In honor of the ten-year anniversary of the release of the inic gay Wtern, we spoke to B. Ruby Rich, the film scholar who ed the term 'new queer cema,' to discs the evolutn of gayns on the silver screen.
Contents:
- JAKE GYLLENHAAL SAID THERE WAS A 'STIGMA' ATTACHED TO PLAYG A GAY MAN 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA'
- 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' AT 15: JAKE GYLLENHAAL ON HOW FILMG GAY ROMANCE 'WAS UNFORTABLE AT TIM BUT WE KNEW THE BIGGER PICTURE'
- 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' USHERED A NEW ERA OF GAY CEMA
- NOT A GAY MOVIE
JAKE GYLLENHAAL SAID THERE WAS A 'STIGMA' ATTACHED TO PLAYG A GAY MAN 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA'
* guys in brokeback mountain gay *
In a new terview, Gyllenhaal said there was a "stigma" to playg the gay role. Gyllenhaal also spoke about straight actors playg gay rol.
However, Gyllenhaal, who was nomated for bt supportg actor at the 2006 Osrs, has recently spoken about the "stigma" that was attached to takg on and playg a gay role a film about two wboys who embark on a plex and emotnal relatnship across several an terview wh The Sunday Tim, Gyllenhaal was asked if people would have "a different reactn" to two straight men takg on the rol "Brokeback Mounta" today than they had back 2005. "Brokeback Mounta" was one of only a few stanc where straight actors had taken on mastream gay rol, and beme arguably the most succsful movie of s kd wh eight Osr nomatns and three ws, cludg bt director for Ang movie was a landmark event for queer cema and still has a cultural impact to this day and fluenc many LGBTQ+ filmmakers.
Many straight actors have actually been praised for their performanc as queer characters and have gone on to w several awards for dog recently, Ewan McGregor won an Emmy for playg gay fashn signer Roy Halston Netflix's "Halston. "McGregor, who is straight, spoke about takg on the role an terview wh The Hollywood Reporter: "If had been a story about Halston's sexualy more, then maybe 's right that gay actors should play that role.
'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' AT 15: JAKE GYLLENHAAL ON HOW FILMG GAY ROMANCE 'WAS UNFORTABLE AT TIM BUT WE KNEW THE BIGGER PICTURE'
Though was often far oversimplified as “the gay wboy movie, ” Brokeback Mounta nohels beme a worldwi phenomenon upon s release 15 years ago today. Its $178 ln box office hl proved dienc thirsted to see gay stori reprented on the big screen.
”Brokeback Mounta is currently streamg on more on Yahoo Entertament:'A Nightmare on Elm Street 2' at 35: Robert Englund addrs homoerotic subtext of 'the gayt horror movie ever ma'MVP of Horror: Jon Abrahams looks back at notor 'Sry Movie' sex scene, reveals extra-rnchy moment that was snipped'Mallrats' at 25: Kev Smh on trashg his own movie, why he passed on Ree Wherspoon and the extra-rnchy scene he was forced to cut. The dialogue around gay marriage tensified, rultg a historic Supreme Court cisn forcg all 50 stat to legally regnize same sex marriag. And Apple's Tim Cook beme the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 pany, provg that the tech giant is livg up to s "Thk Different" 2005, LGBT rights have equently been at the foreont of some larger nversatns about visibily, equaly, and jtice, often wh pop culture guidg the discsns.
The film is jt one of the mastream's new addns to the non of gay cema, jog the ranks of Milk, The Kids Are Alright, Blue Is The Warmt Color, and more as the next stage what film cric and profsor B. Look no further than Hayn's own work to see this schism: In 1991, his NC-17 film Poison helped lnch the genre, while this year's Carol is a ser ndidate for a Bt Picture spoke to Rich on where gay cema has veloped the ten years sce Brokeback and where 's head now, and jt why we fd ourselv so fascated wh the gay past while livg such a gay The last ten years have been pretty radil for the gay movement, at least terms of how quickly everythg seemed to happen.
'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' USHERED A NEW ERA OF GAY CEMA
It was obvly extremely powerful among gay men, but was also unimagably transformative for people ral areas outsi of major metropolis. Ruby Rich, film cric and scholarYou're noted for g the term "new queer cema, " referrg to the era of pennt films released the 1990s that really began to al wh gay issu. Is there a fable arc gay cema that you n trace, that's eher been retroactively formed by scholars or purposefully rmed by the filmmakers?
But I thk what changed was the emergence of this very sober gay documentary movement. I remember people talkg about as this important moment, and leads directly to The Life and Tim of Harvey Milk, which is the first real classic gay film that morn era.
For one thg, followg Mildred Pierce, really nfirms Todd Hayn as the director of 'women's pictur, ' which is what gay men ed to be Hollywood years back. We always talk about gay history terms of gas. I agree wh that, and I feel like I saw that Carol most apparently, bee was one of the first gay films where vlence don't feel like 's teemg jt below the surface.
NOT A GAY MOVIE
Whether is Taron Egerton "Rocketman, " or Jam Corn "The Prom, " is not unmon to see big name straight actors take on gay rol today's world.
They most often do so whout much hoopla, and some of them — like Bradley Cooper, Col Firth, and Ewan McGregor — even have multiple gay rol unr their belt. Though not everyone is on the same page about whether straight men should take on bisexual or gay rol onscreen, is clear that the stigma has lsened wh time.
Not too long ago, was nsired credibly taboo for an actor to portray a gay man onscreen. Harry Haml, for stance, has said that playg a gay man 1982's "Makg Love" effectively halted his movie reer.