we tly had never gotten that.

‘BROS’ DIRECTOR NICHOLAS STOLLER ON SEX, ROMANCE AND WORKG WH BILLY EICHNER ON THE GROUNDBREAKG GAY COMEDY

I do not flt Eichner for his love of the movi (readg him rhapsodize about them is enarg, actually), but his sire to create a gay one—and his belief that such a film would be any way “historic” or polilly potent—don’t make sense to me.

REAL REASON BILLY ELLTT'S GAY DIRECTOR GOT MARRIED

Durg my screeng of Bros, I had this naggg sense that, however much I lghed at each smartly crafted set piece about morn gay life, the movie was somehow cramped or cluttered, that need more edg. Now, I thk I unrstand that feelg better: Eichner and his -wrer are tryg to stuff a whole lot of gayns to the preexistg package of the straight rom-, to make new—to “rrect” an excln, as Eichner has said.

When we first meet Bobby, he’s a podster rantg about a failed gay rom- pch of his own, and how gay people and relatnships are censored out of history—clearly the two male figur this ancient patg are together, and how dare they suggt that this old-timey woman and the ar iend wh whom she exchanged heartfelt rrponnce were not gay?

His passns soon lead to his jog the board of a new LGBTQ history mm, and om there to extensive fights about historgraphil issu like whether to dite an exhib to Ameri’s “first gay print, ” Abraham Lln. We uld spend a long time discsg the plexi of whether or not mak sense to claim Lln, whose life certaly was enriched by a nsirable amount of male affectn, as a gay man.

BILLY GAY FOUND 213 PEOPLE GEIA, FLORIDA AND 39 OTHER STAT

But what matters here is the unrlyg divi self: Some people believe gayns is only a meangful tegory wh a specific, fairly recent historil moment (ually the late 19th-century onward; Lln is fely cp! Likewise wh Eichner: “There were gay love stori sce the begng of time, ” he told Out. It featur Bobby and Aaron, rned, kissg each other to rapturo applse ont of one of those ancient “gay boyiend” patgs, beneath a rotunda splashed wh projectns of supposed queer forebearers.

If you’re still wonrg about those homoerotic unrton 25 years after Billy Loomis and Stu Macher terrorized Woodsboro W Craven’s “Scream, ” you’ve been on the right track all along.

NICHOLAS STOLLER: MEET THE STRAIGHT GUY BEHD GAY ROM-COM ‘BROS’HOW IT GOT MADEWHEN DIRECTOR AND -WRER NICHOLAS STOLLER FIRST APPROACHED BILLY EICHNER ABOUT MAKG “BROS,” HE NEVER IMAGED THE BAT WOULD SPARK. HE TELLS WHAT HE’S LEARNED.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED OCT. 05, 2022 3:55AM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 04, 2022 7:15PM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY ER O’FLYNN/THE DAILY BEAST/NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTURIT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE TO LEARN, GIVEN THE DISURSE SURROUNDG THE FILM, THAT THE HISTORIC GAY ROMANTIC EDY BROS WAS A STRAIGHT GUY’S IA.NICHOLAS STOLLER KNOWS HOW TO DO A ROM-. SURE, HIS FACE MAYBE ISN’T ON THE GENRE’S MOUNT RHMORE ALONGSI NORA EPHRON, NANCY MEYERS, AND GARRY MARSHALL. BUT AN ARGUMENT ULD BE MA THAT, THIS MORN ERA OF THE ROM-, PERHAPS SHOULD BE.STOLLER DIRECTED FETTG SARAH MARSHALL, THE 2008 FILM THAT FAMOLY STARRED JASON SEGEL AS A MAN WHOSE GIRLIEND (KRISTEN BELL) DUMPS HIM WHILE HE’S FULLY NU. HE -WROTE AND DIRECTED THE SP-OFF GET HIM TO THE GREEK, WHICH PAIRED RSELL BRAND WH ROSE BYRNE. THEN THERE’S THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT (JASON SEGEL AND EY BLUNT HAVE A… WELL, YOU READ THE TLE) AND THE TWO NEIGHBORS FILMS (SETH ROGEN AND ROSE BYRNE NAVIGATE THEIR RELATNSHIP WHILE ATERNY AND SORORY STUNTS TERRORIZE THEM). AND HIS NETFLIX SERI FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE SHOWED HOW LOVE A CLOSE-KN IEND GROUP GETS MORE PLITED AS EVERYONE GETS OLR.NOW THERE’S BROS, WHICH OPENED LAST FRIDAY. STARRG BILLY EICHNER, WHO -WROTE THE FILM WH STOLLER, AND LE MACFARLANE, IS THE FIRST ROMANTIC EDY RELEASED THEATERS BY A MAJOR STUD TO STAR TWO GAY MEN. IT ALSO HAS SPARKED AN FERNO OF BATE, PECIALLY FOLLOWG A DISAPPOTG HL AT THE BOX OFFICE DURG S OPENG WEEKEND. NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTUR BUT BEFORE WAS THE MOVIE SHOULRG A SKYSCRAPER’S WORTH OF EXPECTATNS THAT SUDNLY TURNED EVERYONE ON TWTER TO BOX-OFFICE EXPERTS, WAS AN IA FOR A GROUNDBREAKG ROMANTIC EDY BY A GUY WH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE MAKG THEM.“THE IA [FOR BROS] ORIGATED WH ME,” STOLLER TELLS THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED. “I LOVE ROMANTIC EDI. I’VE MA A FEW, AND I’VE ALWAYS BEEN TRIGUED BY THE IA OF ROMANTIC EDY ABOUT TWO GAY MEN FALLG LOVE. BUT I’M STRAIGHT, SO I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I ULD TELL THAT STORY RRECTLY.”HE NEED SOMEONE WHO ULD LEND THE STORY THENTICY. CUE: BILLY EICHNER. STOLLER HAD FIRST NOTICED BILLY EICHNER HIS GAME SHOW BILLY ON THE STREET, WHICH STARTED 2011. YEARS LATER, THEY WORKED TOGETHER WHEN EICHNER PLAYED A SMALL ROLE NEIGHBORS 2: SORORY RISG, THEN LLABORATED MORE SUBSTANTIALLY WHEN EICHNER PLAYED A KEY CHARACTER FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE.“I KNEW HE WAS REALLY FUNNY OM BILLY ON THE STREET, BUT I DISVERED THAT HE’S A REALLY GOOD ACTOR, WHICH I DIDN’T KNOW,” STOLLER SAYS. “WHEN WE SHOWED THE FIRST EPISO OF THAT SHOW A MOVIE THEATER, EVERY TIME HE WAS ON SCREEN, STROYED. THE DIENCE WENT NUTS. I WAS LIKE, OH, HE’S LIKE A MOVIE STAR. HE SERV SOMETHG BUILT AROUND HIM.” THEY LATER EMAILED ABOUT STOLLER’S IA ABOUT A SAME-SEX ROMANTIC EDY, WHICH THE DIRECTOR NOW WANTED TO CENTER AROUND EICHNER’S EDIC SENSIBILY AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. EICHER JOED ON AS STOLLER’S -WRER AND STAR, WH STOLLER PRODUCG ALONGSI MEGA-PRODUCER JUDD APATOW. NOW, BROS IS FALLY OUT—AND MAY BE THE MOST DISCSED FILM OF THE FALL.BROS FOLLOWS BOBBY (EICHNER), A CEREBRAL PODSTER AND LGBT HISTORIAN. HIS IAS ABOUT LIFE AND LOVE ARE UPEND WHEN HE SPARKS A NNECTN WH MACFARLANE’S AARON, A HOT LAWYER WHO—AT LEAST BOBBY ASSUM—WOULD NEVER GIVE HIM THE TIME OF DAY. HILARY AND HIJKS ENSUE BETWEEN BOBBY, AARON, AND THEIR IENDS—ONLY, THIS TIME, IS GAY HILARY AND GAY HIJKS. NOT ONLY IS BROS THE FIRST GAY ROM- OM A BIG STUD (GRDR, FOURSOM, AND NONMONOGAMY, OH MY!), BUT EVERY MA CHARACTER IS ALSO PLAYED BY AN OUT LGBTQ-INTIFYG ACTOR, CLUDG THE HETEROSEXUAL CHARACTERS.WHEN STOLLER AND I CHAT OVER ZOOM, ’S A FEW DAYS BEFORE BROS OPENED ON MORE THAN 3,000 SCREENS—AND BEFORE THE FILM FELL FAR SHORT OF EXPECTATNS, MAKG LS THAN $5 LN AT THE BOX OFFICE. IN THE DAYS SCE, A DIZZYG ARRAY OF DTRY SIRS AND ARMCHAIR EXPERTS ALIKE HAVE TRIED SQUARG THE DISSONANCE BETWEEN THE FILM’S ECSTATIC REVIEWS AND WORD OF MOUTH AND S PALTRY GROSS. (EICHNER, FOR ONE, ARGUED THAT “STRAIGHT PEOPLE, PECIALLY CERTA PARTS OF THE UNTRY, JT DIDN’T SHOW UP.”) BUT AT THE TIME WE SPEAK, BEFORE ALL OF THAT, STOLLER IS HOPEFUL ABOUT HOW THE FILM WILL BE RECEIVED; A NATNWI ROAD SHOW OF TT SCREENGS HAD ALREADY PLAYED LIKE GANGBTERS. BUT HIS GOAL FOR BROS EXTENDS EPER THAN WHATEVER BOX-OFFICE NUMBERS MIGHT TALLY. “AS A EDY FAN, I JT WANT THIS TO WORK,” HE SAYS. “EACH ONE OF THE PEOPLE THE MOVIE SERV THEIR OWN MOVIE OR TV SHOW.”WE TALKED ABOUT THE PRSUR PUT ON THE MOVIE, THE DIFFERENCE MAKG A GAY ROM- VERS A STRAIGHT ONE, AND WHY IS SO IMPORTANT FOR A MASTREAM (OR NON-LGBTQ) DIENCE TO WNS A GAY Y CEMAS.BEFORE BROS WAS SEEN BY A SGLE PERSON—EVEN BACK WHEN WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED— BEME THIS LIGHTNG ROD FOR STRONG OPNS ABOUT WHAT KD OF STORY SHOULD BE TELLG, BEE OF S HISTORIC NATURE. WHAT WAS LIKE TO NAVIGATE THAT MAELSTROM OF DISURSE?I FEEL REALLY PRIVILEGED TO HAVE GOTTEN TO BE PART OF THIS MOVIE—EVEN THOUGH DID START WH ME, SO THAT FEELS LIKE A WEIRD THG TO SAY. BILLY WAS VERY AWARE OF THIS KD OF DIALOGUE. AS A STRAIGHT GUY, I JT WAS LIKE, IF WE JT MAKE AN HONT STORY THAT'S ABOUT YOU, WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THAT NOISE. I THK THAT SHOWED A PRIVILEGE THAT I HAVE. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY MOVI ABOUT STRAIGHT UPL FALLG LOVE, THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO THK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU’RE MAKG ANOTHER ONE. RIGHT. BUT THIS SE, YOU N’T NOT THK ABOUT THE THGS.Y. I THOUGHT OF THIS FIRST AND FOREMOST AS A EDY VEHICLE FOR BILLY EICHNER. HE HAS A CHARISMA AND A TONE AND A VOICE THAT I’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. HE SERV THIS THE WAY KRISTEN WIIG SERV HER OWN EDY VEHICLE, OR JASON SEGEL, OR SETH ROGEN—WHOEVER IS—SERV . HE’S JT THAT TALENTED. THAT’S THE WAY I ALWAYS PHILOSOPHILLY THOUGHT ABOUT .HE WAS VERY NERVO ABOUT [THE EXPECTATNS]. BEE OF MY POSN THE WORLD, I JT WASN’T AS NERVO. AS WE WORKED ON , WE JT GOT MORE AND MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT HIS STORY AND HONT ABOUT HIS STORY. THERE’S NOT REALLY ANY WAY TO TO MAKE A STORY FOR EVERY SGLE PERSON, BUT THE MORE SPECIFIC YOU ARE, THE MORE RELATABLE AND UNIVERSAL YOUR STORY IS.OBSERVG ALL OF THE TENSE REACTNS ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR WHAT PEOPLE WANT THE MOVIE TO BE, N BE EXHSTG. IT N ALSO BE RMATIVE AND EFUL. WHEN A MARGALIZED MUNY IS GIVEN A PLATFORM LIKE THIS, THERE ARE A LOT OF MANDS.IT’S SO UNFAIR, AND ’S SOMETHG THAT I WAS TOTALLY BLD TO. I TOTALLY DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL I WORKED WH [EICHNER]. I GET . I UNRSTAND WHY THOSE MANDS ARE PLACED ON . THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS, BUT PART OF WHY WE HAVE AN ENTIRELY LGBTQ ST WASN’T BEE WE THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD MARKETG HOOK OR WHATEVER. IT’S TO BRG REALLY FUNNY IC VOIC THAT ARE OM ALL DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MUNY TO THIS MOVIE, BEE WOULD JT MAKE FUNNIER AND MORE RICH. DID MAKG THIS MOVIE FEEL DIFFERENTLY OM SOMETHG LIKE FETTG SARAH MARSHALL, BEE THIS FILM CENTERS AROUND A GAY UPLE?IT DID FEEL DIFFERENT. AND ALSO DIDN’T FEEL DIFFERENT. IT FELT REALLY DIFFERENT BEE THERE WAS SO MUCH ABOUT GAY ROMANCE AND SPECIFILLY BILLY’S VERSN OF THAT I JT DIDN’T KNOW. WRG THIS KD OF MOVIE, ’S SENTIALLY A LONG THERAPY SSN. IT’S SOMETHG I’VE DONE NOW WH A FEW DIFFERENT ACTORS, WHERE YOU’RE JT KD OF TALKG ABOUT YOUR LIFE, AND THEY’RE TALKG ABOUT THEIR LIV. I THK ABOUT GET HIM TO THE GREEK, WHICH IS REALLY ALL ABOUT RSELL BRAND’S ADDICTN. I SPENT HOURS AND HOURS TALKG TO HIM ABOUT , BEE I’M NOT A FORMER ADDICT. IT WAS SIAR WH THIS, TALKG TO BILLY ABOUT HIS LIFE.BROS REALLY DO FEEL LIKE A MOVIE WRTEN BY A GAY MAN FOR GAY MEN, OM THE WAY THE CHARACTERS SPEAK TO WHAT THEY’RE TALKG ABOUT, WHOUT THE BURN OF EXPLAG ALL FOR A “STRAIGHT” DIENCE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO GREAT MONOLOGU BILLY HAS ABOUT LGBT HISTORY, THE PRSUR ON GAY MEN, AND THE CROSSROADS THE MUNY IS AT THAT ARE, I THK, ENLIGHTENG AND TNAL FOR A STRAIGHT DIENCE. HOW DID YOU BALANCE NOT OVEREXPLAG VERS NOT TO BE SO GAY THAT A STRAIGHT DIENCE WOULDN’T RE?BILLY ULD SPEAK TO THIS MORE THAN ME, BUT I THK HE’S SPENT HIS ENTIRE REER TRYG TO EXPLA TO HOLLYWOOD WHO HE IS. SO I THK HE FELT… HE NEED TO REALLY EXPLA TO THE DIENCE HOW HE THKS. A BIG PART OF WHO HE IS, WHAT HE LIK TO TALK ABOUT, AND WHAT HE’S TERTED ARE [ISSU ] THE LGBTQ MUNY. HE SAID OM THE BEGNG, AND I AGREED WH HIM, THAT THIS HAS GOT TO WORK WH A GAY DIENCE FIRST. HE WAS LIKE, “I DON’T RE ABOUT THE STRAIGHT DIENC.” FOR ME, ANOTHER WAY I WOULD THK ABOUT , BEG STRAIGHT, WAS THAT THIS HAS TO JT BE PURE. THIS HAS TO BE TE TO BILLY’S EDY. THAT’S ALL I RE ABOUT. NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTUR THE IA OF TN AND ENLIGHTENMENT—AND WHAT MAK THIS HISTORIC FOR A MAJOR STUD MOVIE—ISN’T JT THAT THERE ARE LGBT ISSU DISCSED. THERE’S A VERY REALISTIC GRDR SCENE. THERE IS AN Y. THERE IS THE LE, “I’M SUPPOSED TO FUCK HIM AND HIS HBAND LATER.” DID FEEL EDGY OR DANGERO TO CLU THOSE?WHEN BILLY WROTE THE GRDR SCENE, I WAS A LTLE WORRIED WASN’T FUNNY ENOUGH. I WASN’T WORRIED IF WAS TOO CRAZY. I WORRIED THAT WE NEED SOME BIG SET PIECE. DID WE NEED, LIKE, A BRISMAIDS-QUE GRDR HOOKUP SCENE, YOU KNOW?THAT PEOPLE WOULD ONLY FD FUNNY IF WAS OVER-THE-TOP, LIKE THE BRISMAIDS POOPG SCENE.RIGHT. BUT THE SCENE IS FUNNY BEE ’S JT A FUNNY, WEIRD SUATN. YOU MEET A STRANGER, HOOK UP, AND THEN IS HERENTLY FUNNY. THE DIENCE GO ALONG WH , BEE ’S HONT. THAT WAS SOMETHG THAT I LEARNED DOG THIS MOVIE. THIS MOVIE IS VERY GROUND. I LOVE DOG BROAD STUFF AND HAVG BIG SET PIEC. BUT THIS MOVIE, THE TONE STAYS A PRETTY GROUND ZONE. SOME CRAZY STUFF HAPPENS—THAT WAS PART OF THE TONE, TOO. THERE’S A BIG RELEASE OF TENSN AND A BIG LGH WHEN THE GUY MASTURBAT ONTO BILLY, AND BILLY GO, “THANK YOU.” I MEAN, ’S SO FUNNY.ONE OF THE THGS THAT REALLY WORKS IS THAT THE MOVIE FOLLOWS A ROM- FORMULA THAT WE LOVE AND ARE FAIAR WH. BUT, BY THE NATURE OF THIS SAME-SEX UPLE, ALSO ALS WH IAS ABOUT MMENT, RELATNSHIPS, AND MONOGAMY AFAR LS NVENTNAL WAYS THAN A TYPIL HETEROSEXUAL ROM-. HOW DID THOSE TWO THGS WORK TOGETHER?AT THE BEGNG OF THE PROCS, I TOLD BILLY THE THREE THGS THE MOVIE NEEDS TO BE: IT HAS TO BE HONT, HAS TO BE FUNNY, AND HAS TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDG. BUT WE ALSO DID NOT WANT THIS TO BE A STRAIGHT ROMANTIC EDY, BUT ’S TWO GUYS. THAT WOULDN’T WORK EHER. SO DO WE HAVE AN OPEN RELATNSHIP? THOSE BAT ARE EVEN THE MOVIE. … WE DID A CUT OF THE MOVIE WHERE WE LIFTED ALL OF THAT. WE LIFTED THE FOURSOME. THE WHOLE MOVIE SUDNLY FELT LIKE A STRAIGHT ROMANTIC EDY. IT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL. NILE RIVELLI/UNIVERSAL PICTUR THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH TALK ABOUT HOW HISTORIC THIS MOVIE IS AND HOW IMPORTANT WOULD BE FOR TO BE A H AT THE BOX OFFICE. WHAT ARE YOUR HOP FOR THE MOVIE?OBVLY, I HAVE PERSONAL TERT , BUT I’M GOG TO PUT THAT ASI FOR A SEND JT AS A EDY FAN. I HOPE THIS WORKS MERCIALLY SO OPENS THE DOORS TO A LOT MORE OF THE STORI. BEE AS A EDY FAN, EACH ONE OF THE PEOPLE THE MOVIE SERV THEIR OWN MOVIE OR SERV THEIR OWN TV SHOW. THEY’RE SO FUNNY. REMEMBER, EDY DIRECTORS WERE ONCE EDY NERDS. I STILL AM. BUT I REMEMBER BEG A KID AND SEEG THE BIRDGE THEATERS. THE MOVIE ME OUT AND WAS A MASSIVE H. AND I WAS LIKE, WHO’S THIS NATHAN LANE GUY? I LOVE THIS GUY. I N’T WA TO SEE WHAT HE’S GOG TO DO NEXT. HE’S JT THE FUNNIT GUY. AND THEN HE DID NOTHG, BEE OF THE WAY THE DTRY WAS AT THE TIME. THAT SUCKS, YOU KNOW? HE SHOULD HAVE HAD 10 MORE OF THOSE MOVI.THAT’S SO TE.I FEEL THE SAME WAY WH [BROS]. SOMEONE LIKE EVE LDLEY, WHO’S HYSTERIL THIS—SHE SERV HER OWN THG. SO AS A EDY FAN, I JT WANT THIS TO WORK. BEE THE MORE H STORI, THE BETTER. THEY’RE ALWAYS FUNNY. YOU KNOW, FGERS CROSSED. WHO KNOWS. EVERYTHG IS SO WEIRD RIGHT NOW THEATRILLY. BUT THE MOVIE DO WHAT ’S SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN WE SCREEN . PEOPLE LGH OM START TO FISH. PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED THAT THEY FELT THGS. THAT’S ALL YOU HOPE FOR. KEV FALLON

Ahead of the new “Scream, ” out Friday, openly gay screenwrer of the first “Scream, ” Kev Williamson, has nfirmed that Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu (Matthew Lillard), who are thought to be queer by many LGBTQ+ fan theorists, were based on famo mass murrers Nathan Frnthal Leopold Jr. And Richard Albert Loeb, both of whom reportedly admted they were gay and a relatnship.

BILLY EICHNER WANTED ‘BROS’ TO STAR ‘GAY RYAN REYNOLDS,’ EMBODY ‘TOM HANKS AND MEG RYAN’ ROM-COM

“It’s very sort of homoerotic, the sense that there were the two guys that killed this other person jt to see if they uld get away wh , ” Williamson said, drawg parallels between the Leopold and Loeb se and Billy and Stu. In one scene, Ray (Shawn Wayans), based on Stu, and Bobby (Jon Abrahams), based on Billy, joke about beg gay, divulgg to a Sidney-like character lled Cdy (Anna Faris) that, “That’s right, Cdy, I’m gay. Williamson adms that when he wrote the origal “Scream, ” which was released 1996, he was “very hant to prent the gay si of me my work, ” rultg the queerns of characters Billy and Stu beg “a ltle d and maybe accintal.

BILLY GAY

Maybe I wouldn’t be that shy ltle gay wrer who felt like he uldn’t get away wh . Recently, an terview wh The Inpennt, Williamson nfsed that the “Scream” movi are “d gay survival, ” wh Sidney beg, sentially, a maniftatn of his stggl as a gay person.

‘GAY MEN MAKE UP OUR OWN RUL’: INSI THE MAKG OF ‘BROS’

“And so I thk that’s one of the reasons Fal Girls are so important to as a gay dience.

” Before he wrote Sidney, he related to Jamie Lee Curtis’ Lrie Stro “Halloween” bee, beg gay, “he unrstands the “plight of the Fal Girl. “I thk gay kids everywhere unrstand that survival element that we have to sort of create ourselv. And when we’re watchg that Fal Girl have to prove herself and rise to the challenge and save her life, I thk that’s somethg gay kids anywhere n relate to.