the golden goose

Will Going Gay In J. Edgar Get Leonardo DiCaprio The Oscar He Keeps Losing?

The magic formula for any beautiful straight actor to win an Oscar is to go ugly or go gay. Charlize Theron. Sean Penn. And now, perhaps, Leonardo DiCaprio?

The actor, who’s been twice nominated for best actor Oscars (The Aviator, Blood Diamond) and once for best supporting (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), is going gay in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, written by Dustin Lance Black. He’ll be smooching up on The Social Network‘s Armie Hammer, promises Black. “Yes, certainly there’s a relationship between these two guys,” says Black. “And it wouldn’t be a Dustin Lance Black script if it didn’t have a little gay kissing in it. So the answer is yes. … Those who want to see that will be pleased. I think it’s done in a very tender way, surprisingly.”

And while Black has previously said DiCaprio won’t be cross-dressing in the flick (because he found no evidence the late FBI director actually wore women’s clothing), he’s now playing the ambiguity card about the possibility (“I gotta’ leave something for you to buy a ticket for”). But for DiCaprio, the chance to play gay will undoubtedly show off the actor’s “range,” or whatever it is the Academy looks for when picking their winners.

With J. Edgar now filming and set to be released in 2012, we’ll have to wait until February 2013 to find out if going gay clinches Leo’s long-sought statue.

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