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Interesting article about celebrity gay gossip. Discusses Jake Gyllenhaal.
silkncense:
Love the story Barb & Ralph Fiennes (won a bet @ work that his name is pronounced Rafe Fines) was also a love of my life - kinda got pushed aside by Jake but these things happen. ;)
And it is definitely pathetic, Amanda. :-\
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: atz75 on August 05, 2006, 05:34:08 pm --- My guess though, is that in reality he's long, long over any issue of being uncomfortable with it.
--- End quote ---
I agree. In fact, I bet he was pretty much over it by the time the press junkets even started. He and Heath probably had no idea they'd have to answer the question 16 million times, but they undoubtedly did anticipate some curiosity about that. And I think at that point the movie came out they were ready to deal with it. By Oscar time, though, the issue had gotten really, really old.
But I'll have to say, and I hope I don't sound homophobic or anything, but I don't think this is all a projection by the pathetic media. I think it's natural to see some curiosity about the fact that these guys crossed a line that our culture draws defining how straight men should behave (somewhat less so straight women). In a physical sense, kissing Heath should be far more pleasant (to say the least!!!) than standing in cold, piss-filled water. And let's also say that physically, it's the exact equivalent of Ian McKellen kissing poor Helen Mirren, or any two actors of any gender and orientation who don't happen to be attracted to each other. But psychologically -- for the media, the public and possibly even for Jake and Heath when they first set out to do the project -- I think those cultural mores inevitably make things more complicated.
No, it shouldn't be a big deal. Yes, the question sounds ridiculous when it's asked over and over in every interview. Yes, it would be nice if nobody ever thought twice about it, and if no taboo existed in the first place. But the fact is, it's something most people have never seen straight men do, especially with such convincing passion. So in that sense, I think it's good that Jake and Heath had an opportunity to answer the question, explain that it wasn't all that torturous, and maybe help people progress a step or two. I loved Heath's quote in Rolling Stone (paraphrasing): "It's not like I was kissing a donkey's ass. I was kissing a human being, with a soul." What a cool way to put it. And if the Rolling Stone writer hadn't asked the tired old question in the first place, let's face it, some readers would have just been left wondering, or worse.
Brown Eyes:
Well, the number of time the dumb questions come up in zillions of interviews probably has something to do with the popularity of the film. I think the magnitude of the movie's popularity in the mainstream world probably was a tiny bit unexpected... even by well-intentioned actors and others involved in making the movie.
I grant it that there would be curiosity about the kissing from the media. That seems fine... But, the tone of many (although certainly not all) of the questions seem to include that grain of meaning that leads to the idea that the interviewers are expecting their audience to be uncomfortable with the subject matter - or think it's way out of the realm of typical experience, etc. In making this assumption about the general audience, I think a lot of these interviews do foster or help create the idea that this subject matter should be seen as uncomfortable. It seems like a sad type of assumption to make about the audience in any case. And, it's almost like they're trying to push the actors to admit to a level of uncomfortable-ness (whether they really feel it or not). Or, in other words it's like some of the interviews seem to push the actors to re-affirm or explicitly articulate their own real-life sexuality in light of the "uncomfortable" content ot the movie.
:-\
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: atz75 on August 05, 2006, 08:01:45 pm --- the tone of many (although certainly not all) of the questions seem to include that grain of meaning that leads to the idea that the interviewers are expecting their audience to be uncomfortable with the subject matter - or think it's way out of the realm of typical experience, etc.
--- End quote ---
Well, I didn't see many of the interviews, period. I skimmed the ones with Heath in GQ and Rolling Stone (while standing in the store!), I saw the red-carpet interview with Jake ... that may be about it. So if there was an ugly tone to the others, admittedly I probably didn't get exposed to it.
But IMO, the media don't exist in a vaccuum. If anything, the average journalist is probably MORE progressive and liberal than the average member of his or her audience. It could be they're just asking what they think they're audience wants to know. Which is not to say they don't waaayyy too often cater to the lowest common denominator and exploit the worst aspects of celebrity culture.
But I don't think this attitude is something entirely media-manufactured. I think the fact is, many people in the audience actually DO assume that what Heath and Jake did is uncomfortable, or way out of the realm of typical experience. They shouldn't, obviously. But I think realistically, many people do. I just think that's where our culture is, at the moment.
Here's an example. When I first started talking to my 11-year-old son about how much I liked Brokeback, he immediately said, "Do those guys really kiss each other?!" in this kind of eeewwww tone. And I said yeah. And he said, "Are the actors straight?" Yeah. "Well, then how can they do that?!?" I said something nonchalant to the effect of, well, that's what actors do, it's not a big deal. That was about it, but I'm not sure it completely settled his mind (though to be honest, very few things I say settle his mind about anything).
The point is, he didn't get that attitude from me, and I don't even think he got it from my husband. He just absorbed it from the culture and his pre-teen dude friends. I would like to think that if the two actors were gay, he would not find it as shocking. But what surprised him was the fact that two straight actors were crossing that boundary (though to be honest he probably would not be as disturbed by the thought of Ian and Helen crossing it).
Of course, my son is only one person, and a kid at that. But he's a kid who, I like to think, comes from a fairly progressive background. So what does that say about most of America?
That's why, for me, asking the question over and over (assuming the tone isn't too leering and stupid, which sometimes it may well have been) is not entirely a bad thing. And for Heath and Jake to take the opportunity to answer it in a normal, calm, sensitive, helpful way -- as they appear, at least mostly, to have done -- could potentially do a lot of good. They're doing for the public what I tried to do for my son, but far more effectively. (Among my sons' favorite movies, BTW, are October Sky and Lords of Dogtown.)
ednbarby:
--- Quote from: silkncense on August 05, 2006, 07:13:05 pm ---Love the story Barb & Ralph Fiennes (won a bet @ work that his name is pronounced Rafe Fines) was also a love of my life - kinda got pushed aside by Jake but these things happen. ;)
--- End quote ---
Ah, my soul sister rides again. Yep, Rafe is pretty much getting his ass kicked by Jakey these days. But he's still a *very* close number two on my List. *AND* I've actually met him. So he does have that on him.
<--- has a thing for tall, elegant men with piercing eyes
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