Aside from recently bombed, updated "Psycho," the new Lionsgate release, "Gods and Monsters," may be the gayest movie at the local cinema. First off, "Gods and Monsters" is based on gay, B-movie director James Whale. The gay, master of horror was best known for the films "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein."
Playing the role of Whale, of course, is openly gay British actor Ian McKellen, who stresses when I spoke to him a few weeks back that he was "not nearly as old as the Whale character of 85" that he plays in the film.
The executive producer of "Gods and Monsters" is openly gay filmmaker, painter and author Clive Barker (who happens to have also just finished another supernatural novel entitled "Galilee").
Finally, since all can assume (even though it would be nice to think other-wise) that co-star Brendan Fraser is heterosexual, the other gay person involved in a major way with the making of "Gods and Monsters" is its director, Bill Condon.
I spoke to Condon recently, by phone from his Los Angeles home.
The 42-year-old director of such films as "Candyman 2" (another Clive Barker production) and art house hit "Sister, Sister," had been eager to make "Gods and Monsters" for some time but did not have enough A-list talent attached. Without big name stars, studios often hesitate to throw down the money needed to finance a picture, thinking that it would go unnoticed when released.

"I sent Ian McKellen the script for "Gods and Monsters" and he liked it a lot," says Condon. "He came over to my place for a meeting, but it was apparent to me that he was a little nervous about tak-ing on the role of James Whale. It had nothing to do with the character's sexual preference rather, it had everything to do with the character's age."
"We had our meeting when Ian was trying to make a run in the movies but was always being depicted as an ancient crone. He had a lot of reservations about playing someone 30 years his senior, Condon adds.
"Finally, after some more thought, Ian realized that he would more or less over-look the character's age and concentrate on the role itself,"
That may have been a wise decision. Many insiders in Hollywood are suggesting that McKellen is a shoo-in for a Best Actor Academy Award nomination.
McKellen is not at all phased by the hoopla surrounding him. "I am not a fan of acting awards. I guess it would be nice for the studio to get some recognition for their film," he said to me recently, "but honestly, if I was concerned about awards and trophies, I would have gone into athletics."

On the surface, it may seem like acquiring Brendan Fraser was a coup. "Yes and no," says Condon. "When we were filming "Gods and Monsters," the big summer of 1997 hit, "George of the Jungle" had not yet been released. Brendan's stock was still low," he says laughing. "Who knows what may have happened if we had approached him a few months later?"

During the making of "Gods and Monsters," Condon was thrilled that "McKellen was a part of the creative process of the film. He came to many meetings and was proactive. It was nice to see him get involved with the film to the extent he did."

Condon's foray into filmmaking began when he was a teen. "I wrote a story in high school," he says, "and turned it into a very short and cheap film called "Millimeter" which is hidden away somewhere in my house at the moment. Ironically, I never made it to film school. I grew up in Queens (N.Y) and went to Columbia University where I majored in philosophy," he says chuckling. "It was when I got out of school and decided to move to L.A. that I pursued the career in film." At the moment, Condon is very content with his life. He has had a boyfriend for two years and is hard at work on a new film, rather a faux documentary in the vain of "Waiting for Guffman." "The film I am will be working on soon is called "Vicky Oberjoune: Alone in the Night," says Condon.

Ian McKellen stars as James Whale in "Gods and Monsters"

For now, Condon continues to spend time promoting "Gods and Monsters" which opened in mid October in Los Angeles arid New York and (finally) this Friday in Milwaukee.
"I have been traveling for over three months," says Condon. "It has been an intense three months. But well worth it."

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