Jake Gyllenhaal has opened up about the approach he took in exploring his latest character's sexuality.
No stranger to playing LGBTIQ+ roles, Gyllenhaal plays the part of 'sexually fluid' LA art dealer Morf Vandewalt in Netflix's new satirical horror film, Velvet Buzzsaw. In the film, Vandewalt pursues relationships with both men and women - but it's not just black and white.
"For me what was interesting in trying to create this character was the idea of a gay man going straight for a woman and the reasons why. He says something very specific: 'We have a taste relationship.'"
Gyllenhaal continued: "It’s a relationship not necessarily based on the intimacies that you would hope for. It’s based on the fact that they both like the same kind of work. And there’s sort of vapidness within each character."
The film’s writer and director Dan Gilroy said that, while it is satire, there's still value in challenging society's views on sexual orientation.
"I wrote the character because I believe that sexuality is far more fluid than society does," he said. "As we were starting to define this character, Quincy Jones came out and gave an interview about Marlon Brando having an affair with Richard Pryor. Thank you, God! What a beautiful image that is."
Gilroy added: "So we started to play with the idea that here is this archetypal male who was a sensualist, and we started to define [Gyllenhaal’s character] as somebody who is in touch with all his senses.
"And look, person-based attraction can override a lot - you can be attracted to people regardless of gender. If we got over the hang up that gender roles are cemented - and embrace the idea that we all have a fluid sexuality - that’s what I’m trying to say with this character."
Gilroy and Gyllenhaal previously worked together on the thriller Nightcrawler.
