Le Macfarlane Talks ‘Bros’, Character’s Masculy and Gay Inty – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• COMMENTARY: THE REAL LSON OF ‘BROS’: IT’S OK TO LET GAY ART BOMB
• ‘BROS’ STAR LE MACFARLANE TALKS MASCULY AND GAY INTY
• BROS REVIEW – RIBALD AND RTO GAY ROM

COMMENTARY: THE REAL LSON OF ‘BROS’: IT’S OK TO LET GAY ART BOMB

Billy Eichner, Le Macfarlane, and Bros director Nicholas Stoller exclively tell EW how they vised their groundbreakg gay sex scene Universal's romantic edy, and volved a lot of improvisatn, lghs, but also reful nsiratn of how to prent a tenr, extremely specific, and kk-iendly moment to the mass. 'Renée Zellweger 'loved the joke' of Billy Eichner namg a fake gay app after her  BrosBilly Eichner got emotnal filmg Bros gay rom- scen 'the way Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan' didBilly Eichner 'actively pursued' Symone for her Bros role after seeg her talents on RuPl's Drag RaceBilly Eichner's LGBTQ+ st shatters rom- history  Bros trailer: 'Love is love… that is bulls---!

' Bros Bros Billy Eichner leads a predomantly LGBTQ st Universal's groundbreakg gay rom- about two men fdg love unexpected plac.

Bros may not technilly be Hollywood's first gay love story — films like Makg Love, Jefey and Fire Island all prece — but 's fely Hollywood's rnchit gay love story.

‘BROS’ STAR LE MACFARLANE TALKS MASCULY AND GAY INTY

Capturg that aspect of ntemporary LGBTQ life is somethg that was important for the film's out gay stars, and sets Bros apart om the typil Apatow/Stoller jot, where the central uple tends to be monogamo. (Photo: ©Universal/Courty Everett Collectn)Those scen were also an tn for Stoller, who ps to beg a straight director helmg a gay rom-.

The film is already gettg review bombed on IMDB by homophobic viewers, many of whom haven't even seen the movie, leadg Eichner to rpond on social how he feels about the possibily that ter trolls might claim that he's "rptg" Ameri's youth, Eichner says that ship has long sce sailed. (Photo: ©Universal/Courty Everett Collectn)Even as Bros reprents a breakthrough for gay storytellg at the major stud level, Eichner regniz that the muny he's a part of is far more diverse than the whe uple at the heart of the film. Jon and Ldley both cred Glee wh beg one of the first mastream entertaments to expose dienc to the different lors that make up the famo gay pri rabow flag.

"This is the first time we get to explore a gay love story pth, but won't stop there. (Photo: Foc Films/Everett Collectn)Speakg of love stori, Bros n't rist lobbg gags the directn of one of Hollywood's most famo gay romanc: Brokeback Mounta, Ang Lee's Osr-wng 2005 drama starrg straight actors, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, as doomed lovers. "That said, Brokeback Mounta is also the poster child for the kd of tragic gay romance — one ma by a largely straight st and crew — that Hollywood has too often favored tellg at the expense of other stori.

BROS REVIEW – RIBALD AND RTO GAY ROM

I didn’t want to dimish “the first major stud movie wrten by and starrg a gay man” or spoil s Rotten Tomato sre or dance on the grave of s box-office prospects. I certaly didn’t want to attack the star of “Billy on the Street” and “Difficult People, ” two of the most succsful screen adaptatns of the gay sensibily recent memory.

”Do that make too the “homophobic weirdos” of Eichner’s nfoundg post-bomb tweet spiral or simply the silent Benedict Arnolds of his self-proclaimed march to the history books? It is emently ldable that Eichner has ma a sexually ank stud edy featurg two gay men, and that he sisted, as wgman/-star/-producer Guy Branum not, on an all-LGBTQ st. Its laceratg send-ups of token reprentatn Hallmark Christmas movi; the “hnted hoe of gay trma” that pop culture pass off as queer history; even Eichner’s own public persona are all a potent, knowg nod to the ongog challeng of tellg LGBTQ stori — of livg LGBTQ liv — whout simply repurposg a tired, old, straight the culmatg ame of s fal act, that is, when the image of two nventnally attractive gay men kissg is posned, lerally, as the ldatory bookend to “5, 000 years of gay love stori erased om the history books.

And yet, spe the affi Eichner and I share on paper — no, bee of the affi we share on paper — I reil at “Bros’” squanred privilege, bristle at s star’s attempt to hi s shortgs behd the veil of homophobia.