Matt Damon speaks extensively about his upcoming role as Scott Thorson, Liberace's lover (Liberace played by Michael Douglas). in the upcoming HBO film Behind the Candelabra in a fascinating Playboy interview. He apparently did lots of nudity and lots of kisses (Douglas gets an A+).
Speaking about how he views the relationship between Thorson and Liberace, he says:
"These two men were deeply in love and in a real relationship—a marriage—long before there was gay marriage. That’s not an insignificant thing. The script is beautiful and relatable. Their conversations when they’re dressing or undressing or having a spat or getting ready for bed? That’s every marriage. It feels like you’re witnessing something really intimate you would normally see with a man and a woman, but instead it’s two men, which was thrilling. There’s stuff I think will make people uncomfortable. Great. It’s HBO—they can change the channel."
As for gay rumors that have popped up regarding his tight friendship with Ben Affleck, Damon says:
"I never denied those rumors because I was offended and didn’t want to offend my friends who were gay—as if being gay were some kind of fucking disease. It put me in a weird position in that sense. The whole thing was just gross. But look, there have been great signs of progress—the fact that Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres can come out so beautifully and powerfully, and it’s a big fucking deal that it turns out nobody gives a shit. If Liberace were alive today, everybody would love his music and nobody would care what he did in his private life. Like with Elton John."
It's a great interview, packed with little nuggets of info like the fact that Damon once discussed doing Brokeback Mountain with Joaquin Phoenix.
"Lee" with the original Scott Thorson
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