I know he was gay but he couldn't act straight in this movie to save his life. Watch that (well what passes for) kiss he gives Sophia Loren when he goes to her room downstairs during the thunderstorm. Why on earth was he chosen to play the passionate role of Eben when he clearly had no passion to give? He was great in Psycho but very miscast in Desire.
shareYou're saying this because you know he's gay. If you didn't, you'd think he did just fine, as the studio did that cast him.
It's not that I don't trust you, it's the devil in you that I don't trust,
I didn't know he was gay when I saw the movie the first time, at the age of 12. Didn't even know what gay was; It was the early '60's; I just figured he didn't like Sophia Loren very much.
shareThat's quite odd being that I was 11 or 12 when I saw it as well, but very memorable due to the palpable passion displayed between the actors. I mean, it's a love story where the actors are kissing, often. What would make you, a child, think "he didn't like Sophia Loren very much"?
It's not that I don't trust you, it's the devil in you that I don't trust,
I didn't know Perkins was gay until I started reading stuff about him but I always kind of had a feeling he was because he was so awkward with all his leading ladies (Tuesday Weld, Jane Fonda, Sophia Loren, etc.)
Why on earth was he chosen to play the passionate role of Eben when he clearly had no passion to give?
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Well for someone who "couldn't play straight to save his life" he did work opposite very many famous and accomplished leading ladies (Jean Simmons, Sophia, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, Tuesday Weld, Blythe Danner, Shirley MacLaine, the list goes on), and he was bisexual, by the way. And considering that he married and fathered two children, it can be up for debate as to whether he could "play straight". Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter had no problem creating the illusion of being attracted to the leading ladies they played opposite. It's called acting. A straight person can play a gay character convincingly, and the same goes for the reverse, and just because characters are in love or are attracted to each other onscreen does not mean that such an attraction exists in real life, regardless of an actor's sexual orientation. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but I do find it annoying when some try to say that an actor's sexuality affects what kinds of roles they can play. Just as people assumed Perkins was Norman Bates, while he had some things in common with the character (only child, his father dying when he was five, a domineering mother), when personality-wise he was nowhere near being homicidal or psychotic. It was that kind of attitude that led to his typecasting. Of course, he made peace with that but it did limit his opportunities in American film.
In his early career Perkins proved that he could play comedic, romantic, and action-roles. He was slender but very physically fit, and his ability to speak French fluently enabled him to work internationally rather than be trapped in some of the stereotypes Hollywood had confined him to after Psycho (1960). He was versatile (his Oscar nomination for Friendly Persuasion (1956), his sensitive portrayal of Jimmy Piersall in Fear Strikes Out (1957), and as the adorable and humorous Corneilus Hackl in The Matchmaker (1958), are excellent demonstrations of this) , and it's too bad that, as brilliant as he was at playing disturbed characters, that his talent wasn't used in more diverse roles.
No wonder his favorite song (and the song that he used to sing his kids to sleep at night) was "Don't Fence Me In".
^ This is very, very good.
I think something a lot of people don't realize too is that a lot of the actors and actresses in these old movies were gay and bisexual themselves. There is a whole slew of actors that I'm sure would spin your head around if I told you right now that they weren't actually straight. Anthony Perkins tends to be a more well-known bisexual actor -- yes, he was bisexual. He did have sex with women later on in life. At first he was extremely shy around them.
And adding on to the thing about Sophia Loren, he absolutely adored her. He was quoted once in the late 50s/early 60s saying that if he could take anything to a deserted island, he would take his dog or Sophia Loren. Once again, I think he was attracted to women at least in a romantic sense during the 50s and 60s, but honestly, he seemed to be very timid around them. Multiple co-stars of his tried seducing him.
I thought he did very well in this film. He's done very well in all the films of his I've seen, and I always thought he had good on-screen chemistry with his co-stars. If you've ever read anything about him and Ingrid Bergman, one of the first things she did with him was kiss him, which he happily obliged too. "Goodbye Again" was a wonderful performance. It's almost tragic that he was typecasted.
More like because he was under contract.
shareIt's interesting to consider how much we read into a performance if we know something about the actor. The gay/straight argument is difficult to support if the actor is convincing and they can be as Rock Hudson proved many times. If anything, I'm more amazed when an actor can play a sweet or benevolent character if it is known that their private persona is quite different. However, what is really troubling is the level of skill demonstrated by non actors who hone their ability to deceive (the dark side of acting and, perhaps, why it is so fascinating)and this happens endlessly among public officials, clergy and, of course, people whom we, unsuspectingly, meet everyday. There are many Oscar winners among us.
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