Michael Douglas has heaped praise on Matt Damon for agreeing to play his gay lover in a new biopic about flamboyant pianist Liberace.
Douglas will play the Polish-Italian musician in Steven Soderbergh's as-yet-untitled film, while Damon has been drafted in to play his boyfriend Scott Thorson.
And he commends Damon for balancing out his blockbuster films, including the Bourne trilogy, with more unusual projects like their upcoming collaboration.
He says, "I'm just going to get really comfortable so (my portrayal of Liberace) is not a caricature. Matt Damon's going to be my young lover. God bless Matt. He's right to take chances. It's smart to mix it up a bit and maintain the franchise and still get to do a picture that turns you on."
Liberace - real name Wladziu Valentino Liberace - was a huge star in the 1950s and 60s, famous for his showmanship and glittery suits.
He repeatedly refused to acknowledge his homosexuality, right up until his death from AIDS in 1987, at the age of 67 - even successfully suing a British tabloid for suggesting he was gay.
Michael Douglas is taking a sharp turn from his usual roles to tackle the lead in a film biography of the campy musical performer Liberace, and Matt Damon is playing his longtime lover, director Steven Soderbergh confirmed.
"We've already done some costume and wardrobe tests on Michael, and they're very, very, very good." Soderbergh told a French newspaper at the Deauville Film Festival. "I swear to you, Michael amazed me. He crushed it."
Born Wladziu Valentino, the flamboyant, piano-playing Liberace, nicknamed "Mr. Showmanship" and "Glitter Man," was a staple of early 1950s television, and was an institution in Las Vegas until his death from AIDS in 1987. At his height, he made more money than Elvis and The Beatles.
Damon, Soderbergh said, has agreed to portray Scott Thorsen, the assistant/boyfriend whose 1982 palimony suit for $110 million publically outed the entertainer.
"Matt accepted the challenge," Soderbergh said. "But I have to say I'd already convinced him to gain 30 pounds for The Informant."
Liberace will be filmed off a script by writer/director Richard Lagravense, who was responsible for The Bridges of Madison County. Soderbergh said the budget will allow filmmakers to re-stage segments of Liberace's spectacular stage act, which often involved elaborate stunts such as flying or driving to his piano bench in a Rolls-Royce.
Michael Douglas has heaped praise on Matt Damon for agreeing to play his gay lover in a new biopic about flamboyant pianist Liberace.
