Reporting by Josh Horowitz
Long before Sarah Palin was talking crazy or banks were going out of business faster than “We Sell it on eBay” stores, a truly bizarre political scandal erupted in 1970’s San Francisco, changing politics forever. We’ve already written extensively about the December release “Milk," and when we recently caught up with super-producer/Focus Features Co-President James Schamus, he promised that our enthusiasm over the Sean Penn biopic was justified.
“He’s just channeling him; it’s crazy. He is Harvey Milk,” Schamus said of the Oscar-winner’s performance as America’s first openly-gay politician. “Go online and look at Harvey Milk and look at the trailer, and it’s like we hired Harvey Milk.”
Co-starring Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco (who reportedly shares a kissing scene with Penn), the film tells the true tale of a larger-than-life man who ran for office seeking tolerance and equality, then became a martyr for the gay movement after being shot down by a Twinkie-loving madman.
“Gus is always going to push the limits of film language,” Schamus said of the film’s director, Oscar nominee Gus Van Sant. “Usually he’s trying to bring into the culture, in particular, young people that have been left outside. His heart and his voice go to people who are not allowed to speak. I said to him, ‘People believe there are two Gus Van Sants. There’s the ‘Good Will Hunting’ Gus Van Sant and then there’s ‘Elephant’ Gus Van Sant’.”
“But to me there’s only one,” Schamus explained. “This movie is the product of one creative vision. The film will live up to [the hype]. It’s the movie he was born to make. It is proof-positive that those two people are the same guy. He is not shy in this movie in pushing the voices that are always shoved outside. This is about young people, and Harvey was surrounded by young people.”
The film hits theaters December 5th, and will undoubtedly be one of the most talked-about films of this awards season. “[Penn’s mimicry of Milk] is one piece of a very large puzzle,” Schamus added. “To me, what was amazing was the spiritual connectivity he had, not just with the character but with the cast. There’s a generosity to his acting in it.”
Whether you’ve already seen them or not, what are your picks for this year’s Oscar contenders?
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