Despite a call for more diversity in film, a new study finds little is changing in Hollywood for women, minorities and LGBT people.
This week, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism released a study that assessed actors, directors and writers in mainstream films from 2007 through 2015.
The study showed LGBT characters make up less than 1% of speaking parts or 32 out of 35,205 characters.
In 2014 there were no transgender characters, but the number increased to one in 2015.
LGBT character representation increased in 2015, but only two characters were depicted as parents.
The study also found that there was a ratio of 2.2 men with speaking roles for every woman making females 31% of speaking characters in 2015.
The numbers were estimated to be about the same back in 2007.
The number of black, Latino and Asian characters also did not significantly increase from 2007 to 2015, with 12% African American, 5% Latino and 4% Asian characters found.
Professor Stacy Smith, the study’s author, said
We’re seeing entrenched inequality. Whether we’re studying gender, race, ethnicity, LGBT or characters with disabilities, we’re really seeing exclusionary forces leaving out anybody that’s not a straight, white, able-bodied man. Despite all the chatter and all the activism and all the press attention, it’s another year where the status quo has been maintained.”
Ellen Page and Kate Mara have been cast Israeli filmmaker Tali Shalom Ezer new lesbian romance drama Mercy, which is set to start shooting the begin of September in Cincinnati.
Page is set to portray Lucy, the daughter of a man on death row, who falls in love with the title character played by Mara.
The two characters are on opposing sides of the political cause, which tests Lucy’s values.
Page first revealed the then-untitled project last year during a news conference at the Zurich Film Festival, where Freeheld was screening, saying,
I’m focusing mostly on stories that are meaningful to me and stories for women and supporting more gay characters.”
Page starred with Julianne Moore and produced Freeheld and came out during the 2014 production of the drama, which focuses on police officer Laurel Hester’s fight to allow her pension benefits to be transferred to her domestic partner after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Page can be seen in Netflix’s Tallulah and A24’s Into the Forest, which she produced and starred in opposite Evan Rachel Wood.
Ellen Page has signed to star in David Freyne’s psychological horror film by, The Third Wave.
Page, whose recent credits include Freeheld and Into The Forest, will co-star opposite rising Irish star Sam Keeley, who recently appeared in Burnt andIn The Heart Of The Sea.
Freyne will direct from his own screenplay set in the aftermath of a devastating virus that has gripped the continent for six years, transforming humans into zombie-like monsters.
A cure has been found but society is divided into those who were once infected, and committed terrible violent acts, and those who never contracted the virus.
On the new movie, Page said
The Third Wave brings an entire new perspective to the zombie genre, which I love. David Freyne truly shifts his lens on society’s role in the apocalyptic world. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to share his thoughtful approach to horror with audiences.”
The Third Wave, which marks Freyne’s feature debut, will begin filming in Ireland later this year.
According to the latest study from GLAAD, released this week, LGBT representation in film needs improvement as well.
Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
Hollywood’s films lag far behind any other form of media when it comes to portrayals of LGBT characters. Too often, the few LGBT characters that make it to the big screen are the target of a punchline or token characters. The film industry must embrace new and inclusive stories if it wants to remain competitive and relevant.”
GLAAD is the leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy organisation. Their fourth annual Studio Responsibility Index maps the quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT people in films released by the seven largest motion picture studios: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios, Sony Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures.
Below are eight highlights from the study:
Only 22 of the 126 major releases in 2015 included characters identified as LGBT
That’s only 17.5% – and in those 22 films, there were 47 LGBT characters, which is up from 28 last year.
When movies do have LGBT characters, they are usually gay men
Male characters outnumbered females by a ratio of more than three to one. Sadly, only 9% of movies included bisexual characters while only one film was trans-inclusive – Warner Brothers’ “Hot Pursuit.”
Everyone is white
In 2014, 32.1% of LGBT characters were people of colour. That number dropped to 25.5% in 2015. Of the LGBT characters counted in 2015, 34 (72.3%) were white, five were Latino (10.6%), four were black (8.5%) and three (6.4%) were Asian or Pacific Islander. One character was non-human, Fabian in Lionsgate’s “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos.”
Lack of screen time
Of the LGBT characters on screen, 73% had less than 10 minutes of screen time, their impact is additionally limited.
Of the seven studios, not even one is doing “good.”
Since the study’s inception, GLAAD has given each studio a rating of good, adequate or failing. None of them received a rating of “good” for their 2015 releases. Fox, Lionsgate, Sony and Universal all received ratings of “Adequate”, while Paramount, Disney and Warner Bros. all received a “Failing” grade.
The most inclusive major studio was Lionsgate, as eight of its 2015 releases were LGBT-inclusive.
Warner Bros. followed with five then Universal with four. Sony only had three and Fox two. Neither Disney nor Paramount included any LGBT content in their 2015 slates of 11 and 12 films, respectively.
That’s probably because LGBT depictions are getting worse.
Last year saw a resurgence of outright offensive images of LGBT people; more films relied on gay panic and defamatory stereotypes for giggles.
Though humour can be a powerful tool to challenge the norm, when crafted problematically, it has the opposite effect.
Only eight of the 22 LGBT-inclusive films passed the Vito Russo Test.
The Vito Russo Test is GLAAD’s set of criteria analysing how LGBT characters are represented in fictional work named after GLAAD co-founder and film historian Vito Russo.
Inspired by the Bechdel Test, these criteria represent a standard GLAAD would like to see a greater number of mainstream Hollywood films reach in the future.
In order to pass the Vito Russo Test, a film must include having an identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender character that is not solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity and is tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect.
Only eight of the 22 major studio films that featured an LGBT character passed the test in 2015, the lowest percentage in this study’s history.
One positive, major studios have more progressive imprints
Last year, GLAAD began examining the film releases of four smaller, affiliated studios to draw a comparison between content released by the mainstream studios and their perceived “art house” divisions. Those smaller studios are Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Roadside Attractions and Sony Pictures Classics.
Of the 46 films released under those studio imprints, 10, or 22%, were LGBT-inclusive. That’s a notably higher percentage than the parent studio counterparts and an increase from 2014’s 10.6% (five of 47) of films from the same divisions. Some of the films from these smaller studios include “The Danish Girl,” “Grandma” and “Stonewall.”
Although we’ve seen many male-led movies such as The Martian, The Revenant and The Big Short garner a lot of attention, many critics say the past year was good for fans of films with female characters too.
They point to films like Carol, Room and Mad Max: Fury Road as prime examples of films where the women were the stars of the show, and of media where leading ladies kicked ass first, taking names later in their own way.
Some critics argue that it hasn’t just been a great year for female characters, numbers wise, but in how they were presented as well.
The characters in these films, including Inside Out and Grandma, don’t necessarily fit into the typical ‘strong female character’ mould either, as they’re flawed and messy and imperfect in the same way that actual, real-life women are.
But does that mean that we’re in a new era of movie-making, where women get to take the lead in more pictures, and are written in ways that won’t make us want to throw the nearest piece of pottery?
Not necessarily.
We may have made some real strides in terms of both numbers and the actual depictions of these female characters, but the work is far from over.
For example, although we are quick to praise the diversity of movies like Grandma, Freeheld and Carol for starring lesbian characters, it‘s also important to consider that these three movies, like many of the others being praised for positive representation of women, star white women. (All three films were also massively snubbed at the Oscars, with misogyny being blamed).
Also important to note is how the 2016 Oscars featured no nominees of colour in any of its acting categories, sparking a revival of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.
While this is incredibly frustrating, it’s both an ugly symptom of the Academy’s massively lopsided voting pool and of Hollywood itself and it was massively disappointing to see films like Tangerine (a movie about two trans women of colour) get shut out.
It’s also worth noting that one film that has been praised for its black female ‘heroine’ character, Chi-Raq, has also been criticised for its own misogyny, as it involves ending gun violence via the means of women withholding sex.
Straight Outta Compton, another movie starring people of colour that many felt should have been nominated by the Academy, also overlooked the violent acts committed by Dr. Dre against women.
Whether we will see the trend of female-led films (hopefully with more diversity) continue into 2016 and beyond is unclear.
Since Ellen Page coming out at an event for the Human Rights Campaign(HRC) two years ago, she says she feels “like a different person.”
Explaining to HuffPost Live’s Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani, Page said she still unsure how coming out has affected her career, but she said her creative life is getting to “blossom” because she’s “actually getting to interact with it as the authentic person that I am.”
It really wasn’t until the moment that I did it and I was living even those days afterward where it was really like, ‘Wow’ like just thinking of the, maybe, the old things or the shame or all the feelings that at that point you might not even be necessarily as cognizant of, quite frankly.
And just the feeling of such a massive shift and then it makes me think of all the people who, particularly young people, who come out and don’t receive that support, [who] don’t get a standing ovation and an outpour of love… get kicked out of their homes or hurt and, you know, we need to change that. “
Page says, she felt the need to publicly address her sexuality – going so far as to say she was tired of “lying by omission” in her 2014 HRC speech – she said it’s not necessarily a blanket responsibility for every public figure.
Everyone is on their own journey or their own path and might even be navigating how they feel about their own identity.”
All I can say is I wish I’d made the decision sooner. It’s the best decision I’ve personally ever made, but everybody’s sort of on their own path, I suppose.”
Since coming out, Page has played a lesbian opposite Julianne Moore in Freeheld and co-hosted Gaycation, a 4-part docuseries that looks at what’s it like to be LGBT around the world.
Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore – who is currently world tour promoting lesbian movie Freeheld – has spoken out in support of the LGBT community in Italy, after being asked by a reporter whether it was right for same-sex couples to raise a child together.
Having a family is a matter of human rights. Everyone should have the right to have a family. People taking care of each other, that’s what it means to be a family.”
Italy is the last Western European country, which has no legal recognition for cohabiting same-sex couples.
In recent months, the Italian Senate has begun debating a bill to legalise same-sex civil unions last month.
And despite facing fierce opposition in the Catholic country, it is expected to pass.
Amid a debate around same-sex civil unions, a group a senators proposed prison sentences for gay couples who use overseas surrogates.
Anti-gay rights demonstrations, including one named a “Family Day”, have taken place across the country as well.
Did you notice that this year you actually got to see lesbian films outside of the LGBT film festival circuit? And that several of them got nominated for (and even won) awards? And they even had big names attached to them?
That’s right, 2015 was a really interesting (and important) year for LGBT movie-goers as more LGBT-themed films got accepted and publicised by the mainstream.
While that meant that we heard about some duds (such as Stonewall, which was rightfully ripped to shreds by critics), it also meant that some true cinematic diamonds got the spotlight they deserved.
Just about everyone has high praise for Carol and with its leading ladies having both picked up Golden Globes nominations for their brilliant performances in the movie, but it’s being tipped for Oscar nominations as well.
Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, is one of the most talked about films of the year. Not only does it star Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in a May-December relationship (that also has a class divide) but it’s also beautiful shot and the depiction of 1950s America is absolutely exquisite.
With the help of some friends, Moore and her domestic partner Stacie Andree fight to ensure that Laurel’s pension benefit get passed on to Stacie even after Laurel passes.
Prepare to shed some serious tears watching this one.
Grandma
Grandma is an unusual twist on the buddy movie genre. It stars out actress Lily Tomlin as the titular grandma, who, after the death of her long-time partner and having split up with her girlfriend after four months, has to help out her 18-year old granddaughter.
Her granddaughter is pregnant and needs money for an abortion, but, being broke and having had her credit card confiscated by her mother, the two women have to find the cash for the procedure, opening old relationship wounds and rehashing old arguments along the way.
Bessie
It’s a TV movie, but Bessie deserves its spot on this list. Out director Dee Rees’ film about blues singer Bessie Smith was nominated for a ton of Emmys and won several, including the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. Great acting, amazing music and big names like Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique made for a splendid film. Any worries that Bessie Smith’s bisexuality would be underplayed are squashed after watching this film. And she’s not the only queer lady in this biopic either.
Bare
Dianna Agron’s queer drama about a young woman living in Nevada, who becomes romantically involved with a female drifter, played by Paz de La Huerta. It’s a small town girl – bored with life – story.
The film, is written, produced and developed by Purple Milk aka Natalia Leite and out producer Alexandra Roxo, two independent filmmaker from Brooklyn. Together they have worked on documentaries, like the upcoming Serrano Shoots Cuba, and the web series Be Here Nowish (which you can watch on KitschMix.tv), which they wrote and also starred in.
Liz In September
Despite autumn being the best season of the year, this one doesn’t offer much to smile about as the titular ‘Liz’ is a lesbian who has terminal cancer. Things aren’t going much better for her love interest either as she has lost her son to cancer.
Romance! Criminal hijinks! A queer woman of colour triumphing over a racist buffoon! All About E has got it all, as it stars the titular ‘E’ and her gay best friend as they get into trouble after accidentally steal money from the club where E works.
A gay Mission Impossible this is not, but it is a great deal of fun and you’ll really enjoy seeing E and her ex-girlfriend rekindle their relationship.
7. Summertime
Blue Is The Warmest Colour take a seat; Summertime (La Belle Saison) is the best gay, French film on the block. Featuring farm girl Delphine as she leaves her parents place in the countryside to come to the city, the movie follows her as she meets a feminist named Carole who she promptly falls in love with.
The Girl King
There are (and this is a rough approximation) 1 billion and one films about heterosexual historical figures getting married, cheating and dabbling in royal politics. So why can’t queer characters get the same movie tropes? Lucky for us, The Girl King solves that problem, focusing on the (very real) Queen Christina of Sweden as she assumes the throne at a young age following her father’s death.
A true rebel, despite her title, Christina is pretty fond of peace (despite everyone around her wanting war), wearing men’s clothing and sword-fighting too, but you’ll mostly likely be interested in her romance with Countess Ebba Sparre who becomes one of her ladies in waiting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z65cdquVuMU
Skin Deep
Yes, this is another movie where a lesbian and straight girl become friends and there’s some sexual tension, but Skin Deep is a lot more than that. The film is about two women – with their own dysfunctions – meeting at what should be the worst time ever, yet somehow its not.
The Summer of Sangaile
Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, near her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love the only person who truly encourages her to fly.
Girlhood
Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys’ law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom.
Tig
This documentary explores comedian Tig Notaro’s extraordinary journey as her life unfolds in grand and unexpected ways, all while she is battling a life-threatening illness and falling in love.
The Same Difference
When you’re part of a marginalised group, ‘there’s a high chance of discrimination’ is almost inked in small print at the bottom of the sign-up sheet, as is the nature of the thing.
The Same Difference by first-time director Nneka Onuorah, sheds light on an issue we rarely see discussed in this medium: hypocrisy in the black lesbian and bisexual community. A code of behavior and appearance exists and it’s strong, but as the movie shows us, there are women living outside of these boxes and they often aren’t received well. The film also looks at the judgment bisexual women, pregnant aggressive, and stud-on-stud couples face.
So what films should we being looking out for in 2016?
About Ray
About Ray tells explores the questions of identity and family ties. With Malificient actress, Elle Fanning, playing a New York City teen Ray, who is transition from female to male. Naomi Watts will play Ray’s single mother, Maggie, who must come to terms with raising her only daughter as a son. Long-time LGBT ally, Susan Sarandon will play Maggie’s mother Dolly – a music manager who lives with her lesbian partner and has a hard time understanding her grandchild’s decision.
The release date for About Ray has been pushed around, but it finally looks like Dec. 31 will be the day. Give me a break–most of you will be watching Susan Sarandon play gay in 2016.
First Girl I Loved
In short, First Girl I Loved is about a 17-year-old who falls in love with the most popular girl at school. The backstory about the lives of three young girls from Phillip Island and follows their trip to Hawaii — the first step on their journey to making a break as professional surfers.
Discover the trials and tribulations of training, competitions and injury whilst gaining an insight into life on the tour through the eyes of three girls. With magic footage and stellar photography, First Love will surprise, entertain and inspire a generation of female surfers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uCE6Guf-Ko
Almost Adults
Almost Adults, starring Carmilla favourites Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis, is also set to come our way in 2016. The film is about a platonic love story between two life long best friends struggling to keep their friendship together as their lives head in different directions.
Also, look out for out actress Kate McKinnon in Ghostbusters, and hearing Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Dory.
Once upon a time, the discussion surrounding LGBT representation in the media was a numbers game and all we wanted to know was how many LGBT identified characters were depicted on the big and small screens.
But now, as more and more networks and studios have begun to feature LGBT stories in their works, the question is all about how those LGBT character were represented, rather than how many we could count.
With this said, Hollywood movies did well on both fronts in 2015. LGBT characters weren’t just main characters in a fair handful of movies but there was nothing particularly eye-rolling or offensive about any of them either (we’ve come a long way from 2010’s The Kids Are All Right and 2013’s Blue Is The Warmest Colour).
Admittedly this is a small handful of films out of the hundreds released this year (we’ll have to wait until next year for GLAAD’s full breakdown on LGBT characters in films from major studios) but as mentioned, it’s a long way away from a few years ago.
TV also made some strides particularly in terms of queer women of colour and establishing queerness with younger audiences. On Orange is the New Black, Poussey and Soso seemed to be on the verge of a romance, as did Suzanne and Maureen.
Meanwhile, How To Get Away With Murder’s lead character, Annalise Keating, rekindled her romance with her college girlfriend, and notable mentions go to Person Of Interest‘s Sameen Shaw who kissed Samantha “Root” Groves after episodes upon episodes of subtext and two of FOX’s new shows Grandfathered and Rosewood both featured black lesbians.
Also on SU there are Pearl’s (seemingly non-platonic feelings) for Rose, Amethyst and Peridot’s crushes on each other and the fact that Steven and his best friend Connie joined together (fused) to become ‘Stevonnie’, a character of colour who uses ‘they’ pronouns.
And not to forget The Legend of Korra, with the show ending with two bi women of colour (one of whom being the show’s main character) holding hands, signifying their canon relationship.
That said, overall, TV was a mixed bag (though this is perhaps due to TV having LGBT women leading to a higher probability of TV writers mucking it up).
Although Faking It‘s writing team have said that Amy is a lesbian, they still decided to use Amy’s portrayed bisexuality as a chance for her girlfriend to be biphobic. And less offensive but still unsettling is the fact that of the characters on shows being portrayed as bisexual (such as Annalise Keating, Sarah Pfefferman on Transparent) you’d be unlikely to hear them actually say the word ‘bisexual’ .
And while there’s a case to be made about TV showing that labels don’t matter,there are too many examples of this happening to suggest that that is always the case.
Moreover, Empire completely got it wrong as not only did lesbian billionaire Mimi Whiteman (Marisa Tomei) kiss Lucious Lyon (after showrunner and The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken hyped up the character’s arrival and her sexuality, no less) but it didn’t do (butch lesbian character) Freda Gatz justice either, seeing her get beaten in a rap battle just to further another character’s manpain.
Also showing how TV got it wrong was Pretty Little Liars which, in addition to being a total story-writing trainwreck during season five, it was incredibly transphobic as well as the show’s main characters managed to misgender a newly out trans women and use her dead-name too.
So, if we had to rate the year in LGBT media (with LGBT female characters at least), then 2015 would get a solid 7: it’s pushing the boundaries and getting better, but clearly work needs to be done.
2015 was a really interesting (and important) year for LGBT movie-goers as more LGBT-themed films got accepted and publicised by the mainstream.
While that meant that we heard about some duds (such as Stonewall, which was rightfully ripped to shreds by critics), it also meant that some true cinematic diamonds got the spotlight they deserved.
So, to help you to sort the wheat from the chaff, here’s our list of the top 10 LGBT films released in 2015.
1. Carol
Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, is one of the most talked about films of the year. Not only does it star Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in a May-December relationship (that also has a class divide) but it’s also beautiful shot and the depiction of 1950s America is absolutely exquisite.
Just about everyone has high praise for Carol and with its leading ladies having both picked up Golden Globes nominations for their brilliant performances in the movie, but it’s being tipped for Oscar nominations as well.
Long story short: if you can only see one film on this list, see Carol.
With the help of some friends, Moore and her domestic partner Stacie Andree fight to ensure that Laurel’s pension benefit get passed on to Stacie even after Laurel passes.
Prepare to shed some serious tears watching this one.
3. Grandma
Grandma is an unusual twist on the buddy movie genre. It stars out actress Lily Tomlin as the titular grandma, who, after the death of her long-time partner and having split up with her girlfriend after four months, has to help out her 18-year old granddaughter.
Her granddaughter is pregnant and needs money for an abortion, but, being broke and having had her credit card confiscated by her mother, the two women have to find the cash for the procedure, opening old relationship wounds and rehashing old arguments along the way.
4. Liz In September
Despite autumn being the best season of the year, this one doesn’t offer much to smile about as the titular ‘Liz’ is a lesbian who has terminal cancer. Things aren’t going much better for her love interest either as she has lost her son to cancer.
The film sheds light on the changing relationship between Lili and her wife Gerda.
The film also shows the love triangle between the two women and Lili’s childhood friend; though divisively it veers form the real-life turn of events and sees Lili and Gerda stay together.
6. All About E
Romance! Criminal hijinks! A queer woman of colour triumphing over a racist buffoon! All About E has got it all, as it stars the titular ‘E’ and her gay best friend as they get into trouble after accidentally steal money from the club where E works.
A gay Mission Impossible this is not, but it is a great deal of fun and you’ll really enjoy seeing E and her ex-girlfriend rekindle their relationship.
7. Summertime
Blue Is The Warmest Colour take a seat; Summertime (La Belle Saison) is the best gay, French film on the block. Featuring farm girl Delphine as she leaves her parents place in the countryside to come to the city, the movie follows her as she meets a feminist named Carole who she promptly falls in love with.
Plot twist, Carole has a boyfriend and though Carole soon ditches him, there’s more drama when Delphine’s dad falls ill and suddenly she’s being forced to choose between staying with her heteronormative family (who want her to marry a man) and ditch her girlfriend or leave her family behind for the love of her life.
8. Reel In the Closet
Stonewall, frankly, was a pile of rubbish and as mentioned, we don’t recommend that you watch it. At all. But, if you’re still looking for your LGBT history fix, Reel In The Closet is a brilliant alternative as not only does this documentary feature commentary from actual LGBT people who faced huge difficulties in the 20th century but it also features footage from the era too.
Admittedly, this one may make you well up as you learn exactly what struggles the older generation of LGBT folk had to face when they were younger, but it’s incredibly educational.
9. The Girl King
There are (and this is a rough approximation) 1 billion and one films about heterosexual historical figures getting married, cheating and dabbling in royal politics. So why can’t queer characters get the same movie tropes? Lucky for us, The Girl King solves that problem, focusing on the (very real) Queen Christina of Sweden as she assumes the throne at a young age following her father’s death.
A true rebel, despite her title, Christina is pretty fond of peace (despite everyone around her wanting war), wearing men’s clothing and sword-fighting too, but you’ll mostly likely be interested in her romance with Countess Ebba Sparre who becomes one of her ladies in waiting. It’s a bit over the top, and it’s not meant to be taken too seriously, but if you want to see a badass, queer queen, then give it a watch.
10. Tangerine
This list began with a critically acclaimed movie that’s been gathering up awards and so it will end with another; Tangerine, a comedy/drama about two trans women of colour who go about locating their pimp.
In addition to showing a great step forward in film-making (it was filmed entirely on an iPhone), Tangerine could also potentially result in Oscar nominations for its two leads, which would make them the first trans actresses nominated for an Academy Award. Watch this if you want to see ground-breaking movie making in action.
One of our favourite out ladies of 2015, Ellen Page is the cover of American Way magazine, and opens up about her film Freeheld and her decision to come out.
Ahe told the magazine
I was just done. It’s so toxic to just be hiding; it becomes so consuming without you even knowing it’s consuming you. You become so complacent in this reality you create. It’s like a bucket, and it’s filling up and filling up and filling up — and finally it just spills over. And I felt guilty for not being out for the LGBT community.”
Since grabbing headlines by announcing she was gay on Valentine’s Day 2014 – on the podium at the inaugural Time to Thrive gay rights conference – the 28-year-old Canadian actor-producer who hit the mainstream with her starring turn in 2007’s Juno (and has since joined the X-Men franchise as Kitty Pryde) has become a cult hero of sorts.
I wanted to do it and not make it seem about myself. And I wanted to align particularly with something LGBT-youth-oriented. For me, it was a great opportunity to be honest, to share certain elements of the pain that I went through. Hopefully, that can connect with someone else. The reality is, there are very few young people out as actors, so I was hoping to speak to a lot of the issues so it wouldn’t just seem like, ‘Hey, look, I’m gay.’ ”
Page’s next project will be playing the lead in Tallulah – a movie about a woman who passes off another’s child as her own.
Over the last few weeks Ellen Page has chosen to address her difficulty of coming out, and the condescension of referring to actors as “brave” for playing LGBTQ+ characters.
In a interview with Metro Weekly, she had the opportunity to elaborate on all of the above at length, and discuss her own privilege and highlighting the experiences of other marginalized people both in North America and elsewhere.
Heterosexual actors and actresses do not have to go to great lengths to hide their sexuality. Yes, of course, keep your private life private. Protect yourself. Have boundaries. When you’re a public person, you need to think about your safety. But if it’s in relation to sexuality, then no — that’s an unfair double standard. Heterosexual people walk down the red carpet with their partners all the time, they talk about their children …
Earlier in the interview, Page had cited taking her own longtime girlfriend to the red carpet as a moment of particular pride.
To experience being in love and get to live my life, hold my partner’s hand, bring her to the premiere of the film, go down the red carpet — it’s all these firsts in my life. I’m like, “This is the first time I’m in an out relationship in an airplane!” That might sound so insignificant to a lot of people, but probably not to a lot of people in the LGBT community because they would understand. I can’t tell you how special it is. It’s really extraordinary, and I feel really lucky.
She also admits that in her youth, she internalized the aspect of Hollywood culture that discourages actors from coming out. Matt Damon’s comments reflect a background undercurrent in this field, not a one-off opinion only held by him.
It’s just an idea that exists that you cannot be a gay actor, particularly a young, out gay actor. It’s this idea that, for some reason, I believed and listened to and participated in.
I felt guilty about not being a visible person for the LGBT community. And, quite frankly, personally, I feel like I should have felt guilty. I’m a very, very privileged person. Of course the right thing to do is to say I’m gay. For myself as a person and for the community, you know?
Page explained that she believed this sentiment comes from a “protective place” as opposed to a “negative” one — actors want to help their peers succeed within a bigoted system, and many may still believe that remaining closeted is the safest path to success. But it’s also a harmful path, and ultimately, Page says, it “makes our society homophobic, transphobic, biphobic.”
By coming out, Ellen Page has been automatically cast in a role for which she never auditioned: an “advocate” role. Recently, when she appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he asked her if she ever felt like this new role was a “burden.” Page responded,
No, I feel so grateful for it. I feel so grateful to feel how I feel now, compared to how I felt when I was a closeted person … And, as a person, I’m a very privileged person. I’m a very privileged gay person. Those who are affected the most in our community are the most vulnerable.
Although Page seems to have taken to her new advocacy position like a fish to water, that isn’t the case for many other closeted people, including people within Hollywood.
Not everyone wants to play this role, and it seems to be a given that once a public figure comes out, they become a representative, even if they don’t feel qualified to do so. And yet, the reason that happens is because so few public figures tend to come out, so undue scrutiny gets placed on the few that do.
Perhaps Page’s discussion of these tough topics could chart a path for other more marginalized people to follow in the future — but for the moment, this still isn’t a path that’s available to most.
It’s still much easier for someone like Ellen Page to cross this ocean than it is for others, and that could still be a source of resentment for some, no matter how many times she acknowledges it.
In February 2014, Ellen Page stood on a stage at a Human Rights Campaign event in Las Vegas and told the large crowd that she is gay.
I’m here today because I am gay. And because maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility…
It’s weird because here I am, an actress, representing — at least in some sense — an industry that places crushing standards on all of us. Not just young people, but everyone. Standards of beauty. Of a good life. Of success. Standards that, I hate to admit, have affected me.
You have ideas planted in your head, thoughts you never had before, that tell you how you have to act, how you have to dress and who you have to be. I have been trying to push back, to be authentic, to follow my heart, but it can be hard.”
Since then, the actress has become an outspoken LGBTI activist, attending pride events, and even recently confronted Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on his anti-gay views.
But for Page, who plays a lesbian in the new film Freeheld, it is still painful when she thinks of her former closeted self.
I’m embarrassed to say how closeted I was. I get sad thinking about it, honestly, because it was painful. And painful for people I was in relationships with. Just all-around destructive. Intolerance and closetedness is just a ripple effect of shit.’
Page, was still a teenager when she was thrust into the limelight with an Oscar-nominated performance in the 2007 film Juno.
After that, she made an effort to hide the women she was dating by, for example, leaving a hotel by a different entrance and ‘noooo public interaction.”
She remembers, with disgust, saying things like: ‘Go in the bathroom when room service comes’ or ‘This is my friend.’
She says now:
I feel bad about it. And I did start feeling really guilty about it. And I think that I should feel guilty about it.
Page came out shortly before filming of Freeheld, a film close to her heart which she is also producing.
It tells the true story of police detective Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) who finds out she has terminal lung cancer and seeks to leave her benefits to her partner Stacie Andree (Page).
The prospect of making the film helped Page come out publicly.
First of all, I didn’t want to be a closeted person anymore,’ she says. ‘But then also: “What, are you going to not be an out gay actor when you shoot a movie like that?” Of course not. And it is people like Stacie and Laurel that inspire you.”
She found making the film to be freeing.
It was a special experience for me personally: what it represented in my life. It was nice to play a gay person. I’m gay! It was nice to fall in love with a person onscreen who is the kind of person that you’d fall in love with.”
Ellen Page says she plans to promote diverse storytelling when producing films in the future.
I’m focusing mostly on stories that are meaningful to me and stories for women and supporting more gay characters. Statistically, there’s less women behind the camera, less women composing the music, less women writing the stories, less women acting particularly as protagonists.”
Page has said that she hopes to see more women – gay or straight – getting their stories told in Hollywood.
If you’re a woman and you happen to be an Africa American women, or a First Nations woman, then your chances are even more limited and your stories aren’t being told. I think what we’re seeing in television is a reflection that audiences do want more diverse storytelling, they want to see other stories and they are responding to that. I feel like the film industry is going to start following that path. Hopefully that will keep changing.”
She added that she hopes to see more women come out in Hollywood, in order to garner a true understanding of how gay women want to be represented on screen.
There are not that many out gay women [in Hollywood] so it’s hard to come to some sort of consensus about what that means. I’m feeling grateful for what options and opportunities I have.”
She is also set to produce another gay love story, in which she will star opposite Fantastic Four actress Kate Mara.
The actress – who came out last year while working on Freeheld – went on to praise the diversity seen on television, but argued that Hollywood still has a long way to go, especially when it came to women and race.
Page will be honored for her LGBT rights advocacy during the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) 19th annual National Dinner in Washington, D.C. At the Saturday, October 3 event, seven-time Emmy Award winner Allison Janney will present Page with the group’s National Vanguard Award.
This summer is was announced that Ellen Page was attached to star in Lioness, a film about real-life US Marine Lance Corporal Leslie Martz who was a gay women stationed in Iraq for a time.
Her agenda there was to gain the trust of Afghan women and prepare them for independence, but Martz was also tasked with surreptitiously extracting intelligence from those same women about their Taliban husbands.
Now the film has a director, and it’s a very intriguing choice. Reed Morano, whose work as a cinematographer you have very likely seen in films like Frozen River, Kill Your Darlings, and The Skeleton Twins, will helm the film.
It follows her directorial debut Meadowland, which hits theaters next month.
Rosalind Ross, one of the writers of the El Rey Network series Matador, wrote the script, making this a refreshingly all-female affair (unlike Page’s last film where she played a lesbian character – Freeheld).
It was a busy weekend for Ellen Page at the Toronto International Film Festival, but its been fantastic week too.
Not only did she attend the premiere for Freeheld with her girlfriend Samantha Thomas, but she was also busy walking the red carpet Evan Rachel Wood, who plays her sister in the dystopian flick Into the Forest.
The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Page and her colleagues for both films. Watch below
The film, directed by Peter Sollett, is based on the true story about lesbian police officer Laurel Hester (Moore) who, after a cancer diagnosis, fights the government for equal rights so her pension benefits can go to her partner (Page)
In this sneak peak, Laurel and Stacie are just starting to connect, and their volleyball bonding is absolutely adorable.
It’s getting harder and harder to wait for the October 2nd release of Freeheld (October 9th for a wider audience).
Ellen Page and her girlfriend Samantha Thomas made their red carpet debut as a couple on Sunday in Toronto.
Page, and the artist and surfer have been dating for several months and when asked why she decided to make their relationship public at this time, the Juno star said simply:
I’m in love.”
Freeheld has been a passion project for Page so the premiere seemed like the right time for their glamorous public debut.
Page told E! News
Walking down the carpet holding my girlfriend’s hand is pretty special. It’s pretty awesome.”
The actress, who came out in February 2014, stars in the true story of a lesbian couple who fight for domestic partner rights after one of them is diagnosed with cancer.
So it was perhaps only fitting that she would use the occasion of its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival to go public with the new love in her life.
Samantha also joined Ellen at the special party Vanity Fair threw for Freeheld which also stars Julianne Moore, Steve Carell and Michael Shannon.
The two looked awesome as they both wore tuxedo ensembles.
During the premiere event, close friend Ruby Rose couldn’t help but gush about her close friend’s latest project.
Writing on Instagram, she said
When your best friend is the most talented, funny, beautiful, generous, humble human being it’s hard to not smile until it hurts. Ellen, I am so proud of you and will always be grateful for everything you are and will always be to me.”
https://instagram.com/p/7l37hKsZTs/
She later posed with Page and Thompson, but not before talking about their chic looks.
Ellen Page has told Out Magazine that she felt compelled to come out, after securing a role as a lesbian character in Freeheld.
Page came out in an emotional speech to the Human Rights Campaign in February 2014 – within weeks of casting for the drama Freeheld being announced.
In the film, based on true events, Julianne Moore plays Laurel Hester, a New Jersey police detective diagnosed with terminal cancer whose fight to leave her pension to benefits to partner Stacie Andree (Page) sparked a change in the law.
I remember thinking, Ellen, how in God’s name could you make this film and not be out?
What’s interesting to me is how long it took to make the movie — for it to finally come together — and how my internal progression toward coming out was naturally in line with it.
Stacie and Laurel’s story is incredibly inspiring and did take a lot of courage, particularly in a time of such unimaginable difficulty.
It really did make me go, Dude, just tell people you’re gay. Just get over yourself, honestly, and support those who are not as privileged.
It’s like, You have fucking privilege, so do something with it.”
In the same interview her co-star, Moore says working with Page opened her eyes to how hard it is to be in the closet.
Ellen had so recently come out, and this is going to sound silly, and hopefully not hurtful, but I don’t think I was aware of how painful it is to be closeted. It was all very eye-opening for me. She was so unprotective [of herself] – I was very touched by that. It definitely made me more sensitive to the nuances of our movie.”
Page also recently revealed Freeheld, directed by Peter Sollett was one of the reason she decided to come out. The 28-year-old, who came out last year, said:
I thought, ‘How can I make this film if I’m a closeted person?’ Keeping that part of myself hidden was affecting my work, my ambition, my relationships.”
The star of Juno, X-Men and Hard Candy, who is currently working on a Vice film about the most homophobic countries in the world, added: “It was a constant burden. It was so toxic.”
When it comes to TV shows, queer women don’t have it so great with representation as the few characters we do see are typically young, white and femme. When it comes to film, the picture is even worse as one the rare occasion that we see queer female characters in films, they almost always end up cheating on their female partners with men, or they barely get one line to say.
But as luck would have it, there will be plenty of lesbian representation to choose from in the run up to ‘Oscar’ season, where films are released with the best possible chance at being nominated (and eventually winning) an Academy Award. Several films are garnering Oscar buzz, including Carol, Freeheld and Grandma.
Carol, which stars Cate Blanchett in the title role, is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel, The Price of Salt.
Set in 1952, Carol, who’s 46 and married, meets and falls for a shop clerk named Therese (played by Rooney Mara) who is 30 years old. That plot alone would be interesting to watch – the two women have a class difference as well as that age gap – and it seems that critics have really taken to it.
Not only did Carol win the Queer Palm awards at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year (which is awarded to the best LGBTQ+ movie at the event), but reviews of the movie have also been incredible positive. One review suggested that Blanchett and Mara carry the film with ‘glamorous allure’ while another said that the film is a ‘masterpiece’ from director Todd Haynes. It’s also said that to be a strong Oscar contender.
And then there’s Freeheld which stars Julianne Moore and Ellen Page (in another May/December relationship), a drama based on a real story. In real life, a police officer named Laurel Hester was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and wished for her pension benefits to be passed on to her domestic partner Stacie Andree. Not only is this film a real tearjerker (albeit a hopeful one) but the cast is made up of many actors who have won or have been nominated for Oscars – something which could positively influence Oscar voters into supporting the film.
Grandma, meanwhile, stars Lily Tomlin (who is gay in real life) as a 75-year old lesbian grandmother who breaks up with her 40-year old girlfriend and goes on an adventure with her granddaughter as they try and raise $600 before sundown.
Stellar performances are presented throughout this movie but according to critics, Tomlin really shines, which is why some are quite certain that she’ll get an Oscar nomination too.
Unfortunately we won’t know which films are nominated until sometime in January, but the fact that these three movies are in the running at all is brilliant.
As mentioned, queer female representation in Hollywood is abysmal – especially when it comes to older women (and older women in relationships with younger women too) – and so it’s incredibly uplifting to see that some some filmmakers are bucking a trend. Roll on 2016.
Take a look at the new Out cover with Julianne Moore and Ellen Page.
From Page
I remember thinking, Ellen, how in God’s name could you make this film and not be out? What’s interesting to me is how long it took to make the movie – for it to finally come together – and how my internal progression toward coming out was naturally in line with it. Stacie and Laurel’s story is incredibly inspiring. It made me go, Dude, just tell people you’re gay. Just get over yourself, honestly, and support those who are not as privileged. It’s like, You have fucking privilege, so do something with it.”
Moore plays a New Jersey detective, Page stars as her lovestruck mechanic spouse, and Steve Carrel as a “middle-class Jewish homosexual from New Jersey” in Freeheld.
Based on Oscar-winning documentary short of the same title, Freeheld tells the true story of Laurel Hester (Moore) and Stacie Andree (Page), domestic partners fighting to ensure that Stacie will receive Laurel’s pension benefits after Laurel is diagnosed with lung cancer.
Ellen Page has said it is ‘borderline offensive’ to call straight actors ‘brave’ for taking on gay roles.
In an interview with TIME Magazine, Page said that when people call straight actors courageous for becoming a gay character for a film or TV show it’s “borderline offensive” to the LGBT community.
Maybe this is a bad thing to say, but I have a hard time when people call actors brave. I don’t really get that, because our job is to read something on a page.”
Page who portrays one-half of a lesbian couple in Freeheld opposite Julianne Moore — explained why such a characterisation is inherently insulting by way of contrast:
When people are [called] brave in regards to playing LGBTQ people, that’s borderline offensive. I’m never going to be considered brave for playing a straight person, and nor should I be.”
She also discussed the growing level of diversity in entertainment that’s been cropping up lately — and what it could mean for the future of the biz.
It’s evident from what people are watching on television that people want diversity. They want it. Whether they consciously know it or not, I’m not sure, but look at Orange Is the New Black. You’re seeing actors that, if that show didn’t exist, we might not have ever seen — that are extraordinary.”
This trend makes Page “excited,” she said,
because the whole reason to go to a film is to disappear into another world, and to have your humanity connect with someone else’s, who you might not ever meet in your life!
To be moved and have more compassion, that’s the wonderful thing all art can do, and particularly film!”
For Page, this goes well beyond a celebration of the LGBT community, too.
I want to see gay stories, of course, because I’m gay, and I want to connect to a reflection of my life on film, but I also want to see what it’s like to be a young Native person, African-American, African-Canadian. Hopefully that will keep changing.”
Page recently confronted Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz about his discrimination of LGBTI people in the name of ‘religious freedom,’ and she addressed the debate in the interview.
The tricky thing about religion is you can’t even have a conversation. You just cannot have a conversation. It doesn’t affect me: For me it goes in one ear and out the other. But when you think of young people who are potentially being preached to by said person and their parents believe it, and they happen to be gay or trans or what-have-you, they’re going to have a really, really challenging time.”
Page said she is often told that she will find God and be with a man.
And that’s what’s so sad about it. Getting infused with that amount of shame into your body and into your mind. Potentially getting kicked out of your house. Potentially in a place where you’re homeless and every night of your life is life-or-death. That’s when I have no time for this religious argument. I don’t understand being part of a religion where your religious liberty or your religious freedom is based on other people not being treated equally. I don’t understand that – I really don’t.”
Ellen Page and Julianne Moore recently did an interview with Glamour to discuss their new film Freeheld, which centres on New Jersey police lieutenant Laurel Hester, who while battling lung cancer fought to pass on her pension benefits to her partner, Stacie Andree, and won her case just weeks before her death in 2006.
In the interview, Page says, seven years ago, she was sitting in a hotel room in Detroit with her then girlfriend when she received an email asking whether she was interested in being cast in a movie.
It contained a link to the trailer for Freeheld, the documentary about a New Jersey detective Laurel Hester, who, while dying of lung cancer, fought until her last breath to pass on her pension benefits to her partner Stacie.
She won her case weeks before her death in 2006.
Page was asked whether she would be interested in playing Stacie in a cinematic version, and after three minutes, said she was ‘in tears’.
I was super closeted at the time. I was moved, so unbelievably moved. I wanted to be involved.”
She then became a producer of Freeheld, and working on the project helped her to come out on Valentine’s Day last year.
I thought, how can I make this film if I’m a closeted person? Keeping that part of myself hidden was affecting my work, my ambition, my relationships. It was a constant burden — it was so toxic. As a gay woman, playing a gay character is a pretty monumental moment.”
Julianne was also clearly moved by this couple.
These women were forerunners of this year’s case. They were very regular people. Laurel was a detective, and Stacie a mechanic. And for the first time in their lives, they were public about their sexuality in a way that they hadn’t wanted to be. So what they did was major. They really put themselves on the line.”
Watch the trailer for Freeheld, starring Page and Julianne Moore, below:
For more on Ellen and Julianne, read the rest of their interview in Glamour’s September issue.
Ellen Page’s Freeheld is based on the Oscar-winning short documentary by Cynthia Wade about Stace Andree, a woman who was denied the pension benefits of her longtime female partner, New Jersey police detective Laurel Hester, when the latter became terminally ill.
Together they mounted a legal battle for Stace’s benefits to be assigned to her partner.
Page, who is also a producer on the film, told EW
I remember just seeing the trailer for the documentary and I was instantly brought to tears. Tremendous love stories between women have been made, of course. Some of them are my favorite movies. But to have a love story that brings up the civil rights issue, in relation to women—that we haven’t seen enough in the forefront.”
The movies cast includes Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, and Michael Shannon, plus a score by Hans Zimmer. And with a fall release date set for October 2nd, could we be looking at an awards contender? The first trailer has arrived.
Ellen Page already has her next project lined up. She’ll play real-life US Marine Lance Corporal Leslie Martz, in producer James Dahl’s developing war drama Lioness (not to be confused with the English women’s football team).
Martz was stationed in Iraq for a time, but Lioness is concerned with her stint in Afghanistan, leading a ‘Female Engagement Team’. Her agenda was ostensibly to gain the trust of Afghan women and prepare them for independence, but Martz was also tasked with surreptitiously extracting intelligence from those same women about their Taliban husbands.
The soldier, who now lives in San Diego, was also waging a personal war on several fronts. She was hiding the fact that she was a gay woman in the military, and on top of that found herself torn between the desire to prove herself and her superiors and the allegiance she developed toward the women and children whose strength and courage she grew to admire.
Lioness doesn’t have a director yet, but newcomer Rosalind Ross has written the screenplay and will join Dahl on the producers list. Dahl is also behind the Rolling Stones movie The End Of The Tour, starring Page’s To Rome With Love co-star Jesse Eisenberg.
Page has two films set for release – the sci-fi drama Into The Forest and the biohraphical romance Freeheld, although neither currently has a release date.
Ellen Page made our hearts skip a beat last year when she came out of the closet.
This week the actress spoke to Variety about how she feels Hollywood helped pave the way for LGBT rights, and what coming out meant for her.
I’m happier than I probably could imagine. Now it doesn’t feel like I was ever not out. It’s hard for me to imagine not existing in the way that I’m existing now. It boggles my mind that it seemed so difficult and so impossible. I wish I’d done it sooner, quite frankly. Some dark cloud has completely evaporated, thank goodness.”
She added
There are still not many young people out in Hollywood. There’s this narrative that people are attached to: You cannot come out because it’s going to hurt your career. And that’s potentially true. When I made the decision to come out, I wasn’t naive to that.”
On Hollywood, being out and acting she said
… the roles that do exist, you’re specifically a device for the male character or you’re hypersexualized in regards to the male gaze. For whatever reason, people can believe straight actors playing gay roles, but there’s this idea they can’t believe gay actors playing straight roles. And for me, it got to a point where it didn’t matter.”
Hollywood (for all it failings) has helped drive LGBT stories to a larger audience. There is now growing acceptance for gay and lesbian story lines; and gay rights and marriages.
Aside from all the silliness of Hollywood and what we do, stories are told that are really important, and that touch people and transform how they feel about things, whether it’s been “Philadelphia,” “Brokeback Mountain” or “Milk.” And I think it definitely can change minds and push things forward.
Whenever you’re telling a story about a minority group, it’s potentially not as appealing because there’s a feeling it’s not going to get the audience a financier needs. I feel like that’s been proven wrong time and time again, particularly when you’re looking at the diversity on TV right now. You can tell that’s what people want.”
On coming out, and her new role as LGBT spokesperson, the actress added
I feel extremely fortunate and humble when I have experiences with LGBT people who come up to me and say how I helped them come out. Those moments are really extraordinary. They are typically really emotional. The biggest feeling I get is gratitude. I totally stayed in the closet, and I felt guilty about it. I was finally able to get out, and that was my life journey. I’m interested in gay issues. It’s natural for that to be a part of my life.”
For many, the battle for gay rights ends with marriage equality, but we need to consider the wider spectrum of LGBT issues in ‘mainstream’ society.
Yesterday, Oscar winning actress and LGBT ally Julianne Moore posted a video for Lambda Legal’s #IDo campaign to help raise funds and awareness.
In the video, she highlights the reasons why the crusade for gay civil rights must continue once marriage is legal for all. Moore cites school bullying, medical care and violence against transgender individuals as three such examples, urging others to say “I do.”
Moore is seen as the perfect ambassador for Lambda’s efforts. Her résumé contains a diverse mix of LGBT projects, including roles in The Hours, A Single Man, The Kids Are All Right, and the upcoming Freeheld, in which she plays a terminally ill police officer who must fight to secure pension benefits for her partner (Ellen Page).
I think it’s a very basic human-rights issue. Everybody has the right to marry the person they love and be represented as a couple and family. … It’s something that people will look back on in years to come and say, ‘I can’t believe it took so long for us to recognize this.’ It’ll be like segregation and giving women the right to vote.”
Indiewire have updated their 2016 Oscar predictions, and they predict a very real possibility that over half of this year’s female acting nominations could go to portrayals of gay women.
Lesbians have represented at the Oscars before. Charlize Theron won for playing serial killer Aileen Wuornos, Nicole Kidman played Virginia Woolf, and Annette Bening almost won for her rule in the The Kids Are All Right.
There is a possibility that openly gay actress Lily Tomlin could get a nomination for playing someone openly gay in Grandma. Which is actually a first – a lesbian actress being nominated for playing a lesbian character – shock horror!
Tomlin would also become the only second gay person to be nominated for playing a gay person. Ian McKellen is currently the only other example.
In Paul Weitz’s Grandma, Tomlin plays a lesbian poet who goes on a road trip with her granddaughter after she breaks up with her long-term partner.
This is her first lead role in a film in over 27 years, and she’s incredible in it. Sony Pictures Classics is surely going to rev up a campaign for her come fall, in hopes of giving 75 year old Tomlin her first Oscar nomination since 1975, when she was nominated for Nashville. Our fingers are firmly crossed.
If Tomlin does get nominated, she would almost certainly be competing against Cate Blanchett, who got insanely good reviews out of Cannes for Todd Haynes’ Carol. Blanchett plays half of a 1950s lesbian romance in the film, the other half being played by Rooney Mara, who beat out Blanchett for Cannes’ Best Actress award.
Mara is a very likely nominee too, though The Weinstein Company could very well campaign her in supporting.
Either way, this is three possible lesbian nominees.
And then there’s Freeheld, which we’ll likely be released at the Toronto Film Festival.
The movie stars last year’s best actress winner Julianne Moore, who is paired with Ellen Page. The film is a classic Oscar bait story of real life lesbian Laurel Hester (Moore), a police officer in Ocean County, New Jersey. Following her diagnosis with terminal lung cancer in 2005, Hester repeatedly appealed to the county’s board of chosen freeholders in an attempt to ensure her pension benefits could be passed on to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree (Page).
The film is actually based on a documentary short that won an Oscar, and is written by the same man who got a nomination for his screenplay for Philadelphia.
We obviously won’t know until we see it, but both Moore and Page sure seem like contenders for best actress and best support. That would also make Moore the only person to receive two nominations for playing queer characters.
Later this year, we will get to watch Ellen Page’s much-anticipated movie Freeheld. And sources are tipping the film to become a box office hit, with some entertainment observers and fans noticing the growing anticipation for this movie since Lionsgate won the bidding war for its rights at the Berlin Film Festival.
Page is one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood, a critically acclaimed artist whose acting range is beyond reproach. However, this is a film which could do something different for her reputation and that is it could turn her into a major ‘box office draw’. Especially as in this project she has been coupled with an A-list, Oscar winning, movie star Julianne Moore – who can bring large numbers of fans to any movie.
Freeheldis a film that has the potential to draw ‘huge’ numbers at the box office because of its ‘human story’ of a couple fighting to have one of the partner’s pension benefits transferred to the other, a story which many entertainment fans can relate to. Moreover, many heterosexual movie fans will be drawn to any project which she is part of because of both women’s sensational acting range.
This is also a great movie for lesbian visibility. As we all agree its not often lesbian stories are told or documented on the big screens of Hollywood. However, Freeheld could be seen as a film of the equal to Philadelphia or Brokeback Mountain in queer visibility.
Page would never really admit that becoming known, as a major box office draw is important to her. However, one thing that she has revealed in her interviews is she is “ultra-competitive” – something she has known since her days as a competitive soccer player in Canada, and that trait has not all of a sudden disappeared as an actress.
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