Ever wonder how someone can take an editorial examination of 12 Years A Slave and find a way to make it about gay sex? If so, look no further than sex-symbol, student, and perennial pseudo-gay attention whore James Franco to lead you to the north star.
In his Vice magazine editorial, Franco christens the large penis-cursed Michael Fassbender “Fassy-B” (not as good as Dlisted’s nickname “Assbender,” but close), sidesteps surefire Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor to declare that Fassy-B owns the film, and takes the opportunity to slam both him and director Steve McQueen for their depiction of gay sex in their previous collaboration, 2011’s Shame.
Franco takes offense to the movie’s depiction of gay sex as the final marker of the depth of the sex addiction of Fassy-B’s character in the movie. Of it, he says:
“And that scene where he’s at his lowest point and wants to fuck and goes into a gay club, and it’s depicted like the seventh level of hell… I mean, it goes back to the horrible representations of gays in the ’70s, where the gay club is meant to signify everything dark and depraved. Then the guy gets a minor blowjob, from, Oh no, a man! The horror!”
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The quote leads one to wonder how Franco would define a “major” blowjob, but the truth is that depictions of gay sex in the ’70s is actually a subject Franco is well-versed in. Last year, he co-directed a short docudrama called Interior. Leather Bar that was intended to fill in the gap between 40 minutes of footage that was allegedly cut from the homophobic 1980 thriller Cruising, which centered around a serial killer targeting gay men who frequented leather bars in New York City.
So now that he’s slammed outside depictions of gay sex, made his own kinda gay semi documentary, and made out with a guy to troll gossip bloggers, the natural evolution is: a gay Kim Kardashian-style sex tape? We’re sure the co-starring offers would be rolling in…
Kangol
Will James Franco please just go away?
Ron Jackson
Franco isn’t gay. He’s just in love with himself.
Kamuriie
Oh, Queerty–where they constantly find a way to mention Nick Gruber, and yet paint James Franco–a truly ALLY–as an “attention whore.”
Did I mention Queerty also obviously avoids any negative press on the Mormon church?
Yoco
I just read the entire review isn’t it amazing Franco was able to mention 3 of his films in a review about TYAS, Very interesting.
Degas
Franco goes where no actor dares go. Perhaps he enjoys the attention. Who cares? His comments are valid. This is a man not afraid of sex, sexuality, and expression. I like his Frankness.
Degas
Franco’s openness about sex and sexuality is why both women and men find him attractive.
Charlie in Charge
Why all the Franco-hate? If a gay guy complained about the scene in Shame would we pillory him?
viveutvivas
yeah, what is invalid about his comments? You are just sour that he said it first.
MikeE
@viveutvivas: What in invalidates his comments is that they have no bearing whatsoever on the topic of the article, which is the film Twelve Years a Slave. Not James Franco’s sexual proclivities or opinions. Nor the film Shame. Whatever faults he may find with Shame are of no consequence when discussing TYaS. That would be like criticizing Schindler’s List by attacking Duel.
Kieran
The gay community could use a lot more spokesmen like James Franco. He isn’t afraid to speak truth to power. And he’s cute as hell.
ChiChi Man
Franco’s take on Shame is interesting, but not really valid. I looked at the gay sex scene as just another example of the character’s compulsion. The “descent into hell” scene was the final threesome with the Fassbender and the two women. If Franco wants to go after McQueen for his depiction of sex addiction, he’d have some basis. But the gay sex angle is just a bunch of whining.
Maybe Franco is motivated by jealousy? Fassbender can act rings around Franco and McQueen is a far greater director and artist than Franco will ever be.