Daniel Radcliffe might give James Franco a run for his money as the king of the gay tease: Apparently the former child star is shaking up his image with explicit gay sex scenes in Kill Your Darlings, which just premiered Friday at Sundance.
In the film, based on a real murder that happened in the Beats’ early days, sees Radcliffe playing poet Allen Ginsberg, who is smitten with the killer, Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan, with Radcliffe at right). Photos of the two characters cuddling on the street leaked in March, but didn’t give a hint of what was to come:
[Radcliffe] proves it by playing a character who receives oral sex in a campus library from an enthusiastic female clerk, shares a soulful kiss with one young man and is an explicit nude love scene with another that caused a few surprised reactions from the audience at the movie’s world premiere in the packed Eccles Theatre.
In a session with the audience after the premiere, Radcliffe was asked if he chose the role because it fit the “weird stuff” he likes.
Y’know Daniel was first offered the part in 2008, but was still shooting the Harry Potter movies. They had actually been in talks to get either Jesse Eisenberg or Chris Evans to play Ginsburg. Wonder if either of those guys would’ve been so committed to the part?
Below, the cast and crew of Kill Your Darlings discuss the film with The Hollywood Reporter.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iONGql2A7T4]
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Lefty
Why were the audience shocked and surprised by sex scenes?
Were they children?
MikeE
@Lefty: Close: Mormons. (Remember where Sundance happens)
mary3456
I’ve read the reviews and critics are praising the film and Radcliffe’s performance, but no-one is shocked. This is just the media with their typical “shocking” headlines.
balehead
Well it is Mormon country….Apparently the film is pretty good!!
MACDONALDBANK
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Mr. Enemabag Jones
Is it just my impression, or does that pic of Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan look way too uncomfortable for Radcliffe?
jkb
Chris Evans as Allen Ginsberg???!
boring
HAHAHAHA. TRYING TO SEX UP ALLEN GINSBERG AS A CHARACTER IS THE MOST HOLLYWOOD THING ONE CAN DO.
boring
Also, will there be a scene where Daniel Radcliffe joins NAMBLA?
Taliaferro
Why cannot we not accept that actors take roles for many reasons. Playing a gay man when one is straight is ACTING! Why are we titilated by all this? Was the blow job so explicit that it was bascially pornography? This sounds like a tempest in a tea pot. Let’s move on, okay?
Cagnazzo82
It’s funny how Daniel Radcliffe kissing another dude is considered ‘weird’, but flying on broomsticks and saying some variation of ‘abracadabra’ while waving a stick is perfectly normal.
“Did you pick the part because it fits those weird roles you like”?
“Bitch! I grew up as a wizard!”
Kieran
Wait a minute, this is the year 2013 and somebody still considers same-sex scenes in a movie to be “weird stuff”? Who was asking the questions, Bill Donohue of the Catholic league?
Cosmic Destroyer
@MikeE: Skiers and showbiz, actually, but still equally sheltered. Sundance has become such an empty shell, they pretty much anticipate every straight actor to play not-too-gay once for the cred and then immediately go vanilla once their career picks up.
Brian
Sundance probably prefers ‘hot lesbians’. They’re not ‘weird’, you know. It’s only ‘weird’ if it’s two guys according to Sundance liberals.
Yang Tai
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: In that pic they were just joking and making funny faces. If you see the rest of the photoshoot all the actors are just being goofy. It’s the typical photoshoot in Sundance, Comic-Con and events alike… I don’t know why, but the actors always pose making silly faces, jumping, making fun of each other…
Niall
Seeing as I kinda have a weird nerd crush for the adorable but awkward Jesse Eisenberg, I’d have loved to see him in this role if Radcliffe’s sex scenes are as explicit as I’ve been hearing
Miss Understood
Am I the only one who can’t wait to hear his American accent?
nickbaer
@MACDONALDBANK: I like http://bit.ly/ZplFTn better.
kinseyfiles
Saw the movie tonight. Sex scenes??? You’re kidding me right? The sex scene was a clumsy scene about how he picked up some trick in a bar and got poked! very broken up with a lot of cutting away abstractly. Got the gist of what was happening but really it was such a great movie otherwise that this scene should have been cut out entirely. It was very awkward. The other was a kiss scene that was very benign at best and very short. Again could have easily been left on the cutting room floor. But I did enjoy the rest of the movie