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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2000)
24 3.2000 ombard Proudly Serving The Greater Portland Metro Area 503 / 286-1330 Continued from Page 23 F L O W E R S Located in Historic St. Johns 8 3 0 2 N. LOMBARD • PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 0 3 Phone 5 0 3 2 7 4 -9 9 3 6 KAREN M. 5 WEIGERT, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology f”3 X 5 0 3 2 7 4 -2 6 6 0 C mcs M , PC 1130 N.W. 22nd, Suite 320, Portland, OR 97210 Mike t haler author of the Black Lagoon series will be signing copies of his new series Heaven and Mirth Saturday, March 4 at 2:00pm 9 Saturday March 18, at 11:30 storyteller Roger Coles will entertain children and adults with interactive tales tak Sign up for our Mother/daughter book club-ask Meredith MUSK PAMES 4807 NE Fremont Street — 284-8298 Portland's only independent children's bookstore P ortland ’ s ONLY I ndependent * N orconherlial I L istener -S ponsored C ondoniti R adio S tation ) . ttiiti 0 ^ , i ÍÍ* * * The Rupert Report « • © S ®***'14 - 9O.7 fW PORTLAHD « 92.7 (OLUfllM 60I6E » IQO.y WllllHfTTE VALID j •JL One of the similarities, on the other hand, between Everett and his character is implicit in a line written by Everett himself: I’m tired of all the drugs and body issues and everything else gay. “1 do identify with that line, but it’s not meant to be something critical," Everett can didly revealed. “1 think it’s a line that comes to everyone at age 40 on the gay scene, because the thing that gay people and women, really, have in common is that we begin to become— unless you’re lucky genetically— invisible at age 40. So you do tend to start re-evaluating.... I am slightly bored of all that, for me personally, but on the other hand 1 think the body atten tion is also quite fabulous.” Despite my exhaustive research and careful packing for this press junket (1 remembered to bring my nipple clamps and Play - boy), it turned out some of my fellow journalists knew a few things I did n’t. Noting that this par ticular media frenzy was unique— in that it was arranged exclusively for reporters from queer publi- \ cations— one thoughtfully ^ asked why Everett, who mas- terminded the all-gay press event, was so keen on reaching out to smaller, regional gay publications. “First of all, it’s a film with the lead character who’s gay, so, you know, obviously we want to make as many gay people as aware of the film as possible,” Everett explained, adding, “My par ticular problem with the usual way that you’d promote that, i.e., in The Adiocate and Out magazine, is that I don’t terribly like those publications.” Although no one on the interview panel questioned his dislike for the two glossies— and some eagerly testified to their own disdain— Everett spelled it out: “I find that politically I’m not in line with a lot of those people, I don’t really have a political enough stance. And I find that every time I’ve dealt with those magazines— and I don’t really have any criticism of them— but if you don’t share the political angle of these ‘modem day prophets,’ they tend to take quite a hard line for you.... I’m not suggesting that I’ve got you here so you don’t take a hard line for me.” (This last comment was greeted by knowing smiles from the journalists, many of whom had come from much colder climes than Portland to bask in Miami’s sun and Paramount Pictures’ largesse.) “ I like very much the gay press that is more to do with practical events, like new drugs, club venues, hookers,’’ he continued. “If I go to a town, the type of gay magazine 1 want to find is one which will tell me where to go and what’s going on in that town.... I much prefer the idea of someone just leafing through me in a club, so to speak, than showing myself up for not having enough o f a political line in an in- depth kind of wank-off in The Advocate or something.” Everett isn’t limiting his outreach to the gay community, however. He believes The Next Best Thing will appeal to hetero audiences too, even while it deals with issues, such as “family values,” that often divide queers from straight folks. Not that the professedly apolitical Everett would necessarily explain it that way... “The thing that appealed to me about it— coming from My Best Friend’s Wedding, where I didn’t really expect to become so successful— was that I was looking to do another gay role that was still funny and accessible to middle- American straight people, not just a ghetto film, not just a specialized film,” Everett said after a contemplative pause. “And the story of this seemed to me kind of ideal, because it’s jokey and fun to start with and then it has a turn, which personally I like a lot. And it deals in the end with a series of serious subjects. One of the things that was most beguiling for me was that you can be a practicing homosexual and a really good father, and 1 think from my point of view it was a very impor tant thing to do.” Asked whether he approached the film pri marily to advance his career or as an opportunity to have a social impact out side the movie theaters, Everett responded frankly and ith less hesitation than before: Both things. It’s obviously exciting for me to become more successful, because that’s what actors are about, partly. But then it’s also really exciting to be part of a movement to destereotype charac ters like this. I think this gay character is a real ly positive image for the most part, and I think it would be great if this film is very successful— there’ll be a million more gay films happen ing.... “My fantasy for this film has always been that if every gay and lesbian person came to this movie it would be more successful than Titanic, and if that happened there would be so many movies coming out with gay and lesbian characters, because all Hollywood needs is the financial incentive. It’s a great opportunity for gay characters to join the Hol lywood family in a mainstream way. It means, if this film really worked well, there would be a lot more opportunity for a lot of other things that went further, more diverse.” It’s been rumored that The Next Best Thmg met with a lot of resistance from anti-gay forces in the entertainment industry, but Everett dis agreed strongly, saying that Hollywood’s reputa tion for homophobia is overblown. “People always say Hollywotxl’s homopho bic, but Hollywood’s not really homophobic, Hollywood’s just business oriented,” he explained. “So whatever’s gonna make the money is what they’re interested in; they don’t really have homophobia. 1 think films like this are very puzzling to them because they’re not sure where the audiences are, if there’s an audi ence, if one audience is gonna be turned off because it’s too in your face.” “First of all, it's a film with the lead character who's gay, so, you know, obviously we want to make as many gay people as aware of the film as possible. My particular problem with the usual way that you’d promote that, i.e., in The Advocate and Out magazine, is that I don't terribly like those publications." $79 9 u p p e r lip, chin b ik in i, u n d e ra rm s neck, s h o u ld e rs e yeb ro w s $149 EAOM back, chest upper legs lower legs arm s
