Brendan Fraser Opens Up About His Gay, Osr-Wng 'The Whale' Performance

Contents:

• A GROUNDBREAKG QUEER OSR WNER AND ITS VERY, VERY COMPLITED LEGACYIN 1986 WILLIAM HURT BEME THE FIRST ACTOR TO W AN OSR FOR PLAYG AN OPENLY QUEER CHARACTER. DID HE START ONE OF THE OSRS’ WORST TRENDS? BY KATEY RICHJUNE 8, 2023FROM ISLAND ALIVE PICTUR / EVERETT COLLECTNSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIT’S HARD TO TELL IF WILLIAM HURT FELT THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY WHEN HE TOOK THE OSR STAGE. AT THE BEGNG OF A STRG OF HS THAT WOULD MAKE HIM ONE OF THE FIVE STARS OF THE ’80S, HE WON THE BT-ACTOR OSR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE  KISS OF THE SPIR WOMAN, AN UNLIKELY DIE H. IT MA HIM THE FIRST ACTOR TO W AN OSR FOR PLAYG AN OPENLY QUEER CHARACTER, TABLISHG A TEMPLATE THAT HAS NOW BEE SOMETHG OF A CLICHé: STRAIGHT ACTOR PLAYS GAY, WS OSR. A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWBUT 1986—THE SAME YEAR THAT RONALD REAGAN DARED TO SAY AIDS FOR THE FIRST TIME—KISS OF THE SPIR WOMAN WAS A UNIQUE PHENOMENON, AND HURT’S PERFORMANCE A E FOR GENUE CELEBRATN. “A [GAY] AND A MIE A JAIL CELL, WHAT A MARKETG NIGHTMARE” IS HOW PRODUCER DAVID WEISMAN FACETLY SCRIBED THE FILM’S PREMISE, ADAPTED OM ARGENTEAN THOR MANUEL PUIG’S NOVEL BY UP-AND-G BRAZILIAN DIRECTOR HéCTOR BABEN. WEISMAN TOLD INDIEWIRE 2010, AHEAD OF THE FILM’S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATN AT THE CANN FILM FTIVAL, THAT “ WAS A PROJECT SIGNED TO EVERYONE’S REER.” WEISMAN AND BABEN SPENT YEARS GETTG THE FILM OFF THE GROUND, CLUDG A LONG PERD OF VELOPMENT WH ’50S AND ’60S IN BURT LANSTER. EVENTUALLY THEY WENT TO PRODUCTN WH HURT AS MOLA, A GAY MAN IMPRISONED ALONGSI LEFTIST REVOLUTNARY VALENTíN, PLAYED BY RL JULIA. THE FILM IS LARGELY A SERI OF NVERSATNS BETWEEN THE TWO, TERSPERSED WH CLIPS OM A FICTNAL NAZI PROPAGANDA MOVIE, WHICH MOLA RETELLS TO VALENTíN AS A WAY TO PASS THE TIME AND PE SOMEWHERE ELSE. AS JA MASL WROTE HER RAVE REVIEW, “WHAT STARTS OUT AS A MPY, FACET TALOGUE OF HOLLYWOOD TRIVIA BE AN EXTRAORDARILY MOVG FILM ABOUT MANHOOD, HEROISM AND LOVE.”THE DIE FILM WORLD WAS A PERD OF TRANSFORMATN THE MID-1980S, WH THE EXPLODG HOME VIO MARKET SPURRG MAND FOR ALMOST ANYTHG THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. SO UPSTART DISTRIBUTOR ISLAND ALIVE PICKED UP SPIR WOMAN AT CANN, WHERE HURT WON THE BT-ACTOR AWARD, AND RELEASED FOR AN EXCEPTNAL BOX OFFICE N THE SUMMER OF 1985, EVENTUALLY GROSSG $17 LN. (FOR NTEXT, THAT’S HOW MUCH THE WHALE AND THE FABELMANS HAVE MA DOMTILLY, WHOUT ADJTG FOR FLATN.) YEARS BEFORE MIRAMAX WOULD PERMANENTLY OPEN THE DOOR FOR DIE FILMS AT THE OSRS, SPIR WOMAN WAS THE UPSTART THE 1986 RACE, NOMATED FOR BT PICTURE ALONGSI MASSIVE STUD EFFORTS LIKE OUT OF AI AND THE COLOR PURPLE. HURT’S SPEECH, WHICH REX REED SNIPED WAS “MERCIFULLY” SHORTER THAN SOME OF THE MORE LONG-WD TERVIEWS HE’D GIVEN THAT SEASON, BEGAN WH A SIMPLE SENTENCE: “I SHARE THIS WH RL.” JULIA, WHO, LIKE HURT, HAD GOTTEN HIS START NEW YORK THEATER, SHARED A BT-ACTOR AWARD WH HIS STAR OM THE NATNAL BOARD OF REVIEW AND A GOLN GLOBE NOMATN, BUT WAS LEFT OUT AT THE OSRS. BUT HIS PERFORMANCE MAY BE THE BIGGT REVELATN TO A MORN DIENCE. SIMMERG WH RAGE AND TRATN AS VALENTíN WATCH OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS LEFTIST MOVEMENT BROUGHT TO THE PRISON, JULIA REFULLY TRACKS VALENTíN’S GRADUAL SOFTENG, NOT JT WILLG TO PE TO MOLA’S STORYTELLG BUT FD FORT—AND MAYBE A SPARK OF ROMANCE— HIS CELLMATE’S PRENCE. AND FOR MORN VIEWERS BRACG FOR IMPACT WATCHG HURT—WHOSE REPUTATN FOR TENSY AND DAMAGG BEHAVR ONLY GREW MORE PRONOUNCED AFTER THIS—HIS PERFORMANCE MAY BE A SURPRISE AS WELL. MOLA IS A FLAMBOYANT CHARACTER, SPIRED BY THE ’40S SCREEN SIRENS WHOSE PHOTOS ARE PASTED ON HIS WALL, A MAN WHO SOMEHOW HAS A LLECTN OF SILK ROB SI A PRISON. YOU MIGHT FD, AS SOME OF THE HOSTS ON THIS WEEK’S LTLE GOLD MEN DID, THAT HURT ERRS ON THE SI OF UNRPLAYG MOLA. BUT THERE’S A REASON THAT HIS PERFORMANCE SO PTIVATED DIENC AND OSR VOTERS; MOV PAST MOLA’S THEATRILY TO FD A MAN LOOKG FOR LOVE AND PURPOSE, AND RIGHT ON THE BRK OF FDG . IN AN ERA WH SO, SO LTLE QUEER REPRENTATN EVEN DIE FILMS, MOLA RONATED. AS WEISMAN TOLD INDIEWIRE OF HURT’S PERFORMANCE, “IF HE AND THE FILM HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF TO GAY DIENC, THEN WOULD HAVE CERTALY DIED.”MOST POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYON THIS WEEK’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST, CHRIS MURPHY JOS TO DISCS KISS OF THE SPIR WOMAN, WHICH MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FILM TO SHOW A GROUP A FIRE ISLAND RENTAL HOE—WHICH IS WHAT CHRIS ACTUALLY DID!—BUT HAS SURPRIS STORE NEARLY 40 YEARS SCE S RELEASE. THE SUPERSIZE EPISO ALSO CLUS A NVERSATN WH CHRIS, RICHARD LAWSON, AND GUTS ESTHER ZUCKERMAN AND JACKSON MCHENRY TAKG A LOOK AT THIS YEAR’S TONY NOMATNS, AND MAKG THEIR PREDICTNS ABOUT WHO WILL PREVAIL AT SUNDAY’S AWARDS. LISTEN TO VANY FAIR’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST NOW.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)KATEY RICH
• SAM SMH, THE ONLY OPENLY GAY OSR WNER? NOT REALLY
• THE GAYT OSRS EVER? WNERS, PRENTERS MARK AN LGBTQ MILTONE

A GROUNDBREAKG QUEER OSR WNER AND ITS VERY, VERY COMPLITED LEGACYIN 1986 WILLIAM HURT BEME THE FIRST ACTOR TO W AN OSR FOR PLAYG AN OPENLY QUEER CHARACTER. DID HE START ONE OF THE OSRS’ WORST TRENDS? BY KATEY RICHJUNE 8, 2023FROM ISLAND ALIVE PICTUR / EVERETT COLLECTNSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIT’S HARD TO TELL IF WILLIAM HURT FELT THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY WHEN HE TOOK THE OSR STAGE. AT THE BEGNG OF A STRG OF HS THAT WOULD MAKE HIM ONE OF THE FIVE STARS OF THE ’80S, HE WON THE BT-ACTOR OSR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE  KISS OF THE SPIR WOMAN, AN UNLIKELY DIE H. IT MA HIM THE FIRST ACTOR TO W AN OSR FOR PLAYG AN OPENLY QUEER CHARACTER, TABLISHG A TEMPLATE THAT HAS NOW BEE SOMETHG OF A CLICHé: STRAIGHT ACTOR PLAYS GAY, WS OSR. A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWBUT 1986—THE SAME YEAR THAT RONALD REAGAN DARED TO SAY AIDS FOR THE FIRST TIME—KISS OF THE SPIR WOMAN WAS A UNIQUE PHENOMENON, AND HURT’S PERFORMANCE A E FOR GENUE CELEBRATN. “A [GAY] AND A MIE A JAIL CELL, WHAT A MARKETG NIGHTMARE” IS HOW PRODUCER DAVID WEISMAN FACETLY SCRIBED THE FILM’S PREMISE, ADAPTED OM ARGENTEAN THOR MANUEL PUIG’S NOVEL BY UP-AND-G BRAZILIAN DIRECTOR HéCTOR BABEN. WEISMAN TOLD INDIEWIRE 2010, AHEAD OF THE FILM’S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATN AT THE CANN FILM FTIVAL, THAT “ WAS A PROJECT SIGNED TO EVERYONE’S REER.” WEISMAN AND BABEN SPENT YEARS GETTG THE FILM OFF THE GROUND, CLUDG A LONG PERD OF VELOPMENT WH ’50S AND ’60S IN BURT LANSTER. EVENTUALLY THEY WENT TO PRODUCTN WH HURT AS MOLA, A GAY MAN IMPRISONED ALONGSI LEFTIST REVOLUTNARY VALENTíN, PLAYED BY RL JULIA. THE FILM IS LARGELY A SERI OF NVERSATNS BETWEEN THE TWO, TERSPERSED WH CLIPS OM A FICTNAL NAZI PROPAGANDA MOVIE, WHICH MOLA RETELLS TO VALENTíN AS A WAY TO PASS THE TIME AND PE SOMEWHERE ELSE. AS JA MASL WROTE HER RAVE REVIEW, “WHAT STARTS OUT AS A MPY, FACET TALOGUE OF HOLLYWOOD TRIVIA BE AN EXTRAORDARILY MOVG FILM ABOUT MANHOOD, HEROISM AND LOVE.”THE DIE FILM WORLD WAS A PERD OF TRANSFORMATN THE MID-1980S, WH THE EXPLODG HOME VIO MARKET SPURRG MAND FOR ALMOST ANYTHG THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. SO UPSTART DISTRIBUTOR ISLAND ALIVE PICKED UP SPIR WOMAN AT CANN, WHERE HURT WON THE BT-ACTOR AWARD, AND RELEASED FOR AN EXCEPTNAL BOX OFFICE N THE SUMMER OF 1985, EVENTUALLY GROSSG $17 LN. (FOR NTEXT, THAT’S HOW MUCH THE WHALE AND THE FABELMANS HAVE MA DOMTILLY, WHOUT ADJTG FOR FLATN.) YEARS BEFORE MIRAMAX WOULD PERMANENTLY OPEN THE DOOR FOR DIE FILMS AT THE OSRS, SPIR WOMAN WAS THE UPSTART THE 1986 RACE, NOMATED FOR BT PICTURE ALONGSI MASSIVE STUD EFFORTS LIKE OUT OF AI AND THE COLOR PURPLE. HURT’S SPEECH, WHICH REX REED SNIPED WAS “MERCIFULLY” SHORTER THAN SOME OF THE MORE LONG-WD TERVIEWS HE’D GIVEN THAT SEASON, BEGAN WH A SIMPLE SENTENCE: “I SHARE THIS WH RL.” JULIA, WHO, LIKE HURT, HAD GOTTEN HIS START NEW YORK THEATER, SHARED A BT-ACTOR AWARD WH HIS STAR OM THE NATNAL BOARD OF REVIEW AND A GOLN GLOBE NOMATN, BUT WAS LEFT OUT AT THE OSRS. BUT HIS PERFORMANCE MAY BE THE BIGGT REVELATN TO A MORN DIENCE. SIMMERG WH RAGE AND TRATN AS VALENTíN WATCH OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS LEFTIST MOVEMENT BROUGHT TO THE PRISON, JULIA REFULLY TRACKS VALENTíN’S GRADUAL SOFTENG, NOT JT WILLG TO PE TO MOLA’S STORYTELLG BUT FD FORT—AND MAYBE A SPARK OF ROMANCE— HIS CELLMATE’S PRENCE. AND FOR MORN VIEWERS BRACG FOR IMPACT WATCHG HURT—WHOSE REPUTATN FOR TENSY AND DAMAGG BEHAVR ONLY GREW MORE PRONOUNCED AFTER THIS—HIS PERFORMANCE MAY BE A SURPRISE AS WELL. MOLA IS A FLAMBOYANT CHARACTER, SPIRED BY THE ’40S SCREEN SIRENS WHOSE PHOTOS ARE PASTED ON HIS WALL, A MAN WHO SOMEHOW HAS A LLECTN OF SILK ROB SI A PRISON. YOU MIGHT FD, AS SOME OF THE HOSTS ON THIS WEEK’S LTLE GOLD MEN DID, THAT HURT ERRS ON THE SI OF UNRPLAYG MOLA. BUT THERE’S A REASON THAT HIS PERFORMANCE SO PTIVATED DIENC AND OSR VOTERS; MOV PAST MOLA’S THEATRILY TO FD A MAN LOOKG FOR LOVE AND PURPOSE, AND RIGHT ON THE BRK OF FDG . IN AN ERA WH SO, SO LTLE QUEER REPRENTATN EVEN DIE FILMS, MOLA RONATED. AS WEISMAN TOLD INDIEWIRE OF HURT’S PERFORMANCE, “IF HE AND THE FILM HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF TO GAY DIENC, THEN WOULD HAVE CERTALY DIED.”MOST POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYON THIS WEEK’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST, CHRIS MURPHY JOS TO DISCS KISS OF THE SPIR WOMAN, WHICH MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FILM TO SHOW A GROUP A FIRE ISLAND RENTAL HOE—WHICH IS WHAT CHRIS ACTUALLY DID!—BUT HAS SURPRIS STORE NEARLY 40 YEARS SCE S RELEASE. THE SUPERSIZE EPISO ALSO CLUS A NVERSATN WH CHRIS, RICHARD LAWSON, AND GUTS ESTHER ZUCKERMAN AND JACKSON MCHENRY TAKG A LOOK AT THIS YEAR’S TONY NOMATNS, AND MAKG THEIR PREDICTNS ABOUT WHO WILL PREVAIL AT SUNDAY’S AWARDS. LISTEN TO VANY FAIR’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST NOW.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)KATEY RICH

Wanda Syk promised – and therefore me, specifilly – a gay Osrs show. And we certaly got a wele gay-as-n-be moment on the Osrs DeBose pped a stunng awards season by wng the bt supportg actrs award for her role as Ana "Wt Si Story" – beg the first openly queer Ao-Lata to w an actg Osr. And for you people  Florida, we're gog to have a gay night, " Syk, who is a lbian, said at the top of the Osrs show, directly mockg Florida's legislatn.

SAM SMH, THE ONLY OPENLY GAY OSR WNER? NOT REALLY

Syk' -hosts Amy Schumer and Rega Hall echoed her, sayg "gay, gay, gay. "While sayg "gay" solidary is certaly wele, wouldn't have been enough to ll this night any kd of gay succs if a queer person didn't w.

THE GAYT OSRS EVER? WNERS, PRENTERS MARK AN LGBTQ MILTONE

But Ian McKellen is still the only out gay male actor ever nomated for an Hudson was nomated for bt actor 1957, but remaed closeted until he died 1985 of AIDS; two-time Osr wner Kev Spacey announced he was livg as a gay man only after he was acced of sexually harassg a teenage boy; and Jodie Foster is still the only bt actrs wner to e out (and years after her w, at that).

I uldn't help but feel the grand, gay gravy of the moment. Gay person to gay person.

Brg on the mic:Beyoncé serv an ace Osrs performance wh assist om Serena and Ven WilliamsIn se you missed:Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill sparked natnal backlash. In the end, the famo gay in and Tim Rice won for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Smh, who intifi as gay and non-bary, wrote a song lled "Wrg's on the Wall" for the 2015 Jam Bond movie, "Spectre, " wh fellow songwrer Jimmy Nap.