James Franco and Zachary Quinto get intimate in ‘I Am Michael’ trailer
A trailer has been released for long-awaited ‘ex-gay’ film I Am Michael, which is set for a theatrical release next month.
The film ‘I Am Michael’ portrays the life of Michael Glatze – the editor of Young Gay America magazine who later renounced his homosexuality and marrying a woman.
James Franco stars in the lead role, while out Star Trek actor Zachary Quino plays Glatze’s ex-boyfriend Bennett.
The film is finally getting a limited theatrical and on-demand release next month, nearly three years after it first aired at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Ahead of the release, a trailer was unveiled featuring Quinto and Franco.
The film also stars Desperate Housewives star Charlie Carver as Tyler, a college student who gets involved in a relationship with Michael and Bennett.
Glatze now lives in Wyoming with his wife and is a pastor.
Franco previously opened up about the challenges of the multi-layered role.
He said: “From the beginning, it was definitely the intention that we present the facts of his life rather than trying to vilify him.
“We did have Michael’s permission and his relationship to this material is different than any of the real life people I have portrayed. Where we start in Michael’s life in the movie, is far from where he is right now.
“So in a way, we had to show to him we were going to have a very even-handed, non-judgemental approach, but we also had to say to ourselves, ‘We’re not telling this story just to make Michael happy, we’re telling the story to get both sides’.
“The best we could do was say to him was, ‘We have good intentions. We’re not going to crucify or judge you but we also need to tell the story from the other side as well as the side you’re on now’.”
Franco recently interviewed himself about his sexuality.
In a magazine feature, he asked himself: “Are you f***ing gay or what?”
Franco replied: “Well, I like to think that I’m gay in my art and straight in my life.
“Although, I’m also gay in my life up to the point of intercourse, and then you could say I’m straight.
“So I guess it depends on how you define gay. If it means whom you have sex with, I guess I’m straight.
“In the twenties and thirties, they used to define homosexuality by how you acted and not by whom you slept with.
“Sailors would f**k guys all the time, but as long as they behaved in masculine ways, they weren’t considered gay.”
