Steven Russell, played by Jim Carrey, was once a married man. But after some con work, he lands in jail where he meets Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor. Morris is a gay man and the two fall in love, according to the plot. After Morris was released from prison, Russell escapes jail so he can be with Morris.
MSNBC reported on McGregor’s frustrations that the media were ignoring that it was a gay movie, writing McGregor, “thinks it’s ridiculous when the media attempts to pretend like ‘Philip Morris’ is not a gay movie.” McGregor even stated he’s, “very keen that it’s a gay movie.”
It is hard to imagine the movie not being described as a gay movie by the media, who normally promote gay marriage. But by downplaying the homosexual theme, the media in turn treat the gay lifestyle as normal. McGregor stated that at the film festival, Sundance, people were describing it as being, “not a gay movie. It’s a film about guys who happen to be gay.”
Luckily, McGregor was there to help along the media who ignored the obvious. He said, “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.”
McGregor, who has played other gay men before, did go on to add, however, “‘I like kissing boys on screen. As a straight guy, it’s quite an interesting proposition,’ he explained. ‘Anything on a film set that takes you by surprise like that, that gets your blood up, is good.’”
