Ewan McGregor is not happy with efforts
to de-gay I Love You Phillip Morris, the gay-themed jailhouse
romance film starring Jim Carrey and McGregor as a pair of
star-crossed lovers.
“I'm very keen that it's a gay movie.
There was quite a lot of talk at Sundance that 'Well, it's not a gay
movie. It's a film about guys who happen to be gay,'” McGregor
told Out's
Joshua David Stein. “And I was thinking, it's nothing but a gay
movie. It's about a gay couple, about a man's sexuality, and he
comes out. It's not the point of the film, but let's not pretend
it's not a gay film.”
The film premiered over a year ago at
the 2009 Sundance film festival. But producers were unable to secure
distribution for the film until they offered a less gay version. A March 26 release is finally within sight, but McGregor questioned the
studio's timing.
“There was talk that Disney fended
off the release until after A Christmas Carol came out. They
didn't want kids thinking [Carrey's] Ebenezer Scrooge was a bender.”
The film is based on the book of the
same name by journalist Steve McVickers. The book follows the true
story of Steven Russell (played by Carrey, Liar Liar) and his
improbable, but true, transformation from small-town businessman,
father and former cop to gay white-collar criminal and ingenious
jailbreaker.
After a car crash, Russell's life takes
a most unusual roller coaster ride that leads him to a life of crime,
being gay, and falling in love with his cellmate Phillip Morris
(played by McGregor, Star Wars).
Between 1993 and 1998, the clever
Russell broke out of a Texas jail four times in five years and always
on a Friday the 13th; twice landing into a six-figure job as a CFO of
a major company.
Russell's enduring love for one-time
fellow convict Morris, and the dream of being together and free,
proves to be his Achilles' heel that foils his plans.
Gay Entertainment Report is a feature
of On Top Magazine and can be reached at
ontopmag@ontopmag.com.