And the 2011 Oscars Go To...

The King's Speech ruled over the 2011 Academy Awards on Sunday, taking home four honors including Best Picture and Best Actor for the movie's star, Colin Firth.

The royal drama, about stuttering British monarch George VI, led the competition with 12 nominations going into this year's Oscars, and edged out the likes of Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception and The Social Network to claim the most coveted title of the night.

Firth was crowned Best Actor in a Leading Role, emerging triumphant over Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and James Franco (127 Hours).

Filmmaker Tom Hooper also basked in Oscar glory as he was hailed Best Director, beating Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russell (The Fighter), David Fincher (The Social Network) and Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit).

Pregnant Natalie Portman fought back tears as she walked away with Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of a tormented ballet dancer in Black Swan, ahead of Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) and Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine).

She gave special thanks to her Black Swan choreographer and fiance Benjamin Millepied, telling the audience, "So many people helped me prepare for this role... my beautiful love, Benjamin Millepied who choreographed the film and has now given me the most important role of my life."

It was also a golden night for The Fighter, about tough Boston, Massachusetts boxing legends Mickey Ward and Dickie Eklund, as Christian Bale and Melissa Leo dominated the Best Supporting categories.

Meanwhile, moviemaker Francis Ford Coppola, actor Eli Wallach and historian Kevin Brownlow were given a standing ovation in recognition of the lifetime achievement honors they received at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Awards in November. Fellow honoree Jean-Luc Godard did not attend the ceremony.

Oscars co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco opened the 2011 Academy Awards with a hilarious spoof poking fun at the Best Picture nominees, while 2010 presenter Alec Baldwin and Morgan Freeman also made surprise appearances in the skit.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, Randy Newman, and Florence Welch and A.R. Rahman provided the music for the night as they performed the tracks nominated for Best Original Song.

And Celine Dion took to the Kodak Theatre stage in Los Angeles to sing Smile during the ceremony's annual In Memorium segment, remembering the stars lost in the past 12 months, including Tony Curtis, Leslie Nielsen, Dennis Hopper, Pete Postlethwaite and Gloria Stuart.

The complete list of winners at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards is as follows:

Best Picture: The King's Speech
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Best Director: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Best Screenplay - Adapted: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Screenplay - Original: David Seidler, The King's Speech
Best Foreign Language Film: In a Better World (Denmark)
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Documentary (Feature): Inside Job
Best Art Direction: Robert Stromberg and Karen O'Hara, Alice In Wonderland
Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister, Inception
Best Sound Mixing: Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick, Inception
Best Sound Editing: Richard King, Inception
Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Best Original Song: We Belong Together from Toy Story 3, Randy Newman
Best Costume: Colleen Atwood, Alice in Wonderland
Best Documentary (Short Subject): Strangers No More
Best Film Editing: The Social Network
Best Make-up: The Wolfman
Best Animated Short Film: The Lost Thing
Best Live Action Short Film: God of Love
Best Visual Effects: Inception

Colin Firth, Natalie Portman & The King's Speech Triumph at 2011 SAG Awards

Natalie Portman, Colin Firth and the cast of The King's Speech took the top prizes at the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

Firth won Best Actor for his role in the British monarchy drama, which also took the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Meanwhile, Portman claimed the Best Actress award for her performance in Darren Aronofsky's ballet drama Black Swan.

The Fighter was also a big winner, with castmates Christian Bale and Melissa Leo earning honors for Best Supporting Actor and Actress respectively.

Elsewhere, Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Betty White (Hot In Cleveland) and the casts of Boardwalk Empire and Modern Family were the big winners in the TV categories.

A lifetime achievement award was also handed to beloved American actor Ernest Borgnine, who turned 94 on Monday.

The full list of winners at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is as follows:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: The King's Speech
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth - The King's Speech
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale - The Fighter
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Al Pacino - You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Claire Danes - Temple Grandin
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Betty White - Hot In Cleveland
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: Boardwalk Empire
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: Modern Family

The Social Network is Golden at the Globes

The Social Network has virtually locked in its Best Film Oscar after landing four big awards at the Golden Globes on Sunday night.

Just two days after picking up the main prize at the Critics Choice Awards, the film won top honors at the Globes, while there were also accolades for David Fincher (Best Director), Aaron Sorkin (Best Screenplay) and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Best Score).

The night's big loser was The King's Speech, which led all nominations with seven, but went home with only one - a Best Actor gong for Oscars favourite Colin Firth.

The ceremony's highlight came when Michael Douglas took the stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to hand out the Best Motion Picture (Drama) award a week after announcing he was winning his cancer battle.

The healthy looking movie veteran received a standing ovation and then joked, "There's gotta be an easier way of getting a standing ovation... I'm very very happy to be here tonight."

Alongside Firth, Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version), Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) and Natalie Portman (Black Swan) won the night's top acting awards for comedy and dramatic movies, while Christian Bale and Melissa Leo claimed the Best Supporting Actor and Actress drama prizes for their roles in boxing drama The Fighter.

In the TV categories, Glee and Boardwalk Empire were the only multiple winners - Glee claimed Best Comedy or Musical Series, while stars Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer won acting honors. Boardwalk Empire was named Best Drama Series and its star Steve Buscemi landed a Best Actor prize.

Other TV acting honors went to Claire Danes, Al Pacino, Jim Parsons, Katey Sagal and Laura Linney.

The full list of winners is:

MOVIES
Best Motion Picture (Drama) - The Social Network
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) - Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) - Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical) - The Kids Are All Right
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical) - Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical) - Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version)
Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Christian Bale
Best Animated Feature Film - Toy Story 3
Best Foreign Language Film - In a Better World (Denmark)
Best Director - David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
Best Original Score - The Social Network by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Best Original Song - You Haven't Seen The Last of Me by Diane Warren/Cher (Burlesque)

TELEVISION
Best Television Series (Drama) - Boardwalk Empire
Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series (Drama) - Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy)
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series (Drama) - Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
Best Television Series (Comedy Or Musical) - Glee
Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series (Comedy Or Musical) - Laura Linney (The Big C)
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series (Comedy Or Musical) - Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television - Carlos
Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Claire Danes (Temple Grandin)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Al Pacino (You Don't Know Jack)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Jane Lynch (Glee)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Chris Colfer (Glee)

Cecil B. DeMille Award - Robert De Niro

Rupert Everett Continues to be Bitter, Party of 1

Born with handsome looks and great talent, Rupert Everett seems determined to blame everyone but himself that he is not the biggest star on the planet.

The man who we first fell in love with in Another Country and who became an even bigger star opposite Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding and also starred in An Ideal Husband and The Next Best Thing, continues to complain about the discrimination he says he faces in the film industry.

He compares his acting abilities to those of Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, and complains to the UK’s BBC’s Radio 4 that producers would say they couldn’t find a role that fit him. He says that is because he has been openly gay for most of his career.

“I never got a job there, and I never got a job here, after [coming out],” he said. “I did a couple of films, I was very lucky at the beginning of my career… and then, I never had another job here for ten years, probably, and I moved to Europe.”

“The audience has a completely perception of the performers than the business,” he adds. “But the business is what makes the stars, really. There are lots of women and lots of men in the business that the powers that be decide are the right people and they’ll stand with them for quite a long time. … Like Jennifer Aniston will just have one too many total flops. But she’s still a member of that club. And she will still manage to — like a star forming in the universe — a whole lot of things swirling around and suddenly solidifying into yet another vital tasteless romcom: a little glitter next to the Crab Nebula.”

He also disses Oscar front-runner Firth, star of The King’s Speech, for performance in the 2008 smash Mamma Mia! “Colin Firth I don’t think was at all good in Mamma Mia!.

You know, I would have thought it was almost a careericide. … On the other hand, I think (Firth’s) performance in A Single Man was the best performance of his life.”

Rupert does not have a problem with gay actors staying in the closet if they want to: “There are many of them, and I don’t blame them, it’s very sensible. If I hadn’t been someone who liked and if I hadn’t been a kind of sex maniac and all those kind of things and wanted to go to raves and circuit parties, I don’t think there’s anything to wrong with it. It would have been too complicated for me to tell the lie.”

Okay, I have no doubt that Everett has been discriminated against and could have and should have been a bigger star after 1997′s My Best Friend’s Wedding. But he does need to get on with it as so many other talented out stars like John Barrowman, Ian McKellen, Neil Patrick Harris, TR Knight, Luke Macfarlane and others have.

Colin Firth Eyeing Controversial Movie Role

Colin Firth is keen to shed his serious movie image - he'd love to play "a transvestite or a stripper" on the big screen.

The British actor shot to fame in a 1990s TV adaption of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and has since gone on to play stoic roles in films like Girl with a Pearl Earring and first-time director Tom Ford's acclaimed 2009 movie A Single Man.

Firth is tipped for Oscar glory next year with his portrayal of stuttering monarch King George VI in new royal drama The King's Speech - but the actor admits he'd like to take on a very different role next.

He says, "I'm dying to be a transvestite or a stripper or a pop star. They (roles) just don't tend to come my way."

He had a taste for the flamboyant when he played a closeted gay businessman in hit Abba movie musical Mamma Mia!

Matthew Goode Moved by Colin Firth's Performance in 'A Single Man'

Matthew Goode found his Single Man co-star, Colin Firth, "incredibly moving." The 32-year-old actor, who plays the role of Colin's character's deceased boyfriend in the Tom Ford-directed movie, admits he was impressed by the Mamma Mia! star's ability.

"One of the finest bits of acting I've seen in a while was Colin's character getting this phone call about his partner Jim's death," Goode told the Metro newspaper. "I find it incredibly moving. Colin has been a great actor since the beginning of his career but with this performance people are going to be surprised -- which they shouldn't be -- that he's really a terrific actor."

Matthew, who has previously starred in Woody Allen's Match Point and 2008's Brideshead Revisited, admits he is unlikely to ever be cast in a leading role.

"I'm not really that leading man thing," he said. "I'm sure I'm more likely to end up playing a teacher on some sort of Rhodesian farm in the 1930s drinking gin Martinis. I hope so, actually, that will be quite fun."

Colin Firth Says Gay Actors Take a Risk

Colin Firth has suggested that there are "invisible boundaries" preventing out gay actors from taking leading roles.

Firth, a straight actor who played a gay man in Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man, said he felt "complicit" in the problem of gay actors losing out on parts.

Speaking at the UK premiere of the film last night, he said: "There might be risks for a gay actor coming out. The politics of that are quite complex, it seems to me.

"If you're known as a straight guy, playing a gay role, you get rewarded for that. If you're a gay man and you want to play a straight role, you don't get cast – and if a gay man wants to play a gay role now, you don't get cast.

"I think it needs to be addressed and I feel complicit in the problem. I don't mean to be. I think we should all be allowed to play whoever – but I think there are still some invisible boundaries which are still uncrossable."

Firth made similar comments in December, when he said that "sexual taboos" in Hollywood were constraining gay actors.

Out gay actor Rupert Everett said in the same month that he would advise ambitious gay actors to stay in the closet.

He said: "The fact is that you could not be, and still cannot be, a 25-year-old homosexual trying to make it in the British film business or the American film business or even the Italian film business."

Firth has been tipped for an Oscar nomination for his role as gay college professor George Falconer in A Single Man. He won the best actor award for the performance at the Venice Film Festival last year.

Ford, better known as a fashion designer, has said his debut film is about "love and isolation", rather than being a "gay story".

Matthew Goode "Would’ve Been Very Happy to Snuggle Up to the Rug on Colin Firth’s Chest”

Matthew Goode who portrays Colin Firth’s deceased lover in A Single Man, chatted with Brandon Voss for The Advocate and he seems to be someone very comfortable in his own skin.

The actor, who has starred in such films as Brideshead Revisited, Match Point, Imagine You and Me, Watchman, Chasing Liberty and the upcoming Leap Year opposite Amy Adams, appears as Jim, the deceased lover that Colin Firth’s college professor mourns in a series of intimate flashbacks.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

Tom Ford has said that A Single Man is “not a gay film.” As the actor kissing Colin Firth on-screen, how do you see it?
I kind of agree with him. He wasn’t making it as a political piece, and the theme of love and loss is fairly universal. Obviously you can’t escape the fact that these are men kissing, but what’s lovely about George’s remembrances of Jim is the fact that it’s not a sweaty clinch — which would’ve been fine, because I would’ve been very happy to snuggle up to the rug on Colin Firth’s chest. It was remembrances like sitting on the sofa reading books together, and there’s a beauty in the banality of those scenes that also speaks to their universality. You can call it a gay film, but what’s really nice it is that it shows the intimacy between two adult males as absolutely normal and exactly the same as heterosexual intimacy.

Colin told me that you were a good kisser. What did you think of his skills?
Right back at ’im. Sometimes you see straight actors trying to portray gay men as very aggressive, so the kissing is superaggressive and rough. I’m sure that does exist, but we liked that our kissing was sensitive.

Compared to shooting love scenes with a woman, do you find it more challenging to get intimate with another straight man?
Well, I’ll let you know when I have to do something with full-frontal. But I don’t think you can have an erection in a scene, and I always find that funny: If you’re going to have sex, you can’t suddenly have the man springing into bed with a floppy knob. It should be a little bit saturated with semen and standing out at an odd angle with a few veins involved. [Laughs] Obviously I’m a man who likes women and has a child now, but I’m not squeamish and I love all people. If you’ve been entrusted to do the job, then you find something to love in the other character and you do your job.

Young American actors sometimes shy away from gay parts for fear of being pigeonholed or mistaken for gay in real life. As a British actor, is that something you’ve ever been concerned about?
I’ve never looked at those kinds of roles as something to be avoided. I somehow ended up doing three in a row, really, with Brideshead, Watchmen, and A Single Man, so I steadily got more gay. I was “full gay” in this one. But the parts were all so good. I wouldn’t do a bad story with a character that was just gay for gay’s sake — which sounds like a porno, which I’m not particularly into. But I know what you mean about Americans. There’s a real problem with masculinity and sensitivity in Hollywood. I don’t blame actors for not coming out because America might then have a problem with watching them kissing Cameron Diaz. And then there are certain actors who don’t want people to think, I wonder if he’s really gay, because he did terribly well in that gay part. America’s a slightly harder country, where men are constantly trying to be men. And it’s not just Hollywood; everyone goes to the gym.

To read the entire interview, go to http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Film/A_Single_Mans_Goode_Kisser/.

Colin Firth Talks to The Advocate About His Role on “A Single Man”

We’re going to be hearing and reading a lot about A Single Man which is getting a lot of awards buzz. A lot of the buzz surrounds leading man Colin Firth who lucky Brandon Voss from The Advocate got to chat with over coffee at Manhattan’s swanky Carlyle Hotel for an interview.

Here are some excerpts:

A Single Man is about a gay character based on a story by a gay author and directed by a gay man who grafted parts of his own life onto the story, but Tom Ford has repeatedly said that “this is not a gay film,” a statement which has understandably disappointed some members of the gay community who hunger for the next Milk or the next Brokeback Mountain.
I know. But as militant as you can get on this issue is to actually say that it’s incredibly important that we get to a place where we don’t care one way or another. The world is full of battles where a minority is struggling for its rights, so of course I certainly get that you need a militant front. I’m not saying that all gays should be depicted in a way where it doesn’t make an issue of it, but it should be considered a triumph when you finally have a character whose sexuality is secondary to the plot. It’s just about human feeling, and I think that’s wonderful.

There’s been some controversy over the “de-gaying” by the Weinstein Co. of the film’s new one-sheets and trailers, which focus less on the gay love story and more on the platonic relationship between George and Julianne Moore’s character, Charley. Do you think that does a disservice to the film?
Yes, I do. It is deceptive. I don’t think they should do that because there’s nothing to sanitize. It’s a beautiful story of love between two men and I see no point in hiding that. People should see it for what it is.

Whether you’re flirting at a bar or just reading together on the sofa, you appear so comfortable on-screen with Matthew Goode, who plays George’s partner, Jim, in flashbacks. Because you don’t share the same sexual experiences with men in real life, is it any more challenging to achieve that truthful level of intimacy with a man than it is with a woman?
No, I didn’t find it difficult. Matthew’s a good kisser, for a start, but there’s not that much of a difference, quite frankly. If you really dislike or aren’t attracted to your acting partner anyway, it doesn’t make much difference if it’s a man or a woman. I’m still channeling something that comes from myself about what it is to ache for somebody or want to have sex with somebody, so you use your imagination regardless.

For the complete interview, click on this link: http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Film/Colin_Firth_Singled_Out/.

Colin Firth Says Hollywood 'Constrains' Gay Actors

Colin Firth has agreed that it is difficult for gay actors to be open about their sexuality.

Similar comments were made by Rupert Everett last week, who warned that stars could see their careers curtailed for coming out the closet.

Firth recently starred in Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man. He played gay college professor George Falconer in the adaptation of the Christopher Isherwood novel.

He told Parade: "If you're a straight actor who takes on the role of a gay man, it's obviously not the same as being one in this business. I think there are still some constraints against being openly gay.

"It is to do with whatever sexual taboos are in place. In Hollywood, I know that some actors are far more circumspect about keeping that secret hidden. There are not a lot of openly gay leading men."

Speaking about his gay role, he said: "I think the fact that the man I play is comfortably open about the fact that he is gay is definitely significant. But I think it just reinforces the power of the story, which is about a love between men that has a very accessible, universal quality."

Movie Trailer: "A Single Man" Directed by Tom Ford

In his directorial debut, desinger Tom Ford brings to us "A Single Man", starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. It is a story that centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his long-time partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles.

The movie will be released nationwide on December 11th after being showcased in several worldwide movie festivals, including most recently the AFI Fest.

Here's the trailer:

Tom Ford Discusses His New Film, "A Single Man"

Famed Gucci fashion designer turned film director, Tom Ford, discusses the genesis of his debut feature, "A Single Man" in an interview with OUT Magazine.

OUT: Your first movie turned out to be the toast of the Venice and Toronto film festivals. Is this the start of a second career?
Tom Ford: I certainly hope it’s the start of a parallel career. It was a lot of work when I was both shooting and designing, but if I were only making films, the lag time between different projects would drive me crazy. I’d like to make a movie every two or three years, which is about as quickly as you can get a project off the ground anyway.

How do you think those two sensibilities -- fashion and film -- come together in the way you approached this movie?
They are very separate things for me. Making this film is the first time in my life that I have been purely expressive or artistic. Fashion, for me, is certainly creative, but it’s ultimately a commercial endeavor.

On paper, certainly, A Single Man sounds like an unlikely project. It’s a story about a middle-aged gay man preparing to take his own life.
Even [my partner] Richard, when he first read what I wanted to do, said, “Are you sure?” I said, “Yes, I’m positive. I have a feeling.”

The focus on love between two men seems so apposite given the debate around gay marriage and the glaring need for better representations of gay relationships.
I didn’t even think about it, but I created the kind of relationship on screen that I have and that [the writer] Christopher Isherwood had with Don Bachardy for 43 years. So it just seemed very natural to me. It was funny to me when one of my agents said, “This is a gay story.” I said, “Really? It is?” I’m just blind to gay/straight at this point in my life. I am gay -- I’ve always been completely open about that—but first and foremost I’m human and live the same human condition that every other human on our planet lives. Christopher Isherwood was one of the very first people to treat his gay characters in the same way that he treated the straight characters. They were always just people interacting.

It’s clear that this is a personal movie.
If you read the novel, you can see that I’ve had my character and personality grafted on to the central character of George. The book A Single Man is kind of The Power of Now before The Power of Now was written. And going through a certain midlife crisis of my own -- having spent an enormous amount of my life concentrating on the material world -- this book spoke to me in my mid-40s in a way that it didn’t speak to me when I read it in my 20s. At this point in time a great message for all of us is to appreciate the small things in our lives and to try to be very present for them, because they are the big things in life -- that’s what we get, that’s it.

In contrast to your sexually provocative advertising and Gucci-era persona, A Single Man reveals a deeper, more romantic side that may have escaped people’s notice.
I agree. One thing that most people wouldn’t believe about me is that I’m incredibly shy, and I don’t think I’ve ever allowed people in that close. So the fashion side of me is the surface side, really. It’s also taken a bit of coming to terms with the fact that I do spend so much of my life working in the material world. But as long as you keep it in perspective and don’t take it too seriously, I think fashion is a great thing that adds quality to our lives. It doesn’t mean that a beautiful pair of shoes isn’t still beautiful. But if you lose them, big deal, because they don’t really mean anything other than to be able to say, “Wow, look at my feet. Aren’t they pretty?”

How did your partner react when he saw this movie?
Well, he saw it in many stages. He read every incarnation of the screenplay, he came on the set a few times, he saw the dailies, he saw the first cuts. And I think he loves it. He’s very rarely particularly demonstrative about things I’m working on. Many, many fashion shows where I got great reviews—he didn’t say a word about them. It was almost as if they didn’t exist, and that used to drive me crazy. But he’s been much more vocal about this.

How did you come to choose Nicholas Hoult for the movie?
Originally, I had cast someone else in that role, someone well known, who pulled out at the very last minute. He just didn’t show up at the costume fitting five days before we were due to start shooting. About two weeks earlier, I had received, via e-mail, an audition by Nicholas, who wanted to read for it even though the part was taken. I remember thinking Fuck, he’s so good, he’s so right for this, but the part had already been cast. And then oddly -- and this happened a lot with this film -- things just moved. Colin Firth wasn’t available originally -- I had cast someone else in the role -- and we had a shift in schedule, he had a shift in schedule, the other person dropped out, and all of a sudden things lined up. The same thing happened with Nicholas. Now I can’t imagine anybody but Nick in that role.

There’s something very serene about his presence in the movie.
And angelic. And in a way he is a bit of an angel who saves George (Colin Firth). What’s interesting is that Nicholas was 18 when we started filming; Colin was 48. They were exactly the ages of Chris and Don when they met.

A Single Man opens in December.

Tom Ford Fashions a Poignant Gay Drama

Designer Tom Ford makes a surprisingly successful leap from the fashion industry to the big screen with "A Single Man," a standout directing debut about a gay college professor who loses his longtime partner.

The theme of the search for meaning after a great loss is developed with great sensitivity, thanks to Colin Firth's moving performance in the main role, and should help the film go beyond gay audiences, who will be its strong supporters, to attract the more mainstream attention of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Far From Heaven."

Based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, the screenplay by Ford and David Scearce is concise and to the point. It opens on a fatal car crash in 1962, in which Jim (Matthew Goode) is killed. George Falconer (Firth) learns about his lover's death the next day when a relative phones, but he is warned not to attend the funeral of the man he lived with for 16 years.

Broken-hearted and alone, he seeks comfort from his long-ago flame, now friend, Charley (Julianne Moore), who is obviously still in love with him. But George is too devastated to be interested in either sex, and even rebuffs the approach of a hot young hustler played by Jon Kortajarena, who is a true James Dean lookalike. He tries to avoid getting involved with his student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult of "About a Boy"), who is just discovering his sexual preferences and aggressively courts the older man. Instead, he makes plans for committing suicide.

Most of the action takes place over the course of a single day in Los Angeles in the early '60s, when being gay was socially disapproved of by many. The film brushes ever so lightly on the issue of discrimination, first implicitly, when George lectures his students on how society fears what it is not, and later in a beautifully calibrated tete-a-tete between George and Charley, when she insinuates George and Jim did not have a "real relationship."

Through snatches of their life together, it is apparent that George and Jim had a very real and loving relationship whatever 1960's America thought. Their love story is contrasted with the next-door neighbors, who are down-to-earth suburbanites busy raising families and building nuclear bomb shelters. When a colleague tells George there won't be time for sentiment when the bomb falls, George characteristically retorts that he's not interested in living in a world without feeling.

Firth's measured performance, delivered in a clipped British accent, has just the right restraint, and the intelligent dialogue is a pleasure. Moore is glamorous and likeable as the alcoholic divorcee Charley, adrift without a husband. Goode and especially Hoult are just too perfect to be true, but they serve the purpose of offering George good reasons to stay alive. In contrast to Firth's underplaying, the directing has its overblown, operatic soul. Ford is unafraid of such cringe-worthy moments as playing an opera solo over a suicide attempt, or having a nattily dressed symbolic figure in Tom Ford Menswear give the kiss of death to the recently departed. In the same spirit, tech work is satisfyingly bold. Dan Bishop's stylish production design and Eduard Grau's cinematography set the film in a romantically idealized '60s world. The film score, written by Abel Korzeniowski and Shigeru Umebayashi, is variegated and full of lush orchestral themes that salute Hitchcock and Bernard Hermann, among others.