Fashion maverick Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man is an intriguing look
at homosexuality, sexuality and society in the early 1960s. Originally a novel writ-
ten by pioneering author Christopher Isherwood, this film adaptation stars Colin
Firth as “George”—a man who is dealing with the loss of his lover of 16 years as he
goes about a single 24-hour period in his life. A day in which George contemplates
suicide, unsure he has the will to live any longer. In the confines of his job as a college
professor and in society in general, the emotional turmoil within him cannot be ex-
pressed. Tom Ford is garnering praise for his first time out as director and also Oscar
buzz with the performances delivered by Colin Firth and co-star Julianne Moore
who plays George’s confidant and best friend. What happens over the course of this
day is for the filmgoer to discover but with Tom Ford at the helm, the discovery is
stylishly explored and emotionally riveting. A Single Man has already garnered the
prestigious Venice Film Festival Queer Lion Award for best gay film and lead actor
Colin Firth and Julianne Moore in A Single Man
Colin Firth captured the best actor prize. Recently at the Regent Beverly Wilshire
Hotel, The Rage Monthly was able to explore the depth and intensity of Colin Firth to
discover…he really is an actor’s actor.
The Rage Monthly: This is one of the first films that comes to mind dealing with the loss of
a gay partner that didn’t come about because of a hate crime or AIDS. What made this role
so appealing to you and did Chris and Don Bachardy’s (Chris Isherwood’s partner) real-life
relationship help you in any way to portray the character of George?
Colin Firth: I watched a very beautiful film about Chris and Don. I watched it
twice. The film was called Chris & Don: A Love Story. I don’t know if it helped me.
It was of interest to me. Whenever I embark on a project, it’s an opportunity to
plunge into a particular world, a different perception, to learn about a time and a
place that I didn’t know much about.
You know…love is love. I don’t really feel that there is anything different to play
because the partner happens to be male. The person I’ll be playing opposite is un-
likely to be my lover anyway. So, it’s the job description. These emotions, you find
them from somewhere. It’s the job. I think one of the things I appreciate greatly
about Isherwood’s writing is that he doesn’t make the sexuality a salient feature,
sexual love is part of it but he was writing at a time when there were a lot of writ-
ers covering that up. There’s no question about it. Terrance Rattigan was writing
relationships that were clearly about relationships between men, which he had
Colin Firth as George in A Single Man
to disguise as relationships between a man and a woman. Isherwood didn’t feel
the need to do that. His characters just happened to be gay. They’re not…I don’t
really define myself by my sexuality either. I think it’s one of the things that George
is not struggling with (laughter) is his sexuality. He’s struggling with a lot of things
but he’s not struggling with being gay or not. I think he’s fairly happy with who he
is in that respect.
Rage: What was it like working with director Tom Ford?
CF: He has a great gift. You know, he’s never made a film before but it didn’t feel
like working with a man who was a novice…at all. There were a couple of little
pieces of film parlance that he was unfamiliar with, but it didn’t seem to matter. He
would just add them to his vocabulary and carry on. People treated him with the
utmost respect. There was such a strong sense that he could be trusted in terms of
his taste and his judgment that it actually relaxed people. A film set can be a very
neurotic place. It can be rampant with insecurity. People are frightened of falling
short, frightened of failure, frightened of miscommunication…there are all kinds
of complications. A good director smoothes that out and unites the set creating a
unity of vision which everybody wants to fulfill.
He has that gift and I think he’s learned that over many, many years working in
fashion. He’s always felt that fashion has something to say. It may not be a very
popular thing to hear…even if it’s “I must make this woman wear this dress!” and
he has to get that across in a few seconds on the runway, you’re still using your
creativity and sharing a vision and you’re still working toward an impact. This time,
Matthew Goode and Colin Firth in A Single Man
December 2009 | RAGE monthly 45
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