Oscar-Winning Director: HBO's Liberace Movie 'Too Gay' For Theaters

January 7th, 2013 9:25 AM

Is there anything that's "too gay" for Hollywood?

The answer is "Yes" according to Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh who recently told the New York Post that studios throughout tinseltown had no interest in his biopic about Liberace despite it starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon.

“Nobody would make it,” Soderbergh told the Post. “We went to everybody in town. They all said it was too gay.”

“And this is after ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ by the way, which is not as funny as this movie," continued Soderbergh. "I was stunned. It made no sense to any of us.”

This is especially shocking considering the 2005 film starring the late Heath Ledger received eight Oscar nominations.

Since that time, numerous states have legalized same-sex marriage and Hollywood has become far more LGBT-friendly with gay characters in prominent roles on primetime television programs such as Glee and Modern Family.

On top of this, President Obama flip-flopped on this issue last year.

As such, why would Hollywood at this point think anything was "too gay?"

From what tinseltown has been throwing at Americans of late, you'd think the problem is content not being gay enough.


Fortunately for Soderbergh, HBO did sign on to the project titled "Behind the Candelabra" which will air later this year.

Damon, who portrays Scott Thorson, Liberace's long-term lover, recently told Playboy, "It wasn’t the most natural thing in the world to do, though. Like, for one scene, I had to come out of a pool, go over to Michael, straddle him on a chaise lounge and start kissing him. And throughout the script, it’s not like I kiss him just once."

Maybe Hollywood studios weren't sure Americans would spend money to see the 68-year-old Douglas passionately kissing the 42-year-old Damon.