There’s a beautiful moment in Ira Sachs’ indie hit Love Is Strange involving two older men – a New York couple, forced to live apart after one of them loses his job, tearfully embraces. Life-changing? No. But that’s the point: Its simplicity is a revelation. That distinctly post-gay perspective is what attracted John Lithgow to the role of Uncle Ben, an elderly artist adjusting to life away from his husband, George (Alfred Molina), after financial woes drive them into separate residences. During a recent chat with Lithgow, the actor discussed being touched by the gay community’s response to Love Is Strange, the underrepresentation of LGBT people in film, and his groundbreaking turn as a trans woman alongside Robin Williams in The World According to Garp. 

“Love Is Strange” is resonating with the gay community on a very personal level, especially now that many of these longtime gay and lesbian couples are able to wed. For you, what does it mean to be part of a film that means so much to the gay community?

It’s extremely moving to me. Even if the whole same-sex marriage issue had not become such a major issue of our times, this would still be a very, very moving film just by virtue of the fact that it is a portrait of a 40-year-long relationship. And since it’s a 40-year-long relationship between two gay men, there is such a history there: They’ve been through 40 extraordinary years; they’ve seen the terrible scourge of AIDS in the ’80s and ’90s; between them they’ve lost scours, if not 100s, of friends; they’ve somehow survived, and they have seen the sort of awakenings of freedom – this slow emergence from second-class citizenship through these gay marriage initiatives. The great thing is, it puts a human face on it. You see real people. These are the people who are really directly affected by it, and I just find it terribly moving. 

The narrative hones in on these vignettes of their life together, which says a lot about relationships – that, no matter who’s experiencing it, love is love...

... and it’s complicated and it’s messy, but they are the luckiest people in the film because their relationship has survived and they’re inseparable. They’re so essential to each other. 

Is there a particular exchange between Ben and George that left an impression on you?

Oh, there are so many of them! I think the finest scene is right toward the end: the scene in Julius bar, followed by their walk through the streets of the West Village. It’s the moment when Ben apologizes to George for being less monogamous and less faithful, and yet reassures him and acknowledges the fact that they are essential to each other. I think that’s a wonderful scene, and I love the fact that that scene itself is shot with humor – there are two moments in that scene where they laugh uncontrollably. The way it swings back and forth between the serious and the silly just seems to define their relationship in so many ways. And, as they salute their old friend Frank – it’s quite clear what happened to Frank – that scene is also acknowledging the loss they feel because of AIDS.

You and Alfred have such a rapport – not just in the film, but in real life. You’ve been friends for years. But besides the obvious answer – that it’s called acting – how do you take that platonic affection for each other to the next level?

It’s impossible to be self-conscious with Alfred. Both of us have done a lot of acting, and so it takes an awful lot to throw us. But it’s very rare that you find an actor that you feel so completely free with, so unself-conscious with, and both of us share a certain quality as actors. We’re both very serious actors who are also very frivolous people. (Laughs) We love to laugh, and yet we take acting very seriously – that gives you a lot of reference points in playing a love relationship. You can’t have a relationship of 40 years without having both a sense of humor and a sense of compassion and forgiveness. 

It’s refreshing to see an elderly gay couple portrayed on screen. In Hollywood, there aren’t many stories about older people being told, let alone older gay people.

Yes – they're not very well served in this very youthful industry.

What’s your take on the representation of LGBT characters in film?

They’re underrepresented, and to the extent that they are represented – I mean, there have been important and fine films on gay themes. Many! Longtime Companion, Milk, Philadelphia and Prick Up Your Ears. But so many of them have been shot through with torment and crisis. Milk is about an assassination, Philadelphia is about death by AIDS, Prick Up Your Ears is about a crime of passion between two gay men. This one is exactly the opposite. It is so prosaic. What’s extraordinary and revolutionary about the film is how ordinary it is. It goes beyond acceptance of a gay lifestyle right on to taking it for granted. 

You know, there are different gradations – there is prejudice, and then there’s tolerance, and then there’s acceptance, but the best of all is simply taking something for granted as if there’s nothing unusual about it. That’s what’s revolutionary about this film. That’s exactly how this relationship is viewed, and I think it’s a sign of the times that this is actually happening. I’m not saying the battle is won by any means, but it’s getting harder and harder to be bigoted about homosexuality, and that’s extremely good news. 

And the film acknowledges that.

Yeah – that heartbreaking moment when Joey (Ben’s teenage great-nephew) uses the word “gay” in such a derogatory way is just heartbreaking, and yet you know that things are changing and changing for the better. 

There’s still a battle to be fought, and that’s demonstrated in the film when George loses his job as a longtime Catholic school music teacher because he marries Ben.

And yet, even in that moment you can tell – because of a beautiful little performance by John Cullum as the priest – he doesn’t want to be doing this. He hates to do this. By that very fact you get the sense that this can’t stand 10 years from now. People are not gonna be fired by the Catholic Church for having a gay lifestyle. So, I think it’s a hopeful film. 

I do hope that’s the case. 

They simply can’t keep doing this. They just can’t. It’s unacceptable. 

You received an Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign and also participated in the star-studded reading of Dustin Lance Black’s 8, but when did gay issues become important to you?

Much, much earlier than that. I’ve grown up in a theater family and I’ve lived my life in the creative arts – half of the people in the creative arts are gay! The arts community is way, way beyond the rest of the society in some degree of acceptance, so I’ve grown up in an atmosphere of acceptance. 

Though there were things about the gay community you apparently didn’t know that you learned while shooting Love Is Strange. I understand Cheyenne Jackson schooled you in gay culture.

Yes! Cheyenne was absolutely an essential consultant. (Laughs)

Having played two queer characters who inhabit very different time periods – Uncle Ben in Love Is Strange and, in 1982, transgender woman Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp – what does it say about the gay community when you look at these roles side by side? 

I approached both characters the same way, and that is, loving the people and treating them with great dignity. Roberta is a slightly bizarre character, especially in the context of that film. When I talk about somebody being taken for granted, that is much more true of Love Is Strange than of Roberta Muldoon in _The World According to Garp_. To that degree, times have changed, but it feels very, very good to have been a part of changing that sensibility just a tiny part perhaps. I love that I have dignified these two characters almost in defiance of prejudice. 

You co-starred with Robin Williams in that film...

Yes, rest his soul.

Such a friend to the gay community as well. Do you have a fond memory of Robin you’d like to share? 

All my memories of Robin are very, very fond, and I’m still extremely sad about it. The world has lost a lot of laughter. 

LeAnn Rimes can’t fight the moonlight, but she can fight the spotlight – or, at the very least, shift it.
Ready to divert attention from tabloids back to music, the 31-year-old Grammy winner just released Dance Like You Don’t Give a …, a collection of remixes spanning her 20-year career.

LeAnn, the title of your new album, Dance Like You Don’t Give a …, leaves a lot to the imagination.
(Laughs) I’m actually old enough that I can name a record that! It was my producer whom I work with a lot and is a very good friend, Darrell Brown, who came up with that. I was like, “That is genius!” He came up with it as a title for a song – we’re actually writing a song called that – and I was like, “We have to name the record that.”

Are you at a point in your life where you just don’t give a fuck anymore?
Yeah, I’m getting there, for sure. It’s funny, I grew up in the business, and so, from a very early age, I was taught to care. I had to care what people thought because it was my job to. It really took me so far in the direction of having to care that I’ve had to reel it back in.
Everything I’ve gone through publicly in the last five years – if you really start to care what people think and let all of that penetrate, it can really mess you up. I think I’ve come to a really good balance. When it comes to my personal stuff and music, I’ll listen – and I’m really open to people’s opinion – but there’s a time when I’m like, “OK, you have to go with your intuition and who you are.” The more I figure out what that is and who I am, the easier it is to say, “I don’t give a fuck.”

Based on the album cover, where you’re shouting angrily, I gathered that.
(Laughs) We shot that on top of the Roosevelt Hotel, and I’m actually on the Roosevelt sign … in heels! In a teddy! Which was probably not safe. It captures a moment for me where I needed to let it all out. And, I mean, who gets to stand on the Roosevelt sign and scream?

You do! And it does look like you’re not caring in that moment.
Not at all! (Laughs)

Did you have the gays in mind when you were putting the track list together for this remix album?
Yeah. Honestly, the reason this record is out is because of the fans asking. And it’s great. I’ve had a lot of success on the dance charts. I love that world, personally. I love to dance. Releasing a record like this has really set up an opportunity to actually make a full-on dance record after this.

Are you definitely considering that?
Oh yeah. It will happen for sure.

Looking back at your catalog, what songs of yours have resonated most with the gay community over the years?
“How Do I Live,” definitely. “I Need You” did. Definitely “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.” I actually had a No. 1 dance record with “What I Cannot Change,” which is off of my _Family_ album and that, just the message of the song, seems to resonate very heavily with a lot of the gay community. I think a lot of my music does, really.

Watching your VH1 reality show, LeAnn & Eddie, I’ve noticed just how much you enjoy dancing. During one episode you went to a gay country line-dancing bar…
Oh my god, so fun. A bunch of gay cowboys – you can’t have more fun. They’re hysterical. And there were some cute boys there!

Do you frequent gay clubs more than any other kind?
Yeah, it’s so much more fun to me, and it’s also kind of selfish – you go there and have all these sweet men who are like, “We love you!” It’s fun to be around that energy! I went and performed during Gay Days in Orlando not long ago – it was the first time I actually performed my remixes live – and I had the best time. I’ve never experienced so much love in a room, and also so much excitement for music. Just really incredible people, and I got such a high off of doing that. I don’t really have many firsts in my career anymore, but that was a first for me. Now, I really wanna develop that, because it’s just a whole different crowd to perform in front of. It’s a whole different energy.

Not at all like performing at a casino, huh?
No, no, no. It’s different when you go into a place with thousands of gay men. The one thing I think we have in common is non-judgment. The last thing you wanna do is be judged. And the last thing I wanna be is judged, especially when I’m performing, so for me the most freeing experience was that. I just got to have a good time and not worry about anything. You’re just up there singing, having a good time. Everybody’s dancing. I think we have a mutual respect and love for one another that you can’t really find everywhere.

We also share a mutual respect for your husband, Eddie Cibrian.
(Laughs) Yes. I’ve always said that Eddie and I are a gay man’s wet dream. I sing, you can look at him, and it’s perfect.

Does he tag along with you when you're doing your gay gigs?
He came to that show (Gay Days) and was like, “I am not walking out on stage.” Of course I got him out on stage and it was so funny.

He gets embarrassed?
He does! It’s funny. He’s very low key. I embarrass him often!

Has he ever come to a gay club with you?
Oh yeah, many times. It’s fun for me to watch! (Laughs)

Fun to watch him get hit on by other guys?
I don’t think that’s ever happened, but I’ve definitely watched him get looked up and down in every way, shape or form … so yeah, basically hit on. It’s hysterical seeing these guys freak out over him. For me, I laugh so hard, because Eddie is really pretty cool about it all, but sometimes he can be shy and uncomfortable, and I love to see him in that element. It’s completely not his element, but he knows how to work it.

Is this remix project the beginning of a new chapter for you? What’s next?
I’m figuring that out. It’s been nice to not be attached to anything at the moment and to have the opportunity to do whatever I want musically. I think after taking some time and starting to create music again, and writing and figuring out what that next move is, I’m starting to grasp it a little bit more. But I needed to take some time. I’ve been at the same place since I was 11 (until recently, Rimes was signed to Curb Records). But I love all different types of music and, like I said, this is laying the groundwork for me to really do a dance record. And it’s sad actually: The album (Dance Like You Don’t Give a …) was in the top 10 the other day on iTunes, but I was the only singer with a full-on dance record.

Considering your artistic evolution through the years, would you still call country music your home?
Is my home country radio and that world right now? No. But the cool thing is, I’m not sure that I have a home just yet. Not at this stage in my career. But that’s where I started. I’ve had success across the board. I think even more so on the pop charts than on the country charts, but I think the basis for all of my music personally has always stemmed from what I learned listening to old-school country music. That was really influential in my life, and that’s the kind of country music that I love. Unfortunately, it’s really not around much these days, but just the organic nature of that I carry into everything that I do. So it’s an interesting thing to go, “Where do I want to find a home?” I guess that’s what I’m looking to do, and I have such great fans. People have followed me through so many different changes. I have fans who have pictures of me with them when we were 13, and now, all these years later, they’re still listening to my music.

When you look back at yourself in those pictures, what do you see?
That was such a whirlwind time in my life that I don’t remember a lot of it. Looking at pictures definitely brings back some crazy memories. I was so young. I was a kid that thought they were so much older. Now, being older and having two stepsons, I realize how young I was. That’s really what I see.

It’s interesting hearing what you used to sing about and what artists like Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert are singing about now. How is the country music landscape different for female artists now? Can women be bolder than you could be at the start of your career?
Kacey and Miranda are two of my favorites because there’s some grit there and some authenticity that I feel is missing in music in general, but especially in country music. Everything I grew up on, you lived, you wrote, you sang. You weren’t trying to mask anything or not tell the truth, and that’s what great country music to me is about. So, it’s nice to see a couple of artists sticking to that.
The landscape for women – there’s not much available. It really has become very male dominated. In the ’90s there was a lot more room for women. Reba (McEntire) released “She Thinks His Name Was John,” which was about a woman who had AIDS and who was dying. It was a huge statement and a bold move. So I think people were doing it back then – it just wasn’t as loud as it is now. With different platforms able to bring music to people, it’s just a whole different world. But I think definitely the ’90s was geared more toward having women involved in the format than it is now.

How do you think the way you’ve been portrayed in the media has affected your professional music career?
I think, unfortunately, the direction and the conversation have been turned off of music for a while now. With the new show on VH1, and these eight episodes that we filmed, you really do get to see the story that is us and not some soap opera that people have made up because it sells magazines. And it’s hard to sit back and not be combative about it, but there’s so much and only so many times you can say, “That’s a lie,” because it all is. To be able to take control of it in a way and laugh about it, which we do, has become very much a coping mechanism.
So, with the show, the tide is turning, thank goodness, and it makes it harder for people to go, “Oh my god, they’re horrible people,” but to maybe stop and think for a minute. I’m hoping with the show the conversation will turn back to music, because we’re like, “OK, chapter closed.”

Time for people to move past your personal lives?
It’s time. And it’s time for me to get back to what I love doing and what I do best, and that is music.

What’s the most common misconception about you?
I think my whole life is really just a misconception. Like I said, we have been drug through so much and portrayed whatever way they (the press) feel works for them that week – and also, there has been a third party (Brandi Glanville, Cibrian’s ex-wife) – and so, the whole thing is a misconception. But the good thing about the show is all of these misconceptions kind of just crumble.

On Friday September 5th, Mackenize “Mack” Claude, Derrick Barry and Nick San Pedro went to see the Britney Spears show. Part of the Britney Spears - Piece of Me show routine involves pulling an audience member from the crowd during her performance of the song “Freakshow.” It just so happens that Britney Spears pulled male model Mackenzie Claude who is part of a trinogamous relationship with world renowned celebrity artist Nick San Pedro and Britney Spears celebrity female impersonator Derrick Barry. What are the odds? In a YouTube video Mackenzie Claude can be seen hamming it up dressed in leather, on a leash, walking on all fours, panting like a dog, as the “slave for you” pop princess leashes him along the Planet Hollywood stage. It was quite the spectacle as the audiences jaws dropped to the floor amazed by the level of stage presence and comfort displayed by Mackenzie. Maybe, its Mackenzie’s successful career as a male model that has molded him into such a natural in the spotlight, or maybe he just really feels comfortable in fetish wear. *wink* 

Who is Jennifer Hudson? It’s a question she knows you’ve asked – and one she’s ready to answer with JHUD, the American Idol -turned-Dreamgirls sensation’s third studio album. 

During our candid interview, the Oscar-winning powerhouse went back to her roots – the gay clubs – and opened up about the drag queens who inspired her fierce new outlook (“I’m 32 years old – I don’t think I need your permission”). Hudson, who also answered to those lesbian rumors and chimed in on gay marriage, isn’t kidding when she says, “I’mma be me, I’mma do me.”
When you’re doing Pride events like the ones you did earlier this summer, does that mean you gay it up? 

Yes, definitely! It’s just so fun, first of all. I really enjoy myself. It’s something I really wanted to do, and yeah, you can just give it. It’s that type of audience, so you shouldn’t hold back. And I try not to, you know?

You’re able to let your hair down – or what hair you have left, anyway. 

(Laughs) Exactly! You said it best.

You performed “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls for the gays in Chicago. What is it about that song that still gets such a reaction out of the LGBT community?

The song has its own spirit. It has an effect on everyone, but definitely on the gay community. I think they relate to it in a different type of way – in a special way. A lot of gay men I’ve met, they’re like, “In my heart, I am Effie.” I relate to Effie, and I think that’s part of the connection. It’s a real situation that we all go through. 

What do you think your career would be like without the gay community?

I don’t know if I would have one, to be honest. That’s why I recently did a couple of gay clubs, and I wanted to do more because that’s where I started. I was just literally looking at old pictures a few minutes ago, and I saw a picture of me performing in a gay club and a picture of being dressed. Drag queens used to dress me, and then I would go and perform. That’s where I started, so there’s definitely a connection there. I wanted to make sure that I reconnected. 

Having performed in gay clubs when you were a teenager, you connected with the LGBT community at a very young age. What do you attribute to that relationship?

What I’ve always admired about the gay community is the independence and the confidence. Just that attitude. I’m so inspired by that, and I feel like, for me, that is my connection. I’ve never understood, gosh, what does the gay community see in me? You know what I mean? Because again, I grew up around a lot of that and that’s the world that embraced me first, so that I’ve never fully gathered.

When it comes to strength, do you see your relationship with the gay community as a reciprocal exchange?

Yeah, I definitely draw strength from them. I love a big personality, and just the self-assurance and the sexiness in it – actually, I think that’s where I got a lot of it from! (Laughs)

What did you learn on how to work a crowd from hanging out with so many drag queens?

Owning it. My kings and queens, they own stuff and give 100 percent. You’re gonna be a queen? Be a queen. If you’re gonna perform, perform. Whatever you’re doing, make sure you’re serving 100 percent. 

How did you reconcile performing for gay people with your Baptist beliefs?

Well, I grew up around a lot of people who probably had issues with it, but I never did. People are people. Mind your business, that’s how I’ve always felt. Whatever makes you happy. If you’re happy, I’m happy, so it never really mattered to me. I never looked at it as a... you know what I mean?

As a conflict? 

It was never a factor. It doesn’t matter to me either way. 

When I saw you perform “Same Love” with Macklemore and Mary Lambert during the 2013 MTV VMAs, I remember thinking, “Is Jennifer trying to tell us something? Is she coming out as lesbian?”

If someone ever questions or thinks that, I don’t care what you think. It shouldn’t matter. And I did get that! People were like, “Is Jennifer trying to tell us something?” Hey, I wasn’t, but if you wanna think that, it’s all right with me. When I got the call (to do that performance), I was like, “Oh my god, I definitely wanna do this. A powerful statement is being made and I wanna be a part of that.” 

Does your support of the gay community extend to gay marriage? 

Yeah. Ain’t much else to say about that, because what’s the big deal? 

You’ve had your share of trials and tribulations. When was a time in your life that you found yourself leaning on a gay best friend? 

My whole life! Every day! My best friend (Walter Williams) is my assistant and we’ve been friends since sixth grade. He’s the one I bought the house for this past Christmas, and he’s my life partner. We go through everything together. We’re each other’s backbone every day, and still to this day. 

You’re showing off a sexy new sound on “Dangerous,” a single off JHUD. You’re also looking sexier than ever. Do you feel sexier than ever? 

Mmm, no – I’ve always felt sexy! (Laughs) It’s just the space I’m in right now, and this is what this album represents. I’m just in my moment and I attribute that to my 30s more than anything. I feel settled, and it’s not an issue of what you think, what she thinks, who all says this – I don’t give a damn! The truth is, I’m grown. Before it was like, “Oh, is this OK? Is this all right? What does such and such think?” I don’t care! (Laughs) I’m more settled, more sure. I’m 32 years old – I don’t think I need your permission. Keep it moving.

Spoken like a true drag queen.

And that’s what I’m talkin’ about! That’s exactly what I love. It’s a gift to have that type of attitude. As a black woman, we get that same thing: rejection. People “yay” and “nay” you and things like that, and I’m still walking through life, honey. I’mma be me, I’mma do me, and I’m not concerned about how you feel about it. 

Some of this album takes me back to ’70s gay club music. How much did the gay community influence JHUD?

That’s a part of me, so it wasn’t necessarily a target in making the album – it’s just me being me, and that’s what I love about this album. I’ve sat back, I’ve listened and I’ve learned – now, can I have a voice? Can I express myself? All of that is a part of me that is coming out through the music, so yes, you will hear songs that are old-school influenced, disco influenced, gay-anthem influenced. 

Throughout my career I’ve noticed people don’t have a sense of who I am as a person. They know me from being on Idol or being a spokesperson or emcee, or from film – but who is the girl? What’s her story? Through this album, I want people to get a sense of me and what that is. You’re picking up on that. “Oh, I feel a gay influence.” Yes, you do, honey, because that’s where I come from. 

As someone whose voice really takes me back to the golden era of female vocalists, how do you imagine your career would be different had you been on the radio when a real voice – a real diva voice – meant more than it does now? 

I feel like I’m stuck in the wrong time. I grew up on the Whitneys, the Pattis, the Arethas – the big voices. Today’s divas are just a completely different thing. Though they’re great as well, I still feel like I’m stuck between eras. I love The Pointer Sisters, and I also love Destiny’s Child. That’s why this album is so eclectic. I’m not a person who believes in limits. Nobody can tell me what my potential is other than myself. So (for people) to say, “You only get to do this” – no, you don’t get to tell me that. 

Speaking of Whitney Houston, before it was announced that Yaya DaCosta nabbed the role of Whitney for Lifetime’s upcoming biopic, there were rumors of you possibly playing the singer. 

Oh, no, no, no. Not Lifetime, no. I mean, I heard my name being tossed around for Whitney, which would obviously be an honor, but as far as that one in particular, that was never the case. 

Could you see yourself playing Whitney at some point?

If it was done in the right way, for sure. I’m a fan, and I, like everyone else, want to see her remembered in the way she should be remembered. Whitney – I mean, come on, she made the hugest impact on our industry. Everybody loved Whitney. I want her to get her just, to be done the right way. She gave her whole life to this industry, so give her that.

What would be a suitable way to tribute Whitney?

I wanna see one tribute. I felt the same way with Michael (Jackson). There are all these amazing legends who gave their entire lives to their career, and it wasn’t light stuff – I mean, they changed the game. They changed the industry and how we look at music and performing. So much more should be done for them in their memory and to honor their work.